Review: Behind By Andy Beynon – Fish-Focused Restaurant That Might Be No Seasoning But Is Hardly Bland

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This restaurant in London Fields is worth the visit and is a pescetarian dream

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Review: Behind By Andy Beynon – Fish-Focused Restaurant That Might Be No Seasoning But Is Hardly Bland

From anti-seasoning to sustainability, Andy Beynon’s food philosophy is a welcome challenge to fine dining frippery. Tessa Dunthorne reviews, finding the Michelin-starred restaurant in London Fields as unpretentious as it is sharp.

Review: Behind Restaurant, London Fields

Let’s be honest: if you sat down at a countertop tasting menu restaurant only to have the chef announce he was ‘anti-seasoning’, you might start to worry.

But fear not with Andy Beynon; his are a safe pair of hands. His east London restaurant, Behind, skips salt-and-pepper theatrics. It’s an approach that likely makes his team work harder – but so too the ingredients of each dish.

Some context, first. Behind, a fish-first restaurant in London Fields, marked the debut venture of British-Italian chef Andy Beynon. Opening in 2021, it earned a Michelin star within ten days’ trading – not the largest surprise given the chef was already seasoned (sorry) by stints with Jason Atherton, Michael Wignall, and Claude Bosi, but a turnaround not to be sniffed at. Yet, despite clear pedigree, the restaurant holds not an ounce of ego. In fact, every part of Behind seems designed to strip out some of the more laughable pretensions of fine dining.

The name itself comes from the idea of pulling back the curtain. Diners are perched at a countertop dining table, which means no penguin-suited waiters – just chefs (Andy included) plating and explaining each course as it comes. The space is sleek but not intimidating, and there’s plenty of humour: shipping forecasts play in the loos, shells dot the sink, and porthole mirrors line the walls.

And the wine? The sommelier when we visit – Audrey – is refreshing. The new head somm Serena is much the same; the wine expertise here is informed but never sounds like a walking WSET textbook (although no doubt they’ll have done their levels). No waxing lyrical about vineyard backstories or gatekeeping, but but sharp, succinct tasting notes that leave you better informed.

The food is just as unfussy – but it never lacks finesse.

Things open with a tuna chawanmushi, served in wasabi-sake foam, followed by Japanese tuna rosettes with nashi pear, tiger nut milk, and lavroche. The foam is vinegary and electric, while the chawanmushi is ultra-rich thanks to a dashi made from tuna bones – a by-product repurposed for flavour. The Japanese tuna is fruity without tipping into sweetness; the milk brings a gentle heat. It’s precise and punchy – without a grain of added salt.

When it comes to sustainability, there’s thought everywhere. For one, there’s no menu available online in advance of booking, so you’re getting whatever is seasonal and available that day. But also in how the food incorporates waste. Sicilian prawns, for example, are served with a consommé made from their own heads, arriving in a pretty little flower-rimmed glass. The prawns pose side-on like hieroglyphic characters, and you’re given tweezers to pluck and dip their flesh. Playful, clever, low-waste.

Despite serving fish eight ways, Beynon manages to find new textures and stories each time. Take place, for instance: a nod to his Italy comes via chalk stream trout with chew, resistance, and character – served with a Sicilian lemon purée. Then there’s a nod to his east London roots: a smoked kipper on ‘toast’ paired with brill, sea veg, potato, and vinegar. (Not too cockney, though – the ‘toast’ is a croissant-brioche hybrid.)

And just when you think he’s run out of ways to serve fish, Beynon proves he’s got an adept hand for above-board flavour, too. The rhubarb ice cream and ginger polenta cake that opens dessert is so moreish you might wish the place opened as a daytime café. It ends with a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc and a final bite – a savoury black olive and sesame chocolate – that swerves a sugar crash.

All in, it’s a masterclass in cooking with restraint – and intention. There’s no salt on the table because there doesn’t need to be. Beynon’s ‘anti-seasoning’ ethos isn’t about being difficult – it’s about letting good ingredients do the talking. Paired with a quiet commitment to sustainability and a vibe that’s more east London than white tablecloth, Behind is one of the most exciting, enjoyable tasting menus in the city.

Best for: Pescatarians. A punchy fish-first tasting menu with a focus on sustainable sourcing.