Daquise

Daquise For Upscale Polish In London

by Emily Schmall

Gessler at Daquise is homemade Polish food, calorific, elegant and with more than a whiff of Old Europe. Long established on Thurloe Street and among London's Polish community, the Daquise first opened in 1947. It is now run by the Gesslers, a family of Polish restaurateurs whose Warsaw address, U Kucharzy (The Chefs) in the converted former hotel kitchen of the Europejski Hotel, was once a notorious meeting place for Communists, and is now adorned with a Michelin star. The gold lacquer painted ... Continue

Boisdale Canary Wharf

Boisdale For A Classy Date At Canary Wharf

by Emily Schmall

If you're confined to the corporate wasteland that is Canary Wharf, there's at least one place for a classy date. Step into Boisdale and experience 1950s nightlife in its finest incarnation -- the supper club. The red and gold décor coupled with jazzy crooners, high-end Scottish fare and a novella-length whisky menu are the perfect antidotes to a long day behind the desk. Try the rib-eye steak with creamy spinach in white truffle oil, or, if the plaid carpeting and mounted hog's head has you cra ... Continue

Tayyabs

Tayyab's in Whitechapel

by Emily Schmall

Behind a street cluttered with fried chicken shops sits the unassuming Tayyab's, whose inexpensive Pakistani delicacies have become so renowned that at 10 o'clock on a Tuesday night, the two-story dining room is jumping. The interior is austere, the food aromatic, the wait staff attentive. Reservations are essential at this Whitechapel institution established in 1972 as a Punjabi grill. The lamb chops starter, marinated in lime and garlic, is mouth-watering. The cardamom braised dry meat course ... Continue

Dead Dolls Club

Pop-Up Stew In London

by Natalie Ashett

For a traditional British meal that is served up by means of a thoroughly contemporary concept, pop-up restaurants like The Stew House are the way to go. East London sees many come and go but few have managed to create the buzz that the latest creation from The Dead Dolls Club has. The simple menu sees eight different types of stew served up alongside a fine dining starter and a traditional British dessert. Every mouthful is washed down with locally brewed ales from London Fields Brewery, an ... Continue

Lahore Kebab House

Delicious Pakistani Dishes At London's Lahore Kebab House

by Constance Mantle

In all honesty, the BYOB policy of Lahore Kebab House was what originally attracted my party of 12 friends, but we left with our bellies and minds more full of delicious Pakistani dishes than of cheap drinks. You can't exactly describe is as an intimate restaurant (their Whitechapel establishment sits 350 people, and we went during Ramadan around sunset so you can imagine the debate!) but what they lack in cosy décor they make up with warm smothering flavours. The starters of spicy chicken skewe ... Continue

London Fields Brewery

Craft Beer At London Fields

by Natalie Ashett

London Fields is developing at a rate of knots. The guys who brought us Broadway Market's Climpson & Son coffee shop have also brought a new type of brew to the east end. In a railway arch just off London Fields station, the guys slave away seven days a week brewing beer the traditional German way. Each weekend they open up with a different event be it a mini Oktoberfest with bratwurst ans sauerkraut, or some live music. It's a pretty sweet place top start the night and a cheap option for ... Continue

Netil360

Toasty Warm Yurts At Netil360

by Natalie Ashett

A roof bar in London in December? Yes indeed. Netil360 have successfully launched a roof bar with a difference. Hot cocktails, fur coats for hire, and toasty warm yurts are the ingredients that will make Netil360 survive the winter chill. Up five flights of stairs in an industrial building, visitors emerge through an antique wardrobe on to a huge rooftop with smashing views across the east end. It costs a tenner to get up there and £6 for a hot cocktail but it is worth every penny spen ... Continue

Creperie du Monde

Crepe Your Way Through Hackney

by Natalie Ashett

Chatsworth Road has really taken off recently as an up and coming Broadway-esque east London road. Since a Sunday market has been introduced and many have the run down shops have been taken over, Chatsworth Road has undergone what people in this area like to call a bit of gentrification. Along with the tarting up of shop fronts in Chatsworth Road came the lovely Creperie du Monde. Now it is open every day but the best time to visit is on a weekend morning. The Creperie fills up with loc ... Continue