East End Review

Tag: Mina Miller

Rootdown, Lower Clapton – review: California dreaminess

Beetroot with Zata’ar Labneh at Rootdown on Lower Clapton Road

Growing up in the nineties, I found the term ‘Californian cuisine’ bemusing, as it seemed vague but pretentious, denoting a lifestyle rather than a cuisine, and evoking images of temperate al fresco dining with Chardonnay. But extra virgin olive oil was a luxury item back then and sun dried tomatoes the height of sophistication. Now, with the internet, food programmes on television and the cult of Ottolenghi, we are all food experts.

Which brings us to Rootdown, a small restaurant opened by siblings at the top of Lower Clapton Road, serving carefully selected fusion dishes described as ‘Californian’, a descriptor I find both archaic and endearing in a city awash with ‘Modern European’ menus. The restaurant prides itself on seasonal, small-scale food. I did note Growing Communities as one of their suppliers, suggesting this was not just lip-service to sustainability, and upon further investigation, Rootdown smokes its own salmon, makes pickles in-house, serves its own beer, and mixes up carefully crafted house cocktails, all at very reasonable prices.

For starters we had pan-fried squid with pickled turnips and smoked almonds, a Japanese bonito broth with raw tofu, and some homemade foccacia with zata’ar. All delicious, although the delicate bonito broth unfortunately was too wan up against the strong flavours of the other dishes. To follow, we opted for polenta with wild mushrooms, asparagus and truffle oil, and the bewildering onglet steak with padron peppers, potatoes and taleggio.

These were rich dishes, not for the faint of heart, but the taleggio and steak combination proved to be a winner – we devoured it. Becca, the owner, swore the polenta’s silkiness was chiefly due to whipping rather than heavy cream, but I didn’t entirely believe her. Even though truffle oil is frequently reviled by chefs as being fool’s gold, I would certainly order this dish again.

We finished off with a flawless grilled peach and meringue combination before tottering home. The only thing I would reproach Rootdown for is its friendly but disorganised service, a small crime given it certainly delivers on the promise set by its inventive and enticing menu. It’s a shame it hasn’t had more press coverage, but maybe you should visit before it becomes impossible to book a table. I certainly will.

Rootdown, 237 Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 8EG
rootdownlondon.com

November 18, 2015
Foxlow Stoke Newington – review: steaks raised in N16

How quickly things change in Hackney. When I went to review the newly opened Foxlow on Stoke Newington Church Street, I was surprised to find that the second branch of this “neighbourhood restaurant” (also operating in Clerkenwell), had taken over the premises formerly occupied by Italian restaurant and brunch place Homa.

“It is with great sadness and regret that we today announce that Homa will stop trading…” Homa’s website reads in a post from February.

“We started our little venture in 2009 because as longstanding local residents we loved our vibrant Stokey community deeply and could think of no better place to set up our restaurant… We will, of course, continue to be involved as local residents.” I asked Foxlow’s manager if he knew what had happened. “Too bad?” he said with a shrug, pulling back a chair.

And how could he be expected to know? Many long-term residents, however, will remember that before Homa, this was where the threadbare Booth’s pizzeria and bar served up meal deals to sozzled locals playing pool, before they went on to Maggie’s bar. Each change here has wrought a more exclusive successor, with better food.

This is not to say that Foxlow, run by the owners of the hugely successful Hawksmoor chain, isn’t going to be a huge success, or that it doesn’t deserve to be. The ambience is lively, the menu is a fun (and very meaty) take on the American steakhouse, and the prices, while certainly more expensive than Homa, are obviously within grasp of the locals, given that every last table was full.

I started with a pleasing Hawksmoor special cocktail of gin and London Pride recommended by my server, and we nibbled on anchovy and goat’s butter crostini before diving headlong into the indulgent menu: housemade pork and beef rillettes, squid, steak with béarnaise, 10 hour short rib with kimchi, fries covered in deep fried chicken fat, beans with shallots, all rounded off with some indulgent puddings for good measure.

All the food was excellent, with the buttery, tender steak being the highlight. Both the ‘chicken salt’ on the fries and the soft serve for pudding were nods to working class American food, one of the most annoying food trends of recent years, but while the former seemed excessive, the soft serve was divine.

