My restaurant recommendations: East London
Friday, July 13, 2012 at 11:50AM 
We are getting closer to my home turf and with that comes some more tried and tested favourites.
All of these restaurants are cheap to mid-range and some even let you bring your own alcohol, which brings down the bill significantly. You will notice that Vietnamese features heavily; well it is one of my favourite cuisines and London has some great stuff to offer. Further down the Kingsland Rd there are lots of good Turkish restaurants to choose from. I am yet to include any as I am still trying to decide which are best, but they will come in time.
I hope you will enjoy these restaurants as much as I have.
Next stop North London, the place I call home.
East London
Comptoir Gascon
Cuisine: French
Website: http://www.comptoirgascon.com/about.php
Budget: Cheap to mid-range
In a nutshell:
Comptoir Gascon is the little brother of the Michelin starred Club Gascon. Like it’s older brother it specialises in food and wine from the South-West of France but in a more relaxed environment. Brunch on Saturday is a nice treat and very reasonably priced (Full French, £7). Offal, charcuterie and game feature heavily on the menu, which is fine by me and to be expected in a French bistro. For those who want something lighter there are several nice seafood options. Vegetarians have less to choose from.
Other info:
- Bookings essential – it is tiny and the prices make it popular for weekday lunches as well as dinner
The Eagle
Cuisine: Modern British (gastropub)
Address: 159 Farringdon Road, Clerkenwell, EC1R 3AL
Ph: 020 7837 1353
Budget: Cheap to mid-range
In a nutshell:
David Eyre set up The Eagle back in 1991 when Clerkenwell was "windswept and desolate" (his words). He believes the pub was instrumental in turning around Clerkenwell’s fortunes. He less readily admits to his role in kicking off the gastropub movement; "I hate that word – it sounds like a belch." Still many do credit him with it. Eyre has now moved on but chef Ed Mottershaw continues his tradition; rustic wooden tables and an open kitchen at the bar set the tone, seasonal menus change daily and prices are still low for good quality food.
- It’s small so worth booking on weekends, especially if you have a big group
- Time Out review here
Leluu supperclub
Cuisine: Vietnamese (mostly)
Website: http://www.leluu.com/
Budget: Mid-range
In a nutshell:
In the UK ‘supper club’ refers to an underground restaurant, usually in someone’s home. Leluu is one of the best. Uyen manages to cram about 25 people into her tiny living room in Hackney where she serves up fantastic Vietnamese cuisine – skills she learnt from her mother, who often helps. It is extremely good value for the quality and it is a really fun experience. And she makes the best pho in London. Fact.
Other info:
- £35pp (suggested minimum donation) for 5-6 courses, but since this is incredibly value most people tip well above
- BYO
Loong Kee
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Address:134 Kingsland Rd, Shoreditch, E2 8DY
Ph: 020 7729 8344
Budget: Cheap
In a nutshell:
This used to be my favourite Vietnamese restaurant on the ‘Pho Mile’ before it changed hands. It’s not as good as it once was but they still do some things very well and you can’t argue with the rock bottom prices; you can easily leave here fully satiated for £10 and I’ve never spent more than £20. Starters are as big as mains and tend to be the best; beef in la lot leaves is better here than in other restaurants on the strip, served with plenty of condiments, and they do a great Vietnamese pancake. For mains the salt and chilli seabass is a must.
Other info:
- Bookings advisable on weekends
- BYO alcohol – they don’t have a license so make sure you bring something if you want it
Moro
Cuisine: Spanish/North African
Website: http://www.moro.co.uk/moro/restaurant/default.asp
Budget: Mid-range
In a nutshell:
A cheap and cheerful tapas menu draws in the lunch and pre-theatre crowds but it is hard not to be tempted by the a la carte. Tapas is traditionally Spanish but the a la carte is where you get to see the North African influences and some really interesting flavour combinations. Menus change daily with a big focus on seasonality; wood fired pigeon with winter tabbouli featured on a December menu, while the a summer menu had options such as charcoal grilled bream with broad bean and scape pilav and green herb borani and charcoal grill lamb with caramelised marrow, yoghurt, mint and farika. The wood fired oven and charcoal grill feature heavily all year round.
Other info:
- They have a smaller restaurant next door called Morito that just serves tapas
St John
Cuisine: British
Website: http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/
Budget: Mid-range
In a nutshell:
Fergus Henderson, the brains behind St John, can be seen as a leading influence in the revival of British cooking, particularly traditional culinary values which made use of every bit of meat. He calls it ‘nose to tail’ eating and it has caught on. Expect plenty of offal and off-cuts but lots of fresh vegetables too. Roast bone marrow and parsley salad is the signature dish and my favourite; the fresh salad and its astringent dressing cuts through the rich, fatty bone marrow for a perfectly balanced dish. And you know the Brits love their puddings – I am not a dessert person but I highly recommend them.
Other info:
- Bookings essential, at least a month in advance for weekends
- It has two sister restaurants: St John Bread and Wine in Spitalfields, for a less formal dining experience, and St John Hotel, Soho
Viet Grill
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Website: http://www.vietnamesekitchen.co.uk/vietgrill/
Budget: Cheap to mid-range
In a nutshell:
By far the best of the Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Rd. It is a bit more expensive than the other options but mainly because you can’t take your own alcohol. If you stick to beers you can get away with £20 per head – depends how much you drink. Starters and salads are the highlight; be sure to try the crab nem royale rolls and lotus stem salad. Like most places on Kingsland Rd mains can be hit and miss but they get more things right than the others. Saigon pork belly and banana leaf whole roasted mackerel are usually pretty good.
Other info:
- They have a sister restaurant around the corner called Cay Tre and a banh mi deli called Keu
- Pho, noodles and ricebowls are £7.50 at lunch and before 6pm
If you have any suggestions for East London restaurants please leave a comment or email me. I will endeavour to update this post overtime as I try new places.
Reader Comments (5)
Am so looking forward to trying Leluu supper club with you, am currently in NYC and I believe I have just eaten the best modern Spanish tapas of all time, even eclipsing recent London experience. Check out Boqueria , Spring st, Manhatten...I am still swooning ! ma
Leluu...still the best pho I have every had...and I have now eaten dozens since I've been home! I am indebted to both you and leluu for getting me into the devine soupy noodley goodness that is pho!
Hi Ma - I'm really looking forward too. It will be a great weekend all around. Just had a look at the tapas place, sounds great. Difficult to beat El Pirata, so must have been amazing.
Hi Cha - Yes, I agree. I rarely eat it anywhere else cause it is such a let down, but I am glad that she has inspired you to eat it more.
Thank you for taking me to Leluu, what incredible food, and what a fun way of meeting people randomly.
Plus also outstanding value for money.
I presume that it is the Viet Grill where we ate on Kingsland Rd when I was over for Xmas 2011? Wherever that was, I recall a fantastic meal full of flavour. And cheap as chips.
Hi Ma, glad you enjoyed Leluu's; it was a really fun night. The other restaurant you are thinking of is Loong Kee - it's not as good as it once was but still very cheap. Viet Grill does better food but is a bit pricier.