45 Curtain Road

Set on its namesake stretch in East London, 45 Curtain Road is a confident ode to craft and contrast. The kitchen leans into a dialogue between Japan and Iberia, where smoke, citrus and umami weave through dishes with quiet precision. It is cooking that prizes texture and clarity, inviting guests to graze, sip and return to flavours that unfold over time.

Small plates set the tone: smoked bonito tataki nudged by guindilla and olive; aonori milk bread torn warm and slathered with butter, red miso or sobrasada. The sea is given a bright, agile touch, from crystal prawn tempura with onsen tamago and togarashi to horse mackerel crudo lifted by radish, aubergine and yuzu olive oil. There is comfort too in fresh local cheese with honey and chestnut bread, and a board of house and local meats with picos.

Larger plates balance indulgence and restraint. A whole blue lobster is glossed with sansho butter, while a Rubia Gallega rib eye arrives with ponzu and a hint of cerveza. Sides keep pace: roasted flourish greens with sesame and olive oil, and smoked beef fat pink fir potatoes with kombu aioli. To finish, a sly wink of jamon ice cream with sherry and yuzu olive oil, or a burnt miso and yuzu cheesecake under pistachio cream.

Make a date at 45 Curtain Road and let curiosity lead the way; the rest is deliciously inevitable.