The wine menu was extensive and had a couple of decent options that came in at under £25, but if you, like us, don’t show any restraint when it comes to ordering, a meal for two could easily run up a bill of £150 plus service. For more cautious spenders, the brunch or roast may be a better option, with meals hovering around a tenner and a £14 bottomless Bloody Mary. Considering this, I remembered that I used to only have brunch at Homa for that very reason. Perhaps the one constant in the Hackney restaurant scene is that brunch is the most affordable time to eat out.

Foxlow
71–73 Church Street, N16 0AS
foxlow.co.uk

July 15, 2015
Som Saa – restaurant review: the best Thai food in London?

Thai treats. Photograph: Som Saa

Som Saa, a Thai pop-up off of London Fields, cooks out of a shipping container for 30-odd covers at a time. This simple setup, accompanied by a wood-fired grill, serves a changing menu of ‘street food’ from Northern Thailand, dishes that rarely grace a London menu.

Since opening in winter word has travelled, and when we showed up for dinner at 6pm on the dot on a Sunday afternoon, a long queue had already formed. “It’s not too bad,” the door manager said apologetically when he took our names, “about an hour and a half or so”.

London is arguably the most international city in the world, but it remains challenging to find a Thai menu that isn’t an unholy mishmash of pan-Asian hits: green curry, vegetable tempura. Growing up in Southeast Asia, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to authentic Thai cuisine, and I miss the sheer variety of dishes, such as steamed lady fingers dipped into a spicy shrimp paste, deep-fried pomfret and olive fried rice. When the most inventive Thai available locally appears to be Alan Yau’s chain Busaba, there is a gap in the market.

There are no noodles or green curry on Som Saa’s menu, and the food ranges from good to sublime. The most familiar dish, green papaya salad, is studded with chillis, as it should be. Highlights are the grilled octopus salad, with cubes of meaty, fresh octopus that taste of wood smoke; and smoked aubergine with prawn floss. My dining companion delighted in the comforting pork belly curry as well as the fried whole sea bass covered in fresh herbs, perfect with our sticky rice. We finished off our meal with a palm sugar ice cream that was elegant and decadent. There’s also an interesting variety of bar snacks to see you through the wait for a table.

With its £7.50 glasses of Riesling, DJ sets, and plastic cups, Som Saa certainly has a whiff of its trendy American counterpart, Pok Pok, where a young Western chef, armed with nothing but a dream, a barbecue and a marketing plan, went on to build a small empire around Thai ‘street food’ and signature chicken wings.

There’s very little here that is reminiscent of Thailand in the dining room or the clientele and, at £30 a head or so with drinks, I can’t afford to make this a regular haunt. But this is undoubtedly the best Thai food I’ve had in the 10 years I’ve lived in England, and my dining companion solemnly said it was the best he’d ever had. So until something else pops up to compete, Som Saa is certainly a most welcome newcomer.

Som Saa
Arch 374 Helmsley Place, E8 3SB
climpsonarch.com

June 22, 2015
Little Baobab – review: A trip to Senegal via Lower Clapton

Little Baobab

The restaurant business is famously hard, particularly in London where rents and competition have become such juggernauts. Hackney’s low rents used to allow young or inexperienced entrepreneurs some room for error and experimentation, which is why some much loved local businesses such as the E5 Bakehouse, Passing Clouds or the now defunct Railroad Cafe seemed to be borne less out of a solid business plan than a narrow and determined vision to deliver something unique.

It’s easy to wax nostalgic about the past, however, and Hackney’s food scene is undoubtedly superior now. Some new arrivals are welcome additions, and one such place is Little Baobab, a new Senegalese restaurant and music venue that has opened up in the premises on Lower Clapton Road where Candela used to operate, before it disappeared without a sound.

Little Baobab feels like the sort of venture that was popping up every day in Hackney a few years ago. Run by chef Khadim and musician Abdoulaye Sam, two friends originally from Dakar, Senegal, the restaurant hosts live music every night.

When we went on Friday evening, the room was packed and people sat elbow to elbow around candlelit tables as a man played West African guitar music in the corner, propped up against the window. As the evening wore on the guitarist was joined by another musician and together they picked up the tempo. Staff were relaxed and warm, and were chatting casually to the mixture of customers, friends and family who were in the venue.

