The Spurstowe

Just north of London Fields on the corner of a quiet residential street, this is the kind of place you might expect to find in Notting Hill. The Spurstowe was spruced up not long ago & now offers a cosy setting complete with plenty of exposed wood, big mirrors & bare brick. Fitting into this shabby-trendy setting is Hackney’s younger, trendier population who, when it’s warm, fill up the decked outside area to drink pints of Black Sheep, Brakspear or Timothy Taylor Landlord. The menu features dishes with a British slant, such as nettle soup, Cornish charter pie & Eton mess. However, prices are high given the very modest portions & variable quality – a dish of red mullet featured stringy samphire & an overpoweringly sweet cherry jam. Friendly staff make up for this to some extent &, all in all, it’s an inviting set-up.