Barge East

Barge East is one of Hackney Wick’s more recognisable landmarks - a lovely moored barge right on the Lea Navigation Canal. With the sun out, the expansive greenery of the Olympic Park on one side and Hackney Wick’s al fresco bars and restaurants on the other, Barge East arguably has the best spot in town.

If you want to sit outside there are lots of tables up on the mainland, and Barge East serves an easy-going terrace menu to go with the copious beers you’re likely to drink. But, in the redecorated bowels of the barge itself there’s a proper restaurant, complete with modern British a la carte, tasting menu and cocktails too. It’s a tidy, compact space that manages to not feel cramped - at the far end a busy open kitchen turns out some impressive food, especially given the constraints.

You might not expect it from the outside, but there’s real restaurant-quality food here. A starter of asparagus, apricot, mushroom XO and lovage might just be our favourite of the whole menu - the asparagus spears have been gently turned over a barbecue, so they still have bite, and the accompaniments are fresh, earthy and sweet. A main of venison loin, potato terrine and blackberries is another showcase of the skill in the kitchen - the loin is nicely cooked, cured venison ham adds another element to the dish, and a buttermilk dressing ties everything together. There are some very quaffable cocktails too, many of which add little twists to classic mixes.

Desserts didn’t quite live up to the same standard - a pud of hazelnut cake, sorrel and tonka bean cream was smartly devised, but the execution lacked a bit of finesse, and the same could be said for a gooey chocolate mille-feuille with rhubarb. All-in-all though, Barge East nails most of what it sets out to do, and the limitations of cooking on a barge make that all the more impressive.

Billing itself as a floating bar and kitchen, Barge East is an intimate restaurant housed inside a 118 year-old Dutch barge, which is permanently moored in Hackney Wick. The restaurant was set up by friends and business partners Tommo, Ryan and Blandy in 2018 and in 2020 (in response to various Coronavirus restrictions), the boys transformed the land adjacent to the barge into a large riverside garden, perfect for drinks in the sunshine.

If you are hopping aboard though, expect to find a rustic, cosy dining room which offers a partial view into the galley kitchen, so you can watch the team of chefs at work. Barge East serves a seasonal British four-course set menu, with guests able to dine inside the boat or outside on the front or middle deck, both of which are covered and heated should the weather not be playing ball.

The menu at Barge East is dictated by the ingredients that are in season and can be found locally, so you can always expect something slightly different every time you go back. On your visit, you might begin with starters such as courgette flower stuffed with beef tartare and trombetta courgette, before moving on to main courses of seared pork neck with apricot, tropea onion, chard and jus or dashi-brined cod in caramelised milk, served with hen of the woods and oyster mushroom, plus wild garlic and peach. Side orders (counting as the third course) include sourdough bread or mixed leaf salad, while you can finish up with tempting sweet treats such as chocolate torte with stewed cherries, whiskey maple crystals, roast oats and whiskey cream.

On Saturdays, head to Barge East for bottomless brunch, when you and your friends can enjoy a two- or three-course set lunch menu, alongside free-flowing bubbly or Bloody Mary’s.