Eastside Inn

I am no push over when it comes to trying somewhere new. In fact for me Eastside Inn had its work cut out as i LOVED the restaurant that occupied this site until a year or so ago. I stumbled past Eastside last week on my way back from an awful lunch elsewhere and decided to pop in for a glass of wine. The welcome was so warm that I decided I must go back to eat which I did today.

We had the Bistro set menu which comes with a very agreeable glass of wine. Beautiful breads were served by a wonderfully attentive waiter and our starter of Ham and Pea soup (nothing like that nasty blended stuff of my childhood) arrived promptly and was served with a stylish flourish (deconstructed and reconstructed at the table, not in a poncy way), fast and stylish. The flavours were amazing, so fresh and creamy but light and flavoursome.

The main course of beef served with mash and red cabbage was just enough. The beef was packed with flavour, flaked away into a great sauce and served with perfectly creamed mash.

We opted for the set bistro menu as we really only had an hour but after such a great lunch we sat at the bar for another hour enjoying yet more wine while watching the open kitchen clean down ready for evening service.

I'm going back on Tuesday to try the fine dining side and have made a provisional booking for a group of 20.
Comment on this reader review

Dan Doherty
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 25, 2010

Had dinner in the bistro side here last Monday night.

First impression the place looks nice and inviting and the open central kitchen looks stunning. The menu reads well but is very short for the size of the place with about 8 starters and 6 mains to choose from. Service was good with our waiter knowing the menu well and he was able to answer our questions easily.

Breads were warm and tasty and the starters of duck rillette and onion soup were both good but not outstanding. Mains were better with my prawns in a garlic sauce served with a green salad being very good but not cheap at nearly £18 for 5 fair sized prawns. We then got a pre dessert of some sort of rosemary ice cream (I dont think you normally get this in the bistro, I guess the chefs were bored as the place was very quiet). We finished of with a shared chocolate dessert that looked and tasted very good.

The wine list was very short less than 12 wines in total, but the main restaurant list is available if needed. We had a pichet of white at £19.

Overall a nice addition to the Smithfield area and I would try it again on a busier night. It would be nice to see the chefs in action, as I think this would give the whole place a real buzz.
Comment on this reader review

Chris - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Saturday, January 16, 2010

With all the great reviews I have heard or Bjorn in the past I'd thought I give his bew restaurant a try. It was a very decent sized restaurant, it has one open kitchen which serves the fine dining part and also the bistro. I chose to eat at the formal part of the restaurant. Went and had the business lunch for 35 pounds. With the food, very disappointing, nothing exciting, bland, nothing formal. Was just average food on nice plateware. would not go back.
Comment on this reader review

3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, August 21, 2009

Asked as we were leaving the restaurant whether we had enjoyed our meal, we could only say that it was "ok". We had opted for the "business express lunch", and while the technical proficiency of the chef was in no doubt, and the presentation precise and elegant, there was nothing to inspire, nothing to capture the imagination. There was simply something missing from the food, no sign of any "spark".

While a set menu will inevitably be limited in scope, one might reasonably hope for it to deliver a representative taste of a restaurant, to encourage further exploration on a subsequent visit. In this case, it seemed to be running on a parallel track - as if all the fun had been removed for the "business express lunch", to the extent that one is almost forced to wonder whether someone is having a laugh at the "business express" crowd, and the very concept of dining within an hour (which we didn't manage).

Portions were small, flavours were decidedly safe and unexceptional, and the atmosphere - admittedly mid-August - was flat. None of us left satisfied, and there was nothing in the £50/head (inc wine) experience to encourage a return visit to explore the (unpriced) a la carte version.
Comment on this reader review

4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Thursday, August 20, 2009

Three colleagues and I tried the Eastside Inn today – Bjorn van den Horst’s new restaurant in Smithfield. I wasn’t a fan of La Noisette so, hedging our bets, we went for the ‘Business Express Lunch’: £35 for 3 courses, plus £10 for two glasses of wine.

The menu was limited, as one might expect, but the starter options were rather uninspiring: smoked chicken season salad or chilled pea soup. We all opted for the pea soup. Well executed but, well, not very exciting. The splash of rather good olive oil on the plate and some decent ham added to what was otherwise a rather monotonous plate of pea cream.

Main course choices were pan fried fillet of plaice with fondant potato and mussels with a bouillabaisse style sauce, or duck breast with spiced root veg and baby pak choi. These certainly read better on the menu but, again, failed to impress. It was just very safe cooking. The duck portion was small – probably half a breast (?) – and a few pieces of veg. The sauce was little more than soy, honey and some stock. Some potatoes wouldn’t have improved the mediocrity of the dish, but would have bulked it out to a reasonable lunch.

Pudding was a choice between cheese and a chocolate, praline and tonka bean concoction. Visually, this was much more what I was expecting from van der Horst - a large hollow ball of dark chocolate with miscellaneous fillings. With warm chocolate sauce added at the table, it broke its banks and a tonka bean and praline ooze gushed onto the plate. Popping candy in the base was a surprise element. So far so good, but the eating failed to meet expectations. A colleague remarked it tasted like a Toblerone the other like a Magnum, and they were not far off. In the end, the taste didn’t live up to the vision.

And that was it. No bread, no canapés, no extras, except for some average olives while we looked over the menu. So, nearing the price of Le Gavroche’s deal, this failed to offer equivalent quality or value for money. While Le Gavroche’s menu works, in that it compels you to return and dine a la carte, you leave the Eastside Inn wondering, “is that all they are capable of?”. 5/10
Comment on this reader review

MJN
5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Thursday, August 20, 2009

Delighted to see that Bjorn van der Horst has returned to the London scene. I had the pleasure of dining at his new Eastside Inn and it was excellent.

In the bistro I enjoyed a rich onion soup, a mouth watering short rib of beef and finished wih one of my old time favourites, rice pudding. All excellent.

The bistro is bright and inviting. Set up in a true French fashion with a long banquette and mirrors. Service was most attentive. Bjorn's lovely wife Justine added sparkle and friendliness to this great new restaurant.
Comment on this reader review

Megan Wells
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, May 29, 2009