Ordering an omelette is an efficient way to evaluate a French bistro. An Italian trattoria might be keenly assessed with risotto. Much the same, any credible bar would do well to master the Hemingway, which is made exceptionally well at One Club Row in Shoreditch but isn’t on the menu at Chiave. The two venues are close to one another — one an Italian bar, the other described as “New York-style” by people who have never been to New York.
But I lean too heavily on rum these days and so decided to test Chiave with a negroni instead. Like appraising a bistro with steak frites and a trattoria with carbonara. Works just as well. And it was grand — elegant, balanced and full bodied, just as a negroni should be. I want to feel something halfway down the glass and be compelled to order a second immediately after finishing the first.
This happened at Chiave, which means “key” in Italian: the bar is supposed to feel homely and familiar. To bookend a visit to One Club Row — where I suggest you sit at the bar, pensively sip drinks and eat cheese gougeres and ham and lobster croquettes — with a trip to Chiave is a surefire pathway to a victorious Friday evening in the frilly edges of East London.
It’s a sumptuous place, intimate and with staff who care but do not pander, and boasts a decorous cocktail list worth exploring. Each drink is paired with a song and usually I’d be cynical and dry about such an effort but I won’t be today.
Beyond classics, try the Limbo, a version of Tommy’s margarita — the Hemingway equivalent of Mexican drinking in its simplicity — made with equal parts mezcal and tequila and lifted artfully by chilli. A couple of these (£14, so punchy but not exhaustive) with a bowl of vegetable crisps and a plate of stuffed vine leaves and your weekend will begin tidily and with intent. Josh Barrie
36 Redchurch St, London E2 7DP, chiaveshoreditch.com
Bar snacks
Crate
Canary Wharf is not as soulless as it used to be. Another decent bar and restaurant is opening in Wood Wharf, already home to Roe, Hawksmoor, and Marceline. Crate Brewery – a stalwart of modern canalside Hackney – is to pitch up there with its Roman(ish) thin pizzas, hefty beer list and simple cocktails, which include vodka with raspberry and yuzu and gin and lemon. It’s become passé to hate on Canary Wharf.
14 Water Street, E14 5GX, @cratebrewery
Tasca
The Iberian-inspired restaurant Tasca is to end its residency at Bethnal Green wine bar Cav six months early and will close in the next week. The team said on Instagram: “...sometimes the set-up isn’t the right fit. We’ve made the decision to protect the integrity of Tasca and to continue to grow the concept.” We expect – and hope – to see Tasca pop-up elsewhere soon. Cav continues as a bar, meanwhile, and is likely to house a new food concept soon.
Arch 255 Paradise Row, E2 9LQ, @tasca.london
