Restaurant Reviews

1a Bayford Street London E8 3SE

Facing Heaven is Julian Denis' sequel to Mao Chow, moving just around the corner from the previous restaurant. The vegan menu takes influences from Cantonese, Yunnan and Shaanxi cuisines as well as adding in a few Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese flavours into the mix. They have hot pots at the weekend too.

205 Richmond Rd, London E8 3NJ

Lardo is an East London restaurant with what they call a contemporary Italian menu. In practice that means some of London's best pizza, with regularly changing specials on the menu too. Alongside those are antipasti and a wine list that focuses on low-intervention wines.

390 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AA

This is the original restaurant from Carl Clarke and David Wolanski and still the best. The fried chicken is among the best in London, the szechuan aubergine is one of our favourite dishes and the sours are still excellent, affordable cocktails. There's a great bar space in the basement too.

316 Queensbridge Road, Hackney, London E8 3NH

This is Tom Oldroyd's Hackney pub and dining room, serving up a European menu using British produce. The Cornish crab chip butty is a must, as is the Duke burger (or the veggie Duchess alternative) but it's generally worth trying as much of the menu as you can. Look out for special deals on Wednesdays and Fridays and a great Sunday lunch.