If we are 100% honest with you, we weren’t really expecting much from newbie Treves & Hyde, but we left totally blown away.
It was a Monday night, we were tired, not really up for eating out for the 600th night in a row and were just gonna pop in, eat a quick dish and be on our merry way.
What actually happened was rather different….
Firstly, we’re not overly familiar with Aldgate East but it’s a pretty handy location, situated just moments away from Liverpool Street. And although these guys are located within Leman Locke, a type of hotel/serviced apartment hybrid, the interior is Instagram gold. We fell in love with the pastel pink spiral staircase which takes you up to the 1st floor dining room, the mixture of marble and copper fixtures and the foliage hanging from the bar. We were greeted by THE friendliest team we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, before being seated at the cute tables looking out of floor to ceiling glass walls. Granted you’re looking out onto an old tower block but it had a certain charm about it and it looked like it was moments away from being demolished, so hey ho – watch this space.
Despite the fact I wasn’t supposed to be drinking (it’s a rarity, trust me, but it had been a heavy weekend) the lady behind the bar insisted I should have a cocktail, and I challenge you to say no to a friendly mixologist, wielding a cocktail list. I’m glad she did as they were pretty damn special. I went off menu with a peach creation, but my dining companion leapt straight in with a strong us fuck gin martini. The wine list is impressive too, being compiled by award winning, fine wine merchants Berry Bros.
George Tannock is heading up the kitchen and it’s clear he knows his stuff, coming from The Dorchester, The Fat Duck, The Capital and The Greenhouse.
We started with a few bites for the table. The red pesto arancini with a black charcoal crust were bloody gorgeous, the sort of dish you want to order three times. Bitesize red peppers were stuffed with salt cod & popped onto saffron aioli.
The menu has a distinctly Asian influence to it, albeit using local ingredients where possible. Generous ribbons of seared tuna, sat atop a handful of edamame and tofu-like squares of carrot, dotted with crunchy nori seaweed for a lovely texture. Fresh, delicious, we could taste every layer of flavour that had gone into creating the dish.
At the other end of the spectrum was the venison tartare – the truffle & burnt ketchup packed the biggest punch of flavour! Served with carta di musica, for those that don’t know, it’s a yeast free bread that’s so wafer thin you can read sheet music through it, perfect for scooping. We know this because our waiter crouched at our table and talked us through each and every component of every dish – honestly, one of the best waiters we’ve ever encountered.
Not one to order chicken normally (boring!) we’d urge you to try it here. The presentation alone is worth a look, but the fresh radish and cucumber slaw with buttermilk dressing makes it a substantial and comforting dish.
Finish with a side of sweet potato fries with tahini yoghurt.
The dessert section is short and sweet – order the Valrhona Chocolate slab to share. Served with pistachio (yum) and tarocco orange which are the sweetest, most delicious fruit we’ve ever tried.
We left full, happy and a bit drunk. If you can’t beat em, join em!
