Hamish Smith dropped by Chris Tanner's Bethnal Green venue Câv earlier this summer.
Nestled in the brickwork arches of Bethnal Green’s gastronomic precinct, Paradise Row, Câv is the new spot of Chris Tanner (Dram) and Edwin Frost (Half Cut/Oranj).
This bar-restaurant (not the other way around) made headlines this spring by putting large-format bottled cocktails on the same table as food, sharing the limelight with wine. Just my luck then that the carbonation rig was down for my visit. In the battle for the table top, that's 1-0 to the vine.
But before we waded into the wine menu and sampled the sluggish but delicious food we did prime ourselves with a few regular-format classic riffs. There was the Cucumber Bamboo (Tanqueray 10, Tio Pepe, Carpano Bianco, cucumber), Dill Martini (Ramsbury Dill vodka, Carpanon Dry, The Lost Explorer Espadín, anchovy oil) and Câv Picante (Casamigos Blanco, verdita, golden beetroot, bird’s eye chilli).
Ambrosial goodness, as you might expect from Tanner.
Perhaps with slightly sharper service, more affordable wine (the house starts at £39!) and a working rig, Câv might have edged a mark higher. Either way, it is one of the standout launches this year.
» 255 Paradise Row, , London E2 9LE
Score 8/10