Hackney’s Café Cecilia: a modern crowd and a pig referred to as Arthur

There are many good issues to say about Café Cecilia, however could I begin with the shallowest? You may come off the motorway from method out within the flatlands, zigzag by way of the floor streets of east London, activate to Andrews Highway and park. Proper outdoors. You may sit in a window seat, look out over the canal, the slim boats, the huge Victorian gasworks — and your automotive. It’s disorienting. I don’t assume it impaired my crucial schools, however I used to be midway by way of the principle earlier than I might cease myself gazing by way of the glass at my decomposing SUV and idiotically mouthing, “Look, my automotive!” I imply, that is “gritty E8”. I’ve solely beforehand managed Restaurant Dream Parking in LA.

OK. Sufficient. I’m certain you’ll go on a motorcycle, an ­electrical scooter or on foot. No matter. However I do know you’ll go, and I’ll inform you why. Café Cecilia was arrange by Max Rocha, scion of the fabulous trend household, in a thoughtfully designed new construct in probably the most aggressively gentrified little bit of Hackney. The employees are fantastically and quirkily dressed by sister Simone Rocha, the maître d’ in a parachute gown and rubber clogs, the wait employees wanting just like the winners of the Most Fashionable Apparatchik ­contest at a tractor truthful in Magnitogorsk.

The punters are even slicker. Couture-vultures, drawn by the style pedigree of the place, arrive in elegant dribs and understated drabs from the 4 postcodes in London that also include sufficient disposable revenue to decorate up for lunch. Everybody besides me is skinny.

My waiter at lunch had a degree of intense hyper-engagement that betrayed theatrical coaching. He started by drawing my consideration to the chalked specials board whereon, he mentioned, every thing — the pork pie, coppa steaks, prosciutto and braised shoulder — got here from the identical pig. “May I do know its identify?” I enquired roguishly, and the poor bloke shot again “Arthur”. Then he paused for a beat, simply barely uncertain, and provided, “We all know what he ate and that he lived two Christmases . . . ” at which level one thing died behind his eyes, and he type of trailed off. I enquired after the lemon sole, which remained anonymous.

I ordered a salt cod brandade (additionally suspiciously nameless. Why? Why does he hate fish?) which got here with deep-fried polenta and radishes for dipping. Dipping radishes mark a spot as a descendant of the Hendersons at St John and Rochelle ­Canteen, or the River Cafe, the latter of which this set-up ­apparently resembles. The brandade was faultless; clean mash, loads of oil and the fish soaked sufficient for politeness, however not so its soul had solely sublimated. It’s a skinny line and chef Rocha treads it nicely. The polenta fries had been nice, a bit oily and maybe, finally, de trop.

It was an odd quirk, however although the parts had been actually fairly wholesome, I can’t ever keep in mind a restaurant with smaller plates. All of them — starter, fundamental, dessert — tiny. However then, standing in costly areas, being served by youthful, thinner individuals and questioning why nothing is large enough constitutes my entire ­expertise of trend.

Poor Arthur’s shoulder, when braised in milk with summer season savory, was consummate. Very slowly cooked, so the meat shredded at a look, and interspersed shamelessly with joyous lumps of wholesome adipose tissue. Coco blanc beans, additionally stewed in plentiful fat, had been dotted with recent girolles. With an austere palette of muted earth tones, this was not overly primped or simply ’grammable meals, however it scored excessive on flavours and artisanal integrity.

I mightily loved the lemon sole, grilled à level with ­lashings of butter and a small salad of marinated tomatoes. No failings right here save my very own desire {that a} sole, even when served “entire”, ought to have the acute edges trimmed away with scissors earlier than cooking. It’s a pleasure to take away the backbone and enