CALLOOH CALLAY: ONE FOR THE SKINNY JEANED SLITHY TOADS OF SHOREDITCH

The bars of Shoreditch and Hoxton, it would appear, are growing up. You still get the grim new openings, places like Road Trip where over chilled, over priced lager is handed to people who neither know, nor care what they are drinking by people who neither know nor care what they are serving and places like the Hoxton Pony and Hoxton Hotel where semi decent mixing is lost in a barrage of shrieking music and appalling service.

However, with Hawksmoor still in its pomp and Lounge Bohemia providing understated excellence, there is a sign that both outlets and punters in London's hippest nabe are after something a little more challenging than just somewhere to stand around in skinny jeans.

Now, there is Callooh Callay, taking its rather silly name from Jabberwocky and its design style direct from the Lower East Side. The music is still too loud for someone in their fifth decade, but there are signs from the menu and the mixing, overseen by bar manager, Sean Wear that this is a bar with serious intentions when it comes to drinks.

A perfect Manhattan was spot on with the house bourbon, Woodford Reserve supported by the right amounts of sweet and dry vermouth and a daiquiri had the correct balance of rum and lime. My companion for the evening, Chelsea had just joined the long line of people who have been made redundant recently and needed cheering up. Something girly, boozy and pink seemed to work better than my suggestion that she “consider hooking or allowing people to eat off you”

There is still work to be done. The back bar looked interesting but small and the staff are still finding their feet. But Callooh Callay looks like it could be an interesting addition to a neighbourhood whose expectations seem to be getting higher all the time.

WATER HOUSE

Here at home we'll play in the city
Powered by the sun

There’s something about being close to water that makes people smile. Walking along the Hackney branch of the Regent’s Canal on a fine February lunchtime even an old curmudgeon like me was caught out exchanging inane pleasantries with passers-by

Me:Lovely day
Passer-by:It is, isn’t it ?
Me: Have a nice day
Passer-by: You too
etc. etc.

Better still, the walk had a purpose, to have lunch at Water House the new restaurant by the people behind the Acorn House. Now, I haven’t been to AH before but HS had and he told me good things about it. How, even though it was all ecologically sound, it still served up good food.

I have to admit after my recent experience at a new restaurant - where the commitment to sustainability seemed less than heartfelt and where they still couldn’t serve up a decent meal after all the hype – made me a bit sceptical. I needn’t have
worried.

Water House - so named because place basically runs on water – is open all day for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The choice at lunch was a bit curtailed because some supplies hadn’t turned up but what I had was very good.

A plate of antipasti had some beautifully smoky brandade, excellent, creamy, buffalo mozzarella and a selection of fine salumi (salami, copa) from La Fromagerie – all served at the correct temperature. What the plate lacked in presentation it more than made up for in taste and generosity.

Steamed Cod (when was the last time you saw steamed fish on a menu ?) was precisely cooked so that the flesh had just turned opaque and came with more of that lovely brandade, kale and a very well judged beurre blanc.

There were only a couple of desserts on offer at lunch but the Chocolate Torte was textbook stuff: a good quality chocolate layer with a crisp pastry base. The black pepper ice cream provided an unexpected kick although maybe the hand on the grinder was a bit over-enthusiastic.

All the eco stuff is well and truly in place at Water House. So the kitchen uses Scottish hydro-electricity, restaurant temperature is controlled by mixing flows of hot water and cold water from the canal, waste from the kitchen is all recycled, vegetables are stored on shelves so negating the need for walk-in fridges, filtered tap water is available and there’s lots, lots more.

What’s great is that you’re never aware of any of this when you’re in the restaurant. There’s no great big mission statements posted up anywhere, the menus don’t hector, there’s no books to buy (although you can get the T-Shirt). One of the co-owners, Jamie, was happy to answer any questions I had but apart from that they’re just shutting up and getting on with it. Other restaurateurs, please take note: you can save the planet and still eat well.

THE VIET GRILL: LIFE’S A BEACH

It was a muggy day and, after the excess of yesterday, we were both muggy headed.

Sundays with a hangover often see us choose Dim Sum as a restorative. Today, however, HP suggested Vietnamese at The Viet Grill, a new sibling to our favourite place Cay Tre.

First, our standard stroll, along Brick Lane and past the Urban Beach which has been set up just behind the Upmarket. Unfortunately, my dear chum, Petra had taken the Chocstar van on the road, so I was not able to avail myself of the fabulous triple chocolate milkshake she introduced me to last week. Ho hum

Still, by midday, we were back on The Kingsland Rd and ready for lunch. The Viet Grill has only been open three months and is still finding its place in the strip of Vietnamese restaurants that are, I am told a legacy of The Rag Trade. We were, for all of our visit, the only people in there. I am sure that they will get busier. I hope so as this was easily one of the best Vietnamese meal I have tried in London.

As ever, three starters. Summer rolls were fresh and crunchy. Soft shell crab was plump and freshly fried with no trace of the greasiness we have found in less able places. Best of all was the signature dish of quail, stuffed with minced pork and Chinese mushrooms and braised in a stock with small lotus balls. The stock was beautifully restorative, the quail flesh fell from the bone and the stuffing was well, just delicious.

Main courses were also well above average. A Goi ( salad ) with chicken and seafood was crisp and the dressing suitably sharp. Courgettes cooked in a wok with garlic cloves were delicate and a more standard dish of noodles with tofu was better than the norm.

Best of all, for HP was another signature dish of “Feudal” beef which apparently has its origins in a form of torture where flesh was torn from the victim to the sound of drum beats and now refers to a way of stripping beef from a carcass. The end result was chunks of tender beef with a lovely char served with a dipping sauce of soy and mirin.

Best of all, for me, was a dish of pork, pounded with turmeric and baked for 20 minutes. The turmeric did not over power the pork which retained its own character and benefited from the crunch of cooking.

With some tea, some house made lemonade and a bottle of water, the bill came to £60 for two which again represents our ability to order for an imaginary extra person and a normal bill for two would come to about £40.

I am a regular reader of an excellent website www.noodlepie.com whose writer is far more of an expert that either of Dos Hermanos on these matters so I would welcome any comments. I have no idea how echt these dishes were, but they seem a long way ( noodles aside ) from the usual Chinese based dishes one finds in others on this stretch and I am certain I will be giving this place another try soon