Taste: The Empress of India Review

High-rises, gangs, prams, Olympics and best-of-the-worst awards come, go and hackney strides on. Victoria Park Village has barely batted an eyelid, nestled safety and uninterrupted in the arms of Britain’s oldest public park. This one and a half stretch of amenities and boutiques stands proud and unmoved like a portly war veteran – who’s puffed out chest is the grand red awning of the Empress of India.

As the menu-prologue is eager to point out, the current incarnation of this elegant British gastropub is the latest in a line of rebirths. At present it features a spick and span layout with grand well-stocked bar presiding over one side. A separately themed dining area to the other half is decorated with a mosaic floor and exotic murals depicting elephants, palaces and turbans

Ambiance here is calm, organised, methodical (not particularly busy on this night). The 15 or so tables are served by two who are obviously experienced and comfortable with the strong menu. A regularly updated handful or so dishes per course are available at around £6/starter and £13/main.

Full flavoured Fois Gras parfait with even fuller port plums joined forces in a rich, delicious combination of my preferred starting staple. The hot smoked salmon, avocado mousse and Bloody Mary sauce was more adventurous, lacking in exhilaration but no less tasty. For mains, I went for the special; Rare short horn lamb on a bed of spinach, potato and delicate goats cheese. Special indeed, more succulent than any lamb I’ve ever tasted. I honestly hummed every mouthful in a one-man throng of euphoria.

From Tom and Ed Martin (including The Gun in Docklands) The Empress isn’t cut from the same cloth as the other gastropubs around town. It is, as the best ones should be, a refined collection of finest quality produce cooked well with culinary genius (in this case, Tim Wilson, former chef at the Ivy). Unlike the others it has less of a traditional hectic feel, more sedate, solid, timeless – like the proud village of Victoria Park surrounding it.

I’ll be going back again.

The Empress of India
http://www.theempressofindia.com
130 Lauriston Road
Victoria Park
London
E9 7LH (map)
+44 (0) 208 533 5123

Taste: The Dove

Broadway market is a curious stretch of shops and restaurants at the south end of Hackney. In very, very olden days this area marked last feeding ground of livestock as they were led through to Brick Lane and Smithfield. Drovers would stop in at the Cat and Mutton or the Flying Horse for a pint of best and rack of lamb.

Since then however, the street has been overrun by the surrounding urban estates and only recently resuscitated into the farmers-style market of today. Its a good place to go on a Saturday morning and be spoiled on overpriced organic fayre.

A sunny afternoon shows Broadway Market at its best as the gastro pubs spill out onto the streets and the local population hasn't started gathering outside the off license. Tonight we visited the Dove, a popular network of small candlelit annexes, famously serving a hundred or so varieties of Belgian Beer. The list is indeed long and not to be sniffed at (especially with £3 upwards price tag for 25cl). I'm a fan of golden ale so stuck on a delicious Delerium Tremens (9% - haha). 3 of those later and a delicious burger (Wild Boar please) and we were skipping home like happy Trappists.

The Dove
24 Broadway Market
E8 4QJ
+44 (20) 7275 7617

Sight: Chasing the Moment

Chasing the Moment is a revamped recent addition to the Arcola Theatre and Time Out 4 star play. It takes two distinct halves - the before and after of an East London jazz gig performed during the intermission by 4 members of an un-named (I think) band.

We've a middle-aged nihilist pianist, modish opinionated young saxophonist, drunkard Yorkshire Double-bassist (think Compo from last of the summer wine) and level headed easy going young drummer. Oh, he's also black - not that it matters these days, we're over that.

Or maybe we're not... as shortly into the second half we plummet into a shouting match between him and the pianist about the authenticity of jazz and it's black vs white origins. It's executed with emotional discomfort but that's soon drowned out with a physically uncomfortable screaming exchange.

Throw in a useless ex-girlfriend, unseen venue-owner on critical life-support in St Thomas', his drunk in-denial wife and after it runs out of breath, steam and predictability the only tension left is how long it will take for them all to leave us alone.

Taste: Viet Huong

Over on Englefield Road in what looks from the outside like a forgotten electrical substation and from the inside like a timewarp to comunism, is a Vietnamese "canteen" that looks so wrong it must be right; Viet Huong.

Supposedly it's the front for a viet-community scheme to train less fortunate and aspiring chefs. Supposedly also, it's overwhelmingly popular and busy every night... weekend-booking essential. Not sure about the education claim, but can vouch for the popularity - within an hour of arriving for early dinner at 6.30 the place was heaving.

The food menu is lively, not your typical chicken, beef, pork with noodles or rice. Traditional Vietnamese starters (stuffed squid, essential) followed by charcoal-wood grill, adventurous vegetables and hot-plate sizzling dishses not to be missed. There's an enticing variety of seafood, poached Sea Bass at £6 is there for the taking which although tasty, is a little flabby and actually only half the fish presented otherwise.

Maybe there's a viet way to get a waiter's attention. The standard nod, wave, call, chopstick-throw seemed to go nowhere in what can only be described as comedic service. By the time for desert, the menu was literally thrown to the table... maybe the bring-your-own's had been going down slightly too well.

Overall, this is exactly the east-London gem in the rough that we're all looking for. Far better than any Vietnamese on the Kingsland Road this is cheap food cooked extremely well.

Huong Viet
12-14 Englefield Road,
London,
N1 4LS (map)
+44 (0)871 0757115

Taste: Bistrotheque

Down an unassuming street in an inconspicuous part of East London Bistrotechque is apparent only in the evening by a dropping-off line of taxis. It feels out of place surrounded by a commercial estate, but that's surely why we're here - and it draws the crowds.

The building is split into three; bar, restaurant and venue (transvestite cabaret anyone?). Pre-dinner drink in the bar revealed a sticky-local, except its an Ikea bar put in a warehouse. The standard visitors look like they've walked straight out of a Brit-pop convention. Friendly enough.

Up the stairs to the restaurant. Whitewash walls and scale-model of the area, you're expecting a temporary art installation. Not far from the truth, it's like a temporary restaurant exhibition. Two big open spaces split by a stainless steel kitchen, bare bulbs, white tiled walls and no decoration beyond silver cutlery. It must cost all of a fiver to clean in the evening.

Every expense is spared, even the menu is printed on the place-mat and is about as complex as spot-the-dog. The options are simply put and easy on the vocabulary, you won't be asking much from the waiter: Fish and Chips, Pea Puree, Tartare Sauce is top of the list.

We went for seabass and monkfish all prepared and presented well but nothing outstanding at this price. The focus again, is on simplicity and they've got it right, however at this level its something that could be done at home with some effort and a tidy house.

Bistrotheque
23-27 Wadeson Street
London
E2 9DR (map)
+44 (0)20 8983 7900
http://www.bistrotheque.com/