The raised part of the dining room looking into the kitchen
Tell us about Bar Valette then...
The elevator pitch is that this is a new restaurant from Clove Club's Isaac McHale. If you've just arrived in London and somehow haven't heard of the Clove Club it's a two Michelin-starred Shoreditch restaurant that has for many years also been recognised in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. So anything they're connected to is going to be of interest to London foodies.
That said, this new Shoreditch restaurant isn't the first time McHale has opened in this space. You might recall Two Lights, which saw an ex-Clove Club chef Chase Lovecky running the kitchen here until Covid restrictions forced its closure. Now it's chef Erin Jackson Yates, who's heading up the food at Bar Valette alongside another Clove Club alumnus, restaurant manager William Powell.
Where is it?
You'll find it on the lower end of Kingsland Road, just a few minutes walk from The Clove Club. It's about equidistant from both Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street stations and it's not far from Old Street tube.
This is what you're looking for...
Where's good to meet up for a drink first?
We spotted a brand new sports bar, Ringside, just two doors down if you want a drink and the latest sports action. Otherwise, you've got Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes just a few doors along for cocktails (and Calooh Callay is quite close too) or Mikkeller Bar nearby is good for beer.
And where should we sit when we get in?
If you like peering into the kitchen, then there are four seats up at the counter for dining, and a similar number of stools at the front for people-watching on the high street. If there's a group of you, then the four-person table up close to the counter is a very nice spot to be.
Window seating at Bar Valette
So what kind of food are we talking about?
They say the menu takes "cues from Isaac’s love of Southern French and simple Spanish cooking, with some ideas and influences from The Clove Club’s back catalogue". In practice, that means the now-standard London menu that spans teeny snacks through to small and large sharing dishes. Prices are pretty punchy for this part of town, with smallish dishes in the mid-£20s and some of the large sharing dishes edging up towards the £100 mark.
Here's what we had to give you an idea:
Swiss chard barbajuans (£11) - a stuffed veggie fritter that already seems to be one of the most popular snacks to order, and deservedly so.
Buttermilk fried chicken in pine (£14) - longstanding fans of The Clove Club will recognise this particular dish, which we remember trying back in the early days of The Clove Club when it was popping up in supper clubs all over East London. Sadly, we didn't think it had survived the test of time - it tasted a bit gritty and not as crunchy as we'd remembered, so we'd pass on this.
Fabada Asturiana bean stew (£26) - Our second bean stew in London restaurants in as many months and this was a fabulous offering, hailing from the North West Spanish cookbook and featuring chorizo, their own house-made blood pudding and pork belly.
Lamb chops (£9 each) served with a spicy mayo (£11 each) and the kind of heavenly chops you're going to need to pick up with your hands and get messy with.
We also went for one of the specials on the blackboard that day, which sounded amazing and proved to be just that. And if the duck fat sauteed potatoes are on the menu, make sure to order them as they are deeply crispy wonders.
Dry-aged pork chop with a smoked paprika glaze and honey fennel (£48 and definitely big enough for two).
Room for dessert?
Because our eyes are bigger than our stomach, we ordered too much dessert so we were forced to take (tiny violins please) a slice of this heavenly creation home for the perfect mid-morning treat the following day.
Gateau Basque (£14) - They describe this beauty as "part cake, part tart, part pie". It's filled with pastry cream and mincemeat enlivened with Pedro Ximénez.
That said, the one dessert you 100% can't go without ordering is their chocolate mousse. Note that it's easily sufficient for two-three to share:
Chocolate mousse (£18) - this dream of a sharing dessert (which is up there with Blacklock's white chocolate cheesecake) is made with 70% Tanzanian chocolate and then topped with a thin layer of very lightly whipped vanilla cream.
What about drinks?
The wine list has been drawn up by Wilem Powell, who was previously the head sommelier at top Sydney restaurant Quay. Here, he's focusing on Southern France and Spain, with plenty of sherries alongside ciders from across the UK. But we would urge you to start with the cocktails as we did.
Little and large - a massive rhubarb spritz made with vault vodka (£15) and a perfect teeny martini 'Tuxedo' featuring EAst London Liquor gin, Manzanilla and orange bitters (£13).
Overall thoughts
If you're already fond of the Clove Club, then it won't take much to lure you slightly further north to its more casual but still very good outpost. Service is on point and there's much on the menu to enjoy. We do worry that the prices are pretty punchy for this part of town, though. They might want to bring in an early diners set menu option as a way to allow new fans to the fold to try them out.
More about Bar Valette
Where is it? 28 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AA
How to book: Book online or call 020 3976 0076
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @barvalette.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Bar Valette. Prices correct at time of publication.
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