The Mosaica

What do you get when you drop a slice of Shoreditch into the gastronomically bankrupt Wood Green? Apparently you get a quirky, beatnik restaurant which garners a menu to rival central London eateries.
The non-​conformist Mosaica makes no efforts to attract nor does it give you any reason to come and claim it. Set in an industrial area, deep inside the artsy ‘Chocolate Factory’ where music and other creative enterprises hold office space, Mosaica is hands down Wood Green’s gourmet gem. Among a cascade of kebab cafes, Polski skleps, and cheap Asian takeaways, stands this off-​the-​beaten-​track, hidden-​away restaurant. *NOTE: you will not find it without your mobile gps.
It entertains a younger crowd, with painted plank wood flooring stretching across an open plan, converted warehouse, complete with hanging fairy lights. Its walls are strewn with modern art from local artists, mirrors, and a moosehead. The tables are heavy wood and the chairs range from old-​fashioned full armchairs to wirey backrests to bar stools and everything in between. It also features a battalion of candles to fight almost black-​out conditions. However, this lighting (or rather, lack thereof) could also serve for a romantic night out.
The menu is stimulating, and though expensive for the area, is reasonable for London proper and the quality ingredients changed on a daily basis, as Mosaica boasts the use of seasonal local produce. My roast chicken with raspberry preserves and celeriac chips was perfection. So was my halloumi, pesto starter which was generous and filled with marinated, grilled vegetables which were flavorful without having been drowned in a combination of oil and dark Italian vinegars. My not-​easily-​impressed best friend spoke highly of the home made taste of the creamy tomato soup and her crab cakes as well. The waitress was very quick, attentive, and happily served us two rounds of neat Cointreau for desert.
An excellent experience in a quality restaurant desert.

This is a great find and was a good lunchtime option for my birthday lunch. The décor is quirky but the food more than made up for it!

The whole romance surrounding the mystery of this places location, I admit is attractive. Hidden on an industrial estate, it almost felt like I was walking into a canteen. The building in which it resides, I think was a institute of eduction of some description? Reminded me of my secondary school if I’m honest.
As you enter the restaurant one is greeted by a darkened room with lots of fairy lights hanging from the ceiling, which is a nice touch. The open kitchen is to your right and the rest of the space is filled with tables and chairs. Open kitchens always set off alarm bells for me, if the ventilation is poor then inevitable one will leave smelling like cooking — huge pet peeve. Who am I kidding? It’s far from a pet peeve, it’s outright hatred! So when I asked the waiter to open the window and was told no, I was less than impressed. In his defence he did open it 10 minutes later.
I started with the black tiger prawns with chili and garlic which at £8.30 I thought was rather pricy. Following that I had the 21 hour pork belly with red cabbage and mustard mash. The pork was good, very tender. The 21 hours pretty much disintegrated all of the fat and the cracklin’ on the top was just perfect! The red cabbage was sweet like a chutney which was an appropriate marriage with the pork. The only down side was that there wasn’t enough gravy, so towards the end it got a little dry.
Definitely an experience, and one that I would repeat but I’ll make sure I’ve got my hair up and I’m not going anywhere but home, afterwards.

Luckily, I found out about this restaurant due to a deal they had through Groupon. It was a «seven» course tasting menu. (I use seven in quotes only due to the fact that I would consider it more of a five course tasting menu). It sounded like a good deal, and on top of that, it’s relatively close (10 minute train ride) from where we live. I figured if it’s good, it’s much easier to get there than to go all the way into London proper!
We arrive, and first off it seems like a very strange place for a restaurant. It’s basically in the middle of a giant warehouse type place. However, they’ve managed to give it modern, eclectic decorations, with a funky twist. Definitely seems like a fun vibe.
We’re seated at they bring us our first course, bread with oil and vinegar, olives, and a bellini. Booze is always good, as we were expecting to be paying for the wine. However, the other half is not a huge fan of olives, so I had them all to myself. I’m not sure I’d consider this a course to be honest, but the bread was absolutely superb! We ordered a bottle of Sancerre (as we figured white with the next three courses sounded reasonable). The wine was quite tasty, and went well with the next three courses. First was a salad of apple, radicchio, and walnuts. Very tasty! Then I had the caramelized goat’s cheese with artichokes. The other half doesn’t really care for goat’s cheese, so they gave him char-​grilled asparagus with Parmesan. Both of them were wonderful. Then some grilled swordfish in a broth with white beans. Tasty!
The big problem came with the next course, as it was beef. We wanted some red wine, but an entire bottle of red seemed like it was going to be too much. One of the people wandering around brought a bottle over and told us if we liked the white, we’ll love the red. Well, it was a bottle, so we declined, opting for a California red instead. However, he didn’t like that answer so he brought over a new wine they were trying and wasn’t on the menu yet. It turned out to be very good going well with the beef! Talk about service!
For dessert we had fruit with yogurt, honey, and pistachios, and a bit of Sauternes for measure. The «seventh» course was truffles and coffee, before which the same guy who brought us the wine asked us if we wanted any Cognac with the coffee. I said no, but he insisted saying it was on the house. Well, you can’t say no to free booze, so we had some Cognac as well!
Everything here was tasty, the atmosphere is great, and the servers were attentive. Who knew we would luck out on such a great find through the Groupon site! We’ll definitely be back to try out some of the things on the regular menu.

I think this may just be my new favourite restaurant in London. Owned and run by 5 young guys, Mosaica does wonderful modern British cuisine in a laid back atmosphere.
Let me start at the beginning, which is a bit scary. Mosaica is in an old factory in Wood Green, not the sort of place you would normally expect to want to venture to. But do not let the area put you off — especially after the bad press it received during the London riots (support our local communities!) — and do not be scared by the walk up to the building, which does not look converted at all from the outside. Walk past the receptionist through a lobby that makes you think you are sneaking into a company canteen and you will not be disappointed.
At the end of the corridor is a restaurant furnished with great old armchairs and heavy wooden tables, lit by stacks of candles and filled by the sound of classic rock and indie pop and the smell of food.
And then there is the food. What can I say, the food is simply wonderful! The menu is updated twice a day every day — it doesn’t get more seasonal than that. And seasonal, local produce is at the heart of everything. The owners source all of their own produce from farms as close to London as possible using mostly environmentally responsible fruit, vegetables and fish, home made dairy products and meat from rare breeds.
I’ve now tried a number of starters — portobello mushroom with blue cheese, grilled sardines and chicken liver pâté — and all were lovely. The main courses all sound great too, but I’ve never managed not to order the amazing pork belly. Cooked for 21 hours it is lovely and tender and not greasy at all, the crackling is crispy and the mashed potatoes, cabbage and gravy compliment it well. The portion is quite large, but I’ve not yet left a bite. The deserts are lovely and simple with something for everyone. I can recommend the profiteroles (a giant stack of them!), the sticky toffee pudding and the yoghurt with fruit.
Also worth mentioning are the wine (great quality at very reasonable prices), the choice of drinks (mango juice in a normal restaurant) and the quality of the coffee (worthy of a decent coffee shop). And the price. At 5 to 10 pounds for a starter, 10 to 18 pounds for a main and 5 to 7 pounds for desert it’s not rock-​bottom cheap, but for the quality and quantity and the all round great experience, it is very, very good value.

fantastic! food! service! atmosphere! you do not feel like you are in wood green! far from it! its that extra couple of quid, 12 instead of 9 say for a dish but so lovley for a meet with friends or with the gal/​boyfriend.