The Ten Bells

There are no 4.5 star reviews but this would have earned that.
You would never happen on this place and expect to get an amazing meal here.
Like many British pubs, the outside is often thronged with people drinking and smoking. That is totally normal for London.
Inside, the first floor pub is kind of punk rock. Not like the homogenized pubs with the standard lettering.
The Restaurant is above this bar. You go through the back, towards the Loo, and up some graffiti decorated stairs. Once you arrive at the top you will find an intimate and dark dining room that is suitable for a date or a friendly dinner.
The food here is fantastic, but a little pricey. I had Braised Pork Cheek as a starter. Broth was perfect. Great start.
Then I had Roast Saddle of Fallow Deer. This is venison. Another winner.
If you are in Spitalfields and want to do something other than Hawksmoor, try this place. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I had such high hopes for this place – Young Turks acclaim and the pop up was supposed to be amazing. But I was not overly impressed.
What really killed it for me was the mains. They were served on very small dark plates so you couldn’t see or appreciate the food and what you were eating and it just seemed like you were being cheated with eating a main. I had duck – it was good, but kind of boring.
Our dessert came with an ice cream which was half-​melted.
Overall, this place did not deliver or connect. Big bummer. :(

This place is a fantastic example of nearly-​indescribable delicious flavours, without a lot of fuss or expense or pretense. This place started as a pop-​up and is now here to stay. Now that you can book online, it’s a good idea just to make a reservation as soon as you can. This place was recommended by London Eater as their top pick for the year, and it did not disappoint at all.
I guess the way I would describe the food is to say that they have a magical way of packing just so much deliciousness into a dish. The food is nicely done, not overly fussy, but why is it that their pork belly or roasted vegetable packs so much more deliciousness than any other? They must have some secret delicious wizardry.
We went here for the most amazing dinner. My dining companions enjoyed the amazingly moist fried chicken with pine salt (served on a stunning plate of pine needles), while I had a plate of radicchio and parsley root. For the main course, what I think is the best pork belly I’ve ever had. And trust me, I’ve eaten plenty of pork bellies. This one was so soft and full of flavor, I ate the whole thing. Sadly, we were too stuffed for dessert. I hope to be back soon.
Gluten free notes: They have plenty of delicious gluten-​free dishes. They also made me a fresh-​baked gluten free roll!

It took me a while to actually find this restaurant, and it was kind of fun getting there. I had to ask someone behind the bar of the 10 Bells to point me in the right direction. The entrance is at the back of the pub through a door marked ‘Private’. It’s not exactly the same as going through a phone booth (PDT) or a fridge (Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town), but it still felt pretty cool!
Once up the stairs, the dining room is lovely — really airy and very shabby chic. Lots of Hendricks (my favourite) bottles dotted around with red candles dripping down, large silver candelabras at both ends of the room (I almost lost some hair as I didn’t notice they were lit in the daylight), fab neon signs and even a neon fire in the fireplace. The view is pretty good too — through the large sash windows you can spy on the goings on in Commercial Street.
I was greeted by around five very friendly chaps, all in blue stripy aprons. There were only two of us dining and I was the first. I was shown to our table in the corner by a window, which afforded me a great view of the dining room. It’s not large and there are very few smaller tables, so we were sharing with a couple of rather cute guys who came in later on (and took our recommendation to have the lamb).
This used to be a pop-​up restaurant and the idea was that it would only run for three months. It was so successful that the stint turned into six months, and now it’s ongoing. The menu is no longer a set tasting menu, and I really do appreciate having a choice. It is divided up into snacks (we had the caramelised onion with raw aubergine purée), starters (we shared the raw mackerel), mains (we both had the lamb) and puddings (we shared the cheese and I had a coffee).
The food was absolutely sublime. My favourite was the mackerel. The menu description was: «Smoked mackerel, pickled melon and green olives» which didn’t appeal to me at all when I read it. However, the waiter recommended it and I thought ‘what the hell!’ Well, I almost kissed that waiter afterwards — it was one of the best dishes I have ever had. It was actually almost raw mackerel in crispy leaves (no idea what type) with melon purée and dots of olive purée. The mix of flavours was unbelievable and the two of us almost fell out over who was to have the third parcel!
The waiter also recommended the lamb with anchovy… not two ingredients that I would usually expect to see together, but again, it worked perfectly. The cheese board was superb, the coffee absolutely perfect and the price was very reasonable.
I am so glad that this is now a permanent fixture and although it’s booked up at least a week or so in advance, I suspect that I shall become a permanent fixture there myself!

Upstairs at the Ten Bells is a surprise contender for best meal in London, Summer 2014. Really.
We wandered in here this weekend and were sat immediately at a cute table for two. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting creativity from a pub that attracts as many locals as it does tourists, but high fives to the chef for the menu. It was imaginative, fresh, and oh, so good.
I started with the scallops which were served in a chicken dashi broth with sweet melon. My boyfriend had crab gnocchi. Both were excellent. It was dead silent as we ate except for the «…wow this is really good…».
For my main, I had an interesting vegetarian dish — crispy leeks served with potatoes and a delicious sharp Irish cheese. Not something I would make for myself, and really happy with the portion size and presentation. My boyfriend enjoyed the lamb which was very tender and flavorful.
We skipped the dessert menu (although this too looked good) and enjoyed a few items off the cocktail menu before moving on for the night. Drinks were also delightful. And, the service was attentive and friendly throughout the meal.
If I had one gripe, it would be that for very little money they could spif up the upstairs just a little. It’s cozy, but it’s a little on the shabbier side of chic, so to speak. But all around, highly recommend!