Ellory

London

Found in the creative incubator that is Hackney’s Netil House, Michelin-starred Ellory is everything you would expect from a partnership between chef Sam Kamienko (formerly of May elds) and sommeliers Jack Lewens (River Café and Spring) and Ed Thaw (Sager + Wilde). The location is gritty, the look all poured concrete floors and bare bulbs, and the food a harmonious balance of pared-back modernity and a sensitivity towards ingredients. There’s a shortish sharing plates menu, which changes daily, plus a tasting menu (four courses for £45) and a vast wine list that leans towards European, natural and biodynamic bottles. Smoked trout on crisp rye crackers gets things off to a cracking start (pictured), followed by mackerel and lip-puckering red cabbage on toast, artichokes heightened with ricotta and orange, and magret duck with hibiscus. This all culminates in an impressive cheese plate, with wedges ranging from gabarre to stravacco, and a statuesque apple and hazelnut millefeuille – just add espresso from local London roastery Alchemy.