Natural Philosopher, 28th August

That Natural Philosopher is a charming, ramshackle little cocktail bar that I liked very much. It’s just a shame no one else seems to. Or perhaps they just don’t know about it. Even though it isn’t hiding itself you could probably walk past it and not quite realise it was there. It looks humble. Inside it is split into three levels with the bottom one being nothing more than a cubby hole where you and a small group of friends could hide away. It’s done by the same people who ran Manero’s (now closed) and it’s just as cool with the same kind of ‘being in someone’s house’ vibe. But as there was only me, my friend and two other people in there when we went at 10pm on a Friday night, it rather lacked atmosphere. A girl and her mum turned up when we were halfway through our drinks but I would hesitate to guess that was it for the night.

It doesn’t help that it’s not near the other bars on Hackney Road – I expected it to be near Mr Buckley’s but it’s very much the Cambridge Heath end. Our cocktails were very nice and the sausage roll menu sounded delicious but we moved onto other pastures after just the one drink. That one drink being the Zabarella, a cardamom-infused tequila with lime juice, vanilla sugar syrup and pomegranate. An interesting blend – I don’t usually like cardamom that much but this was really nicely balanced. My friend had the special (I can't remember what it was called) which came with an ice lolly to dunk into the cocktail!

And I appreciated that the menu was short enough not to cause total choice paralysis, even though every cocktail sounded intriguing.

Hackney Hardware and 184 Hackney Road, 14th June

Hackney Hardware

Let me never be accused of not jumping on a bandwagon as soon as it emerges – the other weekend I got to try the latest craze – orange wine. I have no idea which kind of orange wine I tried (apparently there are a few) but I can tell you it got a big thumbs up from me. It was still dry, and lighter than some of the usual dry wines we have when we go out (Pinot G, Sauv Blanc). A really refreshing summer wine.

I had this wine in the new pop-up bar Hackney Hardware, who have taken over an old hardware store (hence the name) on Hackney Road. It is pure hipster. They have not only taken the name of the store it used to be, they have also pretty much taken the whole décor, fixtures and fittings and just plonked in a very makeshift bar and some barrels and stools to act as tables and chairs. It was actually little too DIY for me, and felt like it could do with a little more of a woman’s touch to make it the sort of place you’d want to while away a few hours in.

But, we were just there for a couple of drinks before moving on to, well, Sager and Wilde. Again. I just can’t resist that place when I’m in the area! This time I finally got to try one of their famed grilled cheese sandwiches and…yeah, it was nice. Maybe a little too much hype for what it was. The Cheese Truck’s was better. But I did like it. We had one or two glasses in there, I now can’t remember how many before going over the road for the latest incarnation of the basement bar below the Golden Grill, simply named 184 Hackney Road.

184 Hackney Road

This is a collaboration between Stagg and Barber who are responsible for the cocktail list and Mezcaleria QuiQuiRiQui who are responsible for the mezcal and mezcal slushies (which I forgot to try). And of course there’s a mezcal cocktail on the list as well. I was last here when it was the Liquor Cabinet but 184 have managed to transform the space even though there’s not much space to transform. The result is better and more comfortable.

My friend Alison had a whiskey, Stephen had a beer but I couldn’t come to a cocktail place and not try a cocktail. Nor could I come to a mescal bar and not try the mescal. So I did both by having their mescal cocktail, though not before a tall, slightly fruity rye drink. I have to say, the shorter, stronger mescal drink was my favourite. So if it were Stagg and Barber vs Quiquiriqui, the mescaleria would have it. Not that I’m trying to stoke up any rivalries or anything.

We then realized what time it was and high-tailed it out of there to try to find a bar showing the England match. Which of course wasn’t a problem – getting into one after kick-off was. We had to cut our losses and go home before we missed any more!

So, glad I was able to drop by 184 to see the original residents taking it back. I hope they stick around long enough for me to try one of those slushies!

Hackney Bureau, 5th May

Many’s the time I have walked past Hackney Bureau after a trip to Broadway Market and have been struck by its popularity. On a weekend, you’d have to be quick off the mark to get in there and get a space for brunch.

My friend and decided to meet there for a late lunch on the last bank holiday afternoon to check it out. Lunch specials are written on the blackboard inside and we were both attracted to the two dishes featuring avocado. In the end, Alison got the smashed avocado with feta and poached eggs on sourdough, and I had the harissa chicken and avocado sandwich. Other options included truffled mushrooms on toast, butternut squash, and a variety of cooked breakfasts.

We also had a cheeky spritz to go with it – Campari for her, Aperol for me.

The food arrived and we were both more than happy with our choices, although I admit, after having a forkful of Alison’s combination, I felt I'd chosen the slightly inferior dish. Her poached eggs were perfect – oozing thick yolk over the creamy avocado, and the feta gave it all a salty tang to it that was very agreeable.

I did enjoy my sandwich as well though. Delicious sourdough held together the strips of chicken and avocado, of which there was a generous amount. The chicken was soft and the harissa was more than just a token description.

Our spritzes were a little on the small side but were a perfect choice if I do say so myself for a spring day.

With appetites sated, we enjoyed a wander around Spitalfields with a glass of prosecco (for only £3.50!) from Bedales before dropping into the Hawksmoor bar for their Cinco de Mayo festivities, courtesy of the many-years-closed Green and Red Bar where Brewdog sits now. They had five different tequila based cocktails, all for £5, or you could have a tequila sangrita or verdita. This was a double shot of tequila to be followed by a concoction of coriander, pineapple and chilli. This was so good we decided to sip them instead of shooting them.

Finally, our wanderings took us up Hackney Road, where popping into Sager and Wilde for ‘one’ turned into a whole bottle plus a couple of their new small plates. We had a generous plate of manchego cheese (with a rather mean portion of quince) plus some gorgeous bread with oil, and a plate of speck with piquillo pepper. It confirmed how right I was to fall in love with the bar the first time, and Mr and Mrs Sager and Wilde were excellent hosts as before.