Looking out from the bar at Cav
Is this a new restaurant?
Not exactly. Instead it's one of those creative collaborations that East London seems to do so well. The venue is brand new bar Câv, which sees Chris Tanner and Edwin Frost, the people behind Dram and Oranj, taking over the old Japanese Canteen site in Bethnal Green. It's always been planned as a cocktail bar with a rotating residency as far as food goes, and the first people to take over the kitchen are Tasca, who are here for a year.
Who's behind Tasca then?
That's the brainchild of chef Josh Dallaway (Sager & Wild and Silver Lining) and sommelier Sinead Murdoch (Bistro Freddie). Taking inspiration from their travels through Spain and France they've brought back elements of classic dishes and given them a modern London twist.
Where is it?
You'll find it on Paradise Row - alongside Mother Kelleys and Arepa & Co. The nearest tube is Bethnal Green.
If you're walking down Paradise Row, this is what you're looking for
Where should we sit?
Right now, the bar itself is still in the evolution stage of its design, as they're waiting for the arrival of some banquette seating and a sound system that will finish the look off properly. So the room looks a little on the bare side (and there isn't a sign outside yet). But it does have a decent-sized terrace, which will be fantastic on sunny days.
Should we start with a cocktail?
Most definitely, yes. The cocktail menu was one of those that you read and immediately know there's serious talent behind it. We were completely torn on what to choose. In addition to those below, we also ended our meal with a cheeky cereal milk Old Fashioned made with Cinnamon Graham milk.
Left to right - Bee Pollen Airmail (£12) with El Corada 3 and 12 tequila, bee pollen, lime and Cava and a Plum Manhattan (£12) featuring Sazerac Rye, plum, milk oolong and elderflower.
What about the food?
It's a tight-ish menu starting with a trio of gilda options before moving through to a range of plates, ranging in price from £5 to £24. So it's just as much a place to swing by for a drink and a dish as it is to spend a longer meal exploring the full offering.
Here's what we had to give you an idea:
We were tempted by the idea of a jambon beurre gilda but in the end plumped for these courgette and Spenwood gildas (£3 each), clouded with frozen Spenwood cheese.
Brixham crab with pepper butter on baguette (£12) - apparently there are 10 different types of peppercorn in the butter which they make in-house and enhance with brown crab and fermented leeks. It tastes, as you might imagine, very good indeed.
Scarlett prawn and pork cachorrinho (£14) - Josh's take on the Porto version of a hot dog made with Ossau Iratty cheese and piri-piri oil. We also appreciated how this had been cut up for sharing.
Raw Orkney scallop bilbaina £18) - This is a great example of the crazy levels of creativity that go into a single dish at Tasca. That bilbaina sauce is made from roasting six different chillies before frying them with fermented garlic, then adding cider vinegar and dashi made from the skirts of the scallops.
Cristian Parra black pudding (£19) on a bed of caramelised Marsala onions and chicory.
What's on the menu for vegetarians or vegans?
There's a pretty decent choice. In addition to the gilda we tried, we could have enjoyed beetroot and ricotta tartlets, confit carrots with masa di pimentao or a dish of whipped Wigmore with leeks and celeriac honey.
There was also this delicious carby dish of pink fir potatoes with soft herbs and aioli (£11)
Room for dessert?
We had a complete dilemma at this stage between the two dessert options and, frankly, we may have to go back to try the bikini with smoked maple syrup and creme fraiche. That said, what we did have was very good too.
Bitter chocolate mousse with olive oil and sea salt (£7) - not much in the looks department but this tasted amazing.
What about the wine?
Sinead's put together such an interesting list that celebrates female-founded vineyards and female winemakers. We had a superb bottle of Dans Le Pif by Anne Laure Laengel (£62) which only spends a couple of days on the skins so is orange-adjacent and absolutely fabulous.
Overall thoughts:
Quite frankly, we were blown away by Tasca. From the cocktails and wine to the amazing food and service this is an absolute belter of an opening for Bethnal Green and East London. Sure, there are a few more elements still to come as far as the room goes, but honestly, once that first dish and drink arrives on the table you won't be looking at your surroundings. It deserves to be a great success.
More about Tasca at Cav
Where is it? Arch 255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LQ
How to book? Book online here.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @tasca.london.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Tasca and Cav. Prices correct at time of publication.
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