The menu was scant: it had three mains to choose from and only one starter, as well as two juices. We opted for the African mains: I had curried lamb with peanut butter and rice, and my friend had a spicy spinach stew, both of them hearty and satisfying and coming in at under a tenner each. I had a rum cocktail with baobab juice, followed by some bog standard but very reasonably priced house wine that was £3.50 a glass.

Beers on offer were an eclectic mix and mostly still being chilled when we arrived, which I took to be a sign of the restaurant cutting its teeth in its first weeks. Ultimately, however, the food was a backdrop to the convivial atmosphere. Let’s hope it lasts longer than its predecessor.

Little Baobab
159 Lower Clapton Road, E5 8EQ
littlebaobab.co.uk

May 20, 2015
Bunsmiths at The Sebright Arms – review: burgers with a barbecue twist

So much bun: A Bunsmiths barbecue feast

After a three-year residency at the Hackney pub and music venue the Sebright Arms, now legendary pop-up Lucky Chip has packed up and moved on. With oodles of national press and legions of fans, as well as trendy if not wholly tasteful branding (see, for example, its Breaking Bad menu with “meth hot sauce” and free rock candy for all diners), it helped the Sebright become a destination for hefty late-night burgers.

Enter Bunsmiths. This new food venture has been developed by Sebright owner Charles Ross. At first glance, it is intended to fill the gap that Lucky Chip left behind: many of the items are identical. However, with plans to expand into a standalone restaurant in the next year, Bunsmiths is also presenting itself as a new contender on the scene. “When do you think we’ll hit peak burger?” my dining companion asked, as we were perusing the menu. It appears no time soon.

Bunsmiths, however, has a barbecue twist. Ross imported specialist smokers from the United States and as an American transplant in London who often feels bereft of proper soul food, I was heartened to see beef brisket on the menu, as well pulled pork – although I drew the line at a bun that combined the two.

The bacon cheeseburger and the brisket bun we ordered came accompanied by a tower of serviettes that were quickly used up: meat juice and sauces from both sandwiches ran through the bottom bun, down our wrists, and onto the food tray: this is not first date fare. While the barbecue perhaps didn’t quite reach the dizzying nirvana that it does in the States (my search continues), both sandwiches were ample, greasy and satisfying, appropriate fare for booze-soaked gig goers.

The sides are also worth a mention: homemade onion rings, fried chicken strips with chipotle mayo, and a crème fraiche coleslaw. There is a salad option but truly, this is not the place for salad. Along with my meal, I had a shot of decent Mezcal and a beer back, and my partner chose from the numerous craft ales on draught. Looking at the busy Thursday evening bar suddenly drain of people as they all headed downstairs for a gig, I was happy to see that despite plans of expansion, the Sebright has retained its unpretentious charm and local atmosphere.

Bunsmiths at The Sebright Arms
31-35 Coate Street, E2 9AG
http://www.sebrightarms.co.uk/

April 22, 2015
Verden – restaurant review: a sign of how far Clapton has come?

Bar interior at Verden, 181 Clarence Road, E5 8EE

Verden, a wine bar that opened in Lower Clapton last year, has been receiving rave reviews in the national press. Throughout, it is described as a locals’ restaurant, and a sign of how far Clapton has come. One review described it as “good for everyone … locals, especially”, while the Independent lightheartedly claimed its owners are here to educate the East End in a good vintage.

Yet Verden is far from being a neighbourhood restaurant. It was opened by a duo who worked respectively in PR and at Mayfair’s legendary and astonishingly expensive seafood restaurant Scott’s. When we went to dine early one Sunday evening, we were seated between a group who’d ventured there from Kilburn and were debating how to get home from the depths of Hackney, and a family who bought their young child a £17 main.

This isn’t to say the food there isn’t exquisite. Verden makes its own charcuterie, changes its mains daily, has a gorgeous cheese selection, and serves around 100 types of wine. Diners sit in an elegant, minimalist interior, with low lighting and a long wooden bar. However, when I asked our server to recommend some charcuterie and wine, he gave us chorizo and an unexciting Vouvray with no further elaboration – two ubiquitous menu items that did little to showcase Verden’s wares.

Exquisite: A wild mushroom dish

The highlight of the charcuterie was the lardo: glistening cubes of pork fat layered with sea salt and rosemary. Following onto the mains, there should have been three to choose from, but the restaurant had run out of the lemon sole, leaving us as options a lamb neck dish with braised baby gem lettuce (flawlessly prepared but also not revelatory in any way), and a cold burrata with peperonata that, while also faultless, was hardly suitable for a cold and rainy March evening.

