Located at 255 Hackney Road, you'll see why it's tricky for a post work meet-up for anyone outside East London, with the closest tube being Bethnal Green and that being a bus journey away, your next best bet is the overground to Cambridge Heath and then a further brisk trot. However, despite these complications, you'd be a fool to miss out on this one! Plus not having a tube station next door means you avoid the crowds and can actually enjoy this little gem!
Having just celebrated his 2nd birthday, Mr Buckley is still relatively young, but fear not, he knows exactly what he's doing!
The ambiance is super laid back, it doesn't try too hard, which creates the perfect cocoon to while away many hours...which is exactly what we did! The decor is simple yet cool - exposed brick walls with peeling paint, mismatched school chairs, Mr Buckley's stencilled across one side of the room, quotes scrawled in neon lights and all dimly lit by shabby outdoor lamps. Urban meets chic at it's best!
The ambiance is super laid back, it doesn't try too hard, which creates the perfect cocoon to while away many hours...which is exactly what we did! The decor is simple yet cool - exposed brick walls with peeling paint, mismatched school chairs, Mr Buckley's stencilled across one side of the room, quotes scrawled in neon lights and all dimly lit by shabby outdoor lamps. Urban meets chic at it's best!
On our visit, the downstairs bar was booked out for a private party, so unfortunately we have no pictures to show, however this didn't stop us from sampling the amazing cocktails! My favourite had to be the 277 - Sloe Gin, lemon juice, cucumber and prosecco...so fresh and incredibly moreish! Having said that the Raspberry and Basil smash slipped down just as easily, as did a bottle of ice cold Savignon Blanc! There's no doubt that we'll back to check out the bar and the rest of the cocktail list!
And finally...the food! WOW! You're in for a serious treat! We arrived towards the end of the Saturday brunch service, but being four hungover girls with impressive appetites, they kindly served us an edited version of the dinner menu and thank God they did!
Firstly there's no messing about with small portions, even the jars are big enough for sharing - which was a great way to explore the menu options! We went for:
Shredded wild rabbit with chilli & tarragon...
Spice roasted peanuts, macadamias & almonds with vanilla salt...
Butterbean hummus with aubergine & pepperade...
Everything is presented beautifully and the flavours they pack in are incredible - who would have thought a jar of nuts could be so delicious...the perfect mix of salt, sweet, spice and delicate vanilla! Jars devoured, we decided to move onto mains...
Fillet of sea bass with lemon crushed potatoes & spinach purée...
8oz Onglet steak with bone marrow, blue cheese butter & skinny fries...
Some serious silence went down around a table that had previously been filled with constant chatter, squealing and laughter! There wasn't even time for food envy...both dishes were so lip smackingly good Middle Mouse and I forgot to do the obligatory spoon swap taster!
By this point our tummies were so swollen with our amazing feast and 3 too many cocktails, we decided pudding would have to be bypassed! Well not completely...we ordered a couple of portions of Mr B's salted chocolate fudge and replaced the accompanying coffee with an espresso martini of course!!!!
Divine is the only word to describe these little diamonds of heaven...wow wow wow...you need to get yourself down there if only to sample these bad boys!!!
Our new favourite haunt and with a brunch menu and Sunday dinner menu still to sample, one we will need to frequent manyyyyy more times!
See you soon Mr B....
