84 Commercial Street,
London
E1 6LY
reservations@tenbells.com
07530 492986
LM: Upstairs @ 10 bells is the rarest of treats - a restaurant recommended by SN :) we were looking for something local to the station and casual enough to have a quick dinner before I headed out of London for a few days. I wasn't expecting anything quite as mind-blowing as this! (SN: I got lucky!)
SN: There is a lot about Ten Bells which is attractive to the idiosyncratic diner. The rough paint work, the creepy staircase, the dubious art and the setting slightly on the boho side of Spittelfields creative sector: these are all pluses for me. The very traditional approach to bread and butter is to be commended too. But there is nothing traditional about this places approach to pub snacking or pub dining - it's properly exploratory and ridiculously joyful food.
I was happy to drink the reasonably priced Chablis again so that was the first banker from this reliable establishment. I should mention too that they let us in early - sound policy for a happy pair of diners!
Pressed for time we started with a snack: Crispy Cauliflower, Yoghurt, Pickled Chilli, Almond Caraway and Cumin. This mind-blowing combo is typical of Ten Bells - all about flavours and preconceptions - the crispiness eludes expectation of typical "curried" cauliflower combinations, the chilli takes on the the very pleasant spices and the almonds complement at every level. A low carb biriyani or a high taste English veg - take your pick. Highly recommended and I suspect if you try a few times, eminently reproducible at home. It looks like a million dollars too!
LM: special shootout for the pickled chillis - I've never had them before and it's a fantastic idea!
SN: My slow roast leg of lamb was divine and it would have been delicious in the company of plain veg - but that's not what Ten Bells is about. The leek and hazelnut tart was a marvellous accompaniment along with thinly sliced beetroot and what might have been turnip or perhaps mouli. The succulence of the whole dish makes my mouth water just looking at the picture. In addition the Tomme de Chevre (semi hard goats cheese from the south of France) added bite. We had fresh green beans as shared side.
LM: I can honestly say this is one of the most interesting and complex vegetarian dishes I've had in a long time - tender leek was wrapped in what I think might have been deep fried pasta or similar and served on a creamy cheese sauce with a pop of sharp pickled cherry running through it and peppery leaves. I think the crumbs were crushed hazelnut - either the chef spent days experimenting on all those flavours together or there's a more than a touch of genius in the kitchen. Fantastic textures and tastes and the presentation was gorgeous too.
LM: We made the schoolboy error of not photographing the dessert menu and now I can't remember everything that was in my dessert. It was definitely beignets, lemony with a touch of marscapone, served with a combination of marinated and fresh strawberries, granola and cream with an alcohol flavouring. As with everything so far in the meal, it was beautifully prepared and presented and absolutely delicious - I would quite happily have ordered another portion if I hadn't had a train to catch.
SN: My Rhubarb Sorbet with Vermouth was well presented and the rhubarb sorbet was a thing of beauty. The silence from the other side of the table suggested Lou had made a good choice too.
SN: Ten Bells lived up to it's reputation and remains a delightful, curious and readily available drop in - especially if you are in Liverpool Street Station bemoaning the ubiquitous food offerings there. Thoroughly delightful Ten Bells will offer you something very different and quite marvellous.