The salted caramel chocolate pot that we finished with was rich, velvety and luxurious, and the wedge of Epoisses cheese had just the right ratio of pungency to creaminess, but we left Verden feeling that something was lacking: standing around the corner from a closed community centre and African takeaway, it lacked the warmth and DIY cheer I associate with Hackney, and as long term locals, we did not feel particularly welcome or at home.

Verden
181 Clarence Road, E5 8EE
verdene5.com

April 17, 2015
Jago – restaurant review

Baked eggs, spiced beans and peppers

A former carpet factory turned workspace off Brick Lane describes itself as “the world’s most iconic space for entrepreneurs and creative businesses”. A heady claim, but this is Shoreditch. Inside, it’s like being in an episode of The Jetsons, with several airy floors of rolling curves, potted plants, and Perspex ‘meeting pods’. When following directions to the toilets, I promptly walk into a broom cupboard. The building is home to Jago, a recently-opened restaurant that seats diners in a long bright orange tube; a ‘conservatory’ overlooking the graffiti of Hanbury Street. From our warm table we watch the February rain fall all around us, ensconced in cosy orange light.

Jago bills itself as serving “southern European, Middle Eastern and Ashkenazi cuisine”. This rather perplexing mix translates to an assortment of small plates with the occasional nod to Jewish cuisine, or at least traditional Jewish ingredients. Two such dishes were saltfish with smoked aubergine, and pulled brisket with beetroot slaw. Both dishes were a delight, carefully balancing contrasting flavours. The roast cauliflower that followed, however, was a disappointment: the cauliflower was undercooked and the velvety sauce it was served with hit the tone texturally but was far too salty, with a strange taste of curry powder. The scallops were served two a plate on an onion purée and topped with thick shavings of black truffle – another success.

Jago restaurant

The larger plates followed. The pressed pork belly was a luscious, melting pile of fat served with braised heads of cabbage, but the real standout was the veal cheek goulash, a spicy stew topped with crème fraiche and a salsa verde.

Our shared pudding was unfortunately a disappointing coda to an otherwise excellent meal: frozen cheesecake with pistachio shortbread that was too frozen to eat. As for the drinks, there were some surprising selections, including an orange wine and artisanal vermouth. The server guided us through our choices in a knowledgeable but approachable way.

Starting at £6 per small plate, with expensive wine, dinner here isn’t a budget meal, and unfortunately feels directed at a corporate clientele. Given the history of the area, I wish such creative cuisine were less costly and featured more Jewish food. That said, the food at Jago is inventive and painstakingly prepared, and I’ve not seen chervil on a plate anywhere else in East London, so a restaurant of this calibre is a welcome and innovative addition to the Brick Lane area.

Jago
66–80 Hanbury Street, E1 5JL
jagorestaurant.com

March 16, 2015
The Wash café – review

Coffee connoisseurs: Owner Josh Strauss and Dane at the Wash. Photograph: Independent London

A new addition to Well Street, The Wash café is a coffee connoisseur’s destination. Customers can first choose their beans from a range of artisanal blends and roasters – including a guest blend – and then the method of preparation; as well as the traditional espresso machine drinks, there’s an American style filter coffee and an Aeropress.

Owner Josh Strauss was inspired by spending time in Australia and New Zealand, and is determined to bring the Antipodean passion for great quality coffee to his business. He and his head barista will enthusiastically talk you through different roasts in the way a sommelier recommends wine. In addition to coffee, The Wash also has fresh juice and a variety of teas on offer.

As there is no kitchen, food options are limited to a few simple options of soup, salads, toasties and homemade beans on toast with a boiled egg. While lacking in excitement, this is perfectly pleasant lunch fare, and is served with excellent bread from the social enterprise Dusty Knuckle bakery. There’s also a good selection of baked goods.

Hearty breakfast fare at the Wash. Photograph: Independent London

Opened just a month ago, The Wash has ties to the community and has hosted a live broadcast of Wick Radio. Other projects in the pipeline include film viewings, pop-up supper clubs, a potential veg box scheme and a bottomless filter coffee option for nearby office workers and freelancers. There are other DIY renovations and experiments in the works, and the atmosphere of The Wash is summed up by a turntable against which are some cheerfully propped up records for punters to play. It’s a homemade, welcoming atmosphere paired with a sharp focus on quality coffee. A good example of the small, ethically-minded businesses that lend Hackney its quirky charm.

