Formans

I live very close to Fish Island and until the Olympics had never heard of Formans. It really is one of London's (let alone the East End's) best kept secrets. From the get go the service was charming and impeccable. Attentive without being cloying, friendly without familiarity, a much lost balance across many London restaurants. The terrace on the Hertford Union Canal is perfect for a pre-dinner drink in the summer, without the horrible noise of the roads and sets the mood for what is overall lovely ambience.

The restaurant isn't their primary trade, so is small (a wee bit cramped) but generally perfectly executed. A tight, well designed menu makes choice easy and yet impossible as you want to eat everything. To start the smoked eel fillet was to die for, followed by perfectly cooked brill. My mother had an equally excellent meal of the fois gras and the most enormous piece of spice crusted salmon special. The portions are substantial and it was impossible to finish, definitely no room for dessert!

The wine list is all English, which I greeted with a little trepidation but was happy to discover a very nice chardonnay. Not too sure about the “Champagne” though.

After 5 glasses of wine, two courses each and mint tea the bill was less than £100. So a real bargain. I already have another table booked a week after my first visit!

After reading the only other review on this website i was sceptical as to whether we should give it a try or not, but i decided to give it a go. As we arrived the door man showed us up to the restaurant where the waiter greated us and hung our jackets in the cloke room and then showed us to our table. We were then served still or sparkling water free of charge and left to browse the menus whilst looking at the fantastic view of the olympic stadium. The food and drink is all british, it was very interesting to try english wine as i had never had it before. I didnt know anything about the wines but our waiter, who turned out to be the new front of house manager, was very knowledgable about the wines and advised us as to which wine was best for the meals we were having. The wine list is small, only three reds and three whites but we were told that they are extending that in the near future. The food is cooked infront of you and comes out quickly, once the food arrived the presentation was lovely and the food its self was fantastic. Good sized portions, really good quality produce and cooked perfectly. I will definetly be going again.

This place has recently opened so definitely some teething problems! The main one being hardly any ventilation. To say, “I was sweating like a weightwatcher in a cake shop” would be slightly harsh but it was definitely too hot. Also having the table next to me less than 30cm away (the size of an A4 sheet of paper lengthways) was not the best. The place is in the middle of nowhere so you definitely have to venture out, driving or taxi advisable. The fish was great – what they make a living from really. A nice touch with the free water, still or sparkling but the tables being too close was not the best. I would go again for a special occasion but would definitely ring first and see how many people are booked. If more than 25 I would not recommend.
For info I went for dinner on 27th July .