Tags
Bethnal Green, buzzy, casual, E2, hotel, Innovative, Mendes, Modern, quirky
Light Bite
A worthy younger sibling to the awesome Viajante.
Tasting Menu
I am a pretty decent home cook so when I eat out I want to be challenged by my food, and see things I don’t recognise on my plate, otherwise I inevitably end up thinking I could have done better myself. Nuno Mendes delivers this sort of dining experience in spades. The Corner Room is his more casual and relaxed dining room, situated above the award winning Viajante in the stylishly restored Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green. The room is sunny and pared back, allowing the food to speak for itself. And it does. In fact it shouts to get your attention.
I am prepared to pay very generously for good food but at the Corner Room it is not necessary. In fact it would be tricky to spend a lot here, with such bargains as £1 for unlimited water and bread and just £19 for 2 courses. I don’t know how they do it, but they manage to provide innovative and well-cooked food for the price of a very average suburban meal. I don’t question the magic, I just enjoy it.
The bread was bought in but tasty and paved the way for an interesting starter of sea bream, watercress and smoked chardonnay. The fish was brined for just 30 minutes which left it fantastically soft and almost uncooked, but meaty and delicious. Like a sea bass that’s been working out. The skin was blowtorched and too good to pass up even though I am not normally a fan of eating fish skin. It transpired as the meal progressed that Nuno likes to blowtorch things. If it makes him happy it’s fine with me.
The watercress emulsion tasted supremely green and heralded the beginning of summer with its peppery bite, but it was the lettuce who shamelessly stole the show. The little gem was marinated in smoked Chardonnay vinegar that you could really taste. There was also a hint of ginger in the surrounding bright green water which contributed to the dish, whose component parts were interesting individually but delightful together.
The next dish consisted of beef heart with buttermilk whey and celeriac. We opted for the nut-free version to avoid killing Hubbit with his irritatingly fatal allergy, so there should have been an additional crunch but the dish was not left lacking. The pickled onion slivers leant crunch and tang, and the crumbled lactose powder added a sweet and textural touch. The only negative was the overpowering celeriac slice, a chargrill too far perhaps but no matter, the beef was the main attraction here. The meltingly soft flesh was enhanced by the peppery addition of sea radish leaves and the sorrel oil added its own unmistakable herby personality with a pine overtone. The complex layering of flavours was impressive, as were the very well informed, friendly and approachable staff.
The first of two fantastic main courses was perfectly black and blue aged beef, leek ash, confit egg and a frenzy of radishes variously presented raw, chargrilled, and pickled. The dish was accompanied by artery-clogging buttered ratte potatos and a beefy jus which provided a punchy background flavour.
Hubbit has very little interest in food and an impressively poor palette but he does sometimes get lucky and choose phenomenal dishes. It is annoying but can also be convenient as whatever he orders is legally 50% mine, which is the only thing that stopped me bashing him when a cod in porridge was placed before him. The porridge was truly delicious and 3-bears style, was just right. It was made with coriander oil which resulted in a deep and rich flavour, and it was packed full of thick cod fillets and juicy razor clams. It was a little like a fishy lucky dip, and the only dud note was the supposedly crispy cod skin which was akin to a soggy prawn cracker.
In my experience cutting edge desserts are never any good, so it does not undermine the pleasure I took from this meal that I sent back a hideous concoction of butternut squash spaghetti and smoked coconut ice cream with a medicinal pumpkin seed and lime crumb. Let us say no more about it.
Overall the Corner Room offers a casual dining experience for intrepid foodies. Hackney can border on the pretentious but the staff here are happy to talk about the food in detail and are very knowledgeable. I wasn’t made to feel stupid asking questions, it was more like a chat between fellow food enthusiasts. A thumbs up from me.
Cuisine: Modern European
Address: Town Hall Hotel, Patriot Square, Bethnal Green, E2
Telephone: 020 7871 0460
Website: http://www.cornerroom.co.uk
Price: £55 for lunch for 2 people including booze
Nearest station: Bethnal Green