White Rabbit, Dalston, www.whiterabbitdalston.com

I am about to be effusive. Apologies. One of my first reviews was of Mr Buckleys on Hackney Road. Summary: small, small plates, big prices. Last night I went to what Mr Buckleys was obviously modelled on, White Rabbit. I am glad I went to Mr Buckleys first because had I been made to compare it to White Rabbit it would have been given a Winner style savaging.

So White Rabbit is set just off Kingsland Road on a side street which is dotted with various cocktail bars and art boutiques. By the furious building activity which was going on at 11pm it seems there will be a few more appearing soon.

The restaurant is light and open, all exposed wood and mismatched chairs. This style is obviously de rigour East at the moment, however, it has dabbled in a bit of white paint which gives it a much cleaner look than most others. It has a good cocktail list and I am not sure whisky lovers would approve of a 12 year old malt being mixed with amaretto but god damn it, it tasted good.

The menu was a mixture of small plates from the stove or their huge wood burning oven. We chose far too many dishes, still scarred from Buckleys experience and ended up getting the food sweats by the end. There were some really clever dishes, including butternut squash with smoked yoghurt with ash and honeycomb. I am not sure how you smoke yoghurt, but if any vegetarians fancy finding out what they are missing they need to try it. This small plate for a v reasonable £7 could have easily done for a main. I elected for ox cheek with pearl barley which was a huge hunk of meat which scared the vegetarian at the table. Always a good thing. The other highlight was the waffles – imagine McCoy’s crisps in 3D – they were lattice potatoes deep fried and crispy like crisps but still chunky and potatoey. Two waitresses tried to explain how they made them but I still didn’t get it, I just knew I should pity the most junior person in the kitchen. Other dishes included braised chicory with Colten Basset cheese which was punchy and some crab cakes which were sound. Every dish was a winner and there were at least 10 more that I would have been more than happy to try. The only criticism I could level against this place is the unisex toilets. No, just no, the world is still not ready I am afraid….

 This is probably the best place I have eaten in this neck of the woods in terms of a ‘proper’ restaurant with good value for money and food. Winner all round.

Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui, Hackney Road, http://quiquiriqui.co.uk/

If you are ever walking along Hackney Road, frustrated that on one side Essex louts are bringing down the tone of Shoreditch and on the other side everywhere is shut, then stop at the Golden Grill a kebab shop opposite the delightful Mecca bingo. Because not only will you get polystyrene trays full of tasty meat but you will also be close to a local mezcal bar.

Although there are stairs down to MQ in the kebab shop, you need to leave your garlic sauce (or take it) and take the outside entrance downstairs into the bar for extra Mexico City style seediness. The cracked tiles and peeling wallpaper on the stairs wasn’t Shoreditch effect raggedness, it was more the never ever been done up effect. On  my descent , I was very confused and nervous but on opening what I think I remember as being a white garden door, I was presented with an amazing dark and seedy (in a good way - actually, is there a bad way?) dive bar with decent music and a real life DJ.

Being as it was a mezcal bar I elected to get two double mezcals. When in Rome, do what could potentially make the Romans puke. Firstly the staff were amazingly kind enough to give me my mezcals for a few quid cheaper due to it being 1am and being cashless. Nice touch. They then gave us a cup of orange slices scattered with chilli flakes which you bit in to after each sip. That suggests you are meant to sip these dangerous drinks. However, my friend obviously tried to neck his double with disastrous results. The bar itself was busy but you could still get served quickly and the DJ was decent. 

This place is  a very safe option for a night out which will challenge the only other usual option of going to Efes for a second night in a row. The kebab is also obligatory on leaving, but alas they don't do fajitas or guac which is whack. 

Oh, and bring chalk as the walls have blackboard paint on which to write expletives.

Duke's Bru and Que, http://dukesbrewandque.com/

Last Saturday morning I woke up next to a blonde with a pretty eye staring at me. Unfortunately the eye never blinked and was tattooed onto the arm of my male friend who I had spent the early morning hours engaging in various physical and mental challenges. Whilst others in our generation are dancing on a Friday night, drinking WKD and Aftershockz, we were timing each other doing planks in his flat and seeing who could stop a casio watch closest to 30 seconds. So waking up on a rank and rainy Saturday morning after sharing a bed with a man, which he had graced with a lady very recently, and with a hangover which wasn't too bad, given we were both drunk, we decided to check out Dukes Bre and Que.

On arriving we stood on the cusp of 15 tables and waited for someone to pick us up and lead us to some salty variety of pig, but our presence was met with the disinterest I normally reserve for the Metro.  After a few minutes of needily eyeing the collection of waitresses we boldly sat ourselves down, a move akin to the awkwardness of opening presents. We then waited to be swept up on the production line and recieve our menu. Despite eyeing the waitresses with arched necks and smiling faces, a manner which was quickly getting weird, obviously they didn't arrive and after a few more minutes I was worried we had missed a concept of self fulfillment and bravely went and gathered the menus from the central till (yes, I know, welsh thief alert).

20 minutes into our visit and we hadn't been engaged. I know neither of us had showered, and I was wearing clothes from the previous night, but god damn it, if someone in that state doesn't need a Bloody Mary, then the world is failing.

Eventually our waitress came (with a second set of menus in hand) and we got to order. I went for poached eggs on muffins with bacon and hollandaise and my bed partner chose the most expensive breakfast item I have ever seen (an eye wartering £14) of breadcrumbed steak, eggs and potatoes.

It looked like there were about 40 people in the kitchen and the food came out admirably quickly. The poached eggs seemed to have been done in cling film with plenty of white wine vinager and so shockingly tasted like water and vinager instead of egg. This technique produces good results in terms of shape and yolk but looks and tastes meh. The hollaindaise was average and muffins too thick and floury to be a respectable vessel for the eggs and bacon on top.

My friend's steak was an interesting dish with a breaded veal like quality. He enjoyed it though but his eggs suffered from the same issues and his empty plate had the unfortunate proof of opaque diluted sperm like white water sat on top. All in all it was a breakfast which was mutton dressed as lamb. It looked good, cost quite a bit, and the venue is excellent but the quality just wasn't there.

Dukes really could be a good place. It looks the part, has an extraordinary good looking clientele and staff and is in an excellent loco. Also the metal sink and foot Pump tap in the unisex toilet is a delight masking the wrongness of a unisex toilet. However for food it isn't quite good enough and the service is a bit random. I dread to think how it would handle a busy dinner time. Maybe that's part of its appeal, but on that outing I won't be rushing back to try the dinner menu