The Wash
206 Well Street, E9 6QT
@thewashcoffee
thewashcoffee.com

March 13, 2015
Tonkotsu – restaurant review

A bowl of Ramen. Photograph: Paul Winch-Furness

Mare Street has become a new foodie destination, dotted with hip new eateries like Rita’s and The Advisory. The Narrow Way, however, still feels like a relic of old Hackney, untouched by so-called gentrification. So it feels odd walking up this stretch of road on a Saturday night, looking for a ramen bar of all things, where previously the best food offering might have been a Greggs sausage roll.

Yet here we are. Tonkotsu, which also has a branch at Selfridges, is not only open for business, it is absolutely heaving. A security guard at the door informs prospective diners that it will be at least 20 minutes for a table. Meanwhile, customers sit at the long, industrial bar, sipping custom made cocktails and Japanese beers while they wait. It looks like the restaurant staff are struggling to cope with the rush: we watch the waitress count table numbers under her breath and repeatedly try to deliver a broccoli dish to our neighbours, who insist they have not ordered it.

Tonkotsu, meaning ‘pork bone’, refers to a pork bone broth from the Japanese region of Kyushu. This style of broth is a creamy, thick, fatty pork soup made from boiling pork bones for many hours, and the stock really feels like it would turn to jelly if it were not warm. Served over a generous helping of homemade wheat noodles, and topped with a soft boiled egg, gleaming pork belly, spring onions and bamboo shoots, I can finally see what the fuss is about. This rich, hearty dish is well worth £11. My dinner partner, who orders the vegetarian Shimeji, Shiitake & Miso Ramen, finds her dish to be good but a little dull, but I suspect that even the most expertly prepared miso-based ramen will pale in comparison to the succulent meat stock.

We order a variety of side dishes – the shiitake and bamboo shoot gyoza are excellent, as are the crab croquettes. The salt & sansho pepper squid is unremarkable. There are a variety of other amuse-bouches to order, such as fried chicken, and okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancakes), however the restaurant has run out of these. They are really a sideshow anyway: we’re full and satisfied, and will have plenty of time to try the other bits when we return for another bowl of ramen, which we will assuredly do soon.

Tonkotsu
382 Mare Street, E8 1HR
www.tonkotsu.co.uk

February 13, 2015
New Dalston cafe makes healthy dishes from food diverted from landfill

Save the Date cafe. Photograph: Coralie Datta

A new café and sustainable start-up in Dalston is providing fresh meals on a pay-what-you-can basis prepared from food that would otherwise go to waste. Ruth McCabe and her co-director James, a chef, were inspired by a video by the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds, a restaurant that serves perfectly good food diverted from landfill.

They decided to replicate the project in London and were met with support from local businesses and the Food Surplus Entrepreneurs Network. The Bootstrap Company in particular (also based in Dalston), helped by donating a piece of land to the team in August 2014.

So far the most popular menu item is deep fried tomatoes and the café, which aims to cater for everyone, had a large selection of vegetarian and gluten free fare, although it also serves chicken and, most recently, ribs. The outdoor venue is warmed in winter months by firepits and a chimney, although it will probably benefit most from the summer months.

Customers so far have ranged from the homeless to families with children and Ruth says on the whole the money they receive balances out the times people don’t pay. “Our aim is to demonstrate that you can start and run a business cheaply,” says McCabe, “and we have a policy of not judging people about payment at all – the point is that the food would have gone to waste anyway.”

The Save the Date café was built entirely with reclaimed materials by a core of volunteers and opened in two months. Food is donated from wholesalers at Borough Market, local groceries, and a high street chain known for their chicken that have declined to be identified. The café benefits from a tremendous selection of fresh ingredients and a menu that can be adapted everyday – “a chef’s dream,” McCabe says.

When asked about the name Save the Date, McCabe says she chose it to demonstrate the arbitrariness of best before dates on food: “They are not necessarily an indication of the quality. For example, groceries can only keep vegetables on a shelf for a few days or bakers have to sell all their bread within one day when it’s still great
to eat.”

Save the Date, Abbot Street, E8 3DL
www.savethedate.london

January 21, 2015