The Empress, Victoria Park (Hackney)

Those wanting to observe quality sub-editing in action are directed to my sugar daddy: http://hackneycitizen.co.uk/2012/04/10/elliott-lidstone-the-empress-e9-review/

Trading the most prestigious job at a Michelin starred restaurant in an idyllic Berkshire village for the challenges of reinventing an urban kitchen might not seem like a normal career move, but then Elliott Lidstone is no ordinary chef and Victoria Park is far from a typical corner of London. With leafy, tree-lined streets, bespoke shops, and gentile denizens, it possesses a definite air of suburbia, despite the hustle and bustle of Mare Street being less than a mile away. More importantly for Lidstone, whose CV boasts twelve years experience at top rated restaurants, and his newly transformed Lauriston Road eatery, The Empress, it is one of the epicentres of Hackney’s thriving food scene.

This enviable location is exploited to the full, with meat coming from master butchers and neighbours The Ginger Pig and all manner of things aquatic from expert fishmongers Jonathan Norris across the road. The E5 Bakehouse rounds off an impressive list of local suppliers, delivering fresh sourdough (by bicycle, of course) on a daily basis. The quality of produce is evident in Lidstone’s cooking, which, at the risk of wrongly equating his frequently masterful food with shoddy gastropubs across the land, is modern European: firmly British dishes like trout with Jersey Royals and samphire co-habit the menu with Italian-tinged fare like roast guinea fowl with borlotti beans.

Our meal began with some of their nibbles, both of which were the sort of snack that bars with or without gourmet aspirations would offer in an ideal world. Crispy pig’s ears (top), served with a smooth apple sauce, were like refined pork scratchings: moist and chewy rather than dry and crunchy, they maintained the crucial saltiness that is the key to a good drink accompaniment.  Ham croquettes (bottom) were of a similarly high standard. Specked with prosciutto and oozing gooey Béchamel sauce, they were equal to the offerings of some of the capital’s finest tapas bars, even those of the mighty Morito. 

A starter of pearl barley and cauliflower risotto was a particularly thoughtful vegetarian option, streets ahead of your average stuffed mushroom in terms of creativity and not ruined by lazy lashings of truffle oil. Not just an imaginative triumph, it was wonderfully executed as well. The risotto was appropriately creamy, while the pearl barley offered sufficient bite, and spring onions perked up the taste buds. Crunchy hazelnuts and crispy fried shallots finished the dish and added extra layers of texture.

A main of slow-braised shoulder of lamb (top) garnished elegantly with succulent monk’s beard was similarly enticing. The meat was meltingly tender and wild garlic added a zesty bite appropriate to Spring. Capers boldly dotted the bulgar wheat base and gave it a gutsy Mediterranean feel reminiscent of a particularly sophisticated Sicilian farmhouse. To finish, a pudding of baked cheesecake (bottom) was surprisingly dense and really benefitted from the accompanying pieces of blood orange, which provided the acidity necessary to cut through the richness of the cake.

Clean, inventive, and immensely gratifying, this was the food of a confident chef. Subtle flourishes abounded, but nothing was so showy as to detract from superior ingredients being cooked with understanding and gusto. Everything was stylishly presented and there was much to inspire a hasty return – a pairing of mackerel and rhubarb, for instance, and a starter of bone marrow with snails. Simple in the best possible way, it’s the kind of philosophy that helped make a name for the peerless St. John but is still underappreciated in some particularly backwards corners of the gastronomic world.

The attention to detail and local focus extended to the drinks selection, with quality beers from the Camden Town and London Fields microbreweries available alongside an eclectic wine list that oenophiles from Hackney and beyond will want to take note of. You won’t find bland Pinot Grigios or predictable Chilean Sauvignon Blancs, but rather the likes of Austrian Gruner Veltliner, Reisling from Washington State, and Hungarian Pinot Noir. A small selection of ice-cold Sherries rounds things out and nods to one of the more interesting recent drinks fads.

The décor was similarly on trend: stripped down and minimalist in a style that’s now as much associated with Shoreditch and Soho as it is with New York’s Meatpacking District and East Village. Service was attentive without being intrusive and the atmosphere was hugely family friendly, with a sizeable contingent of under-10s in particularly fine vocal form on a Saturday lunchtime. With a progressive drinks selection to compliment the superb food, it’s the kind of inviting neighbourhood joint that once was the preserve of our continental brethren. Affordable but still special – very few main courses pop over the £15 mark while weekend brunches are a steal at £7.50 and under – it prompted recollections of Paris’s inspired Bistrot Paul Bert.

There should be little doubt that The Empress is a real addition to Hackney’s quality dining scene and it looks good value to establish itself both as one our best-loved restaurants and more interesting bars faster than Russell Norman can open another small plate eatery. It’s refreshing how Lidstone and owner Michael Buurman have taken the predominantly European concept of relaxed and affordable local dining and given it a firm British spanking, and thankfully they buck the irritatingly hip no reservations trend as well because with food this good, who wants to wait?

The Empress kindly offered the Hackney Citizen a complimentary meal.