22 best Shoreditch restaurants, chosen by our hungry editors

Dish to order: seasonal barbajuans

London is a city of contrasting truths; you’ll often find frenetic streets that lead to cosy cobbled corners where you can find real Londoners unwinding from the hustle and bustle. Bar Valette is one of those restaurants where city dwellers can enjoy a damn good meal, without the pomp and circumstance that often come with it. It’s relaxed, the neighbourhood vibe can make you feel as though you’re having a meal at your friend’s house, rather than at the new restaurant of Clove Club’s Isaac McHale. The interiors emanate warmth – considered lighting paired with colourful cubist artworks and shelves lined with various ingredients. The menu is unfussy – a celebration of Spanish cuisine and the must-try dishes of Southern France – with a lovely balance of meat and fish dishes to please a wide audience. It’s not the most vegetarian-friendly menu, so it’s best to keep that in mind when booking. Nibbles, starters, mains, and, of course, puddings make for a delicious variety of choices.

We start with the Swiss chard barbujuan and the clapshot croquette. The barbujan steals my heart with its delicate flavour and slight crunch. We pick more adventurous starters – braised venison meatballs and snails, prepared Madrid-style, in pork trotter broth. The snails are a messy affair, one that I loved, but my partner found quite challenging.

However, the venison meatballs had us fighting for every last bite. We opted to share the whole sea bream with a green olive emulsion for our main course, a beautifully smoky yet delicate dish that is complemented by the briny notes of the tapenade. And finally, it’s time for pudding, a gâteau basque. This is the French version of the beloved dish, which includes a layer of dried fruit and custard encased in a crumbly crust. And, my oh my, it was the icing on the cake to an incredible meal. Amber Port

Address: Bar Valette, 28 Kingsland Road, London E2 8AA
Price: £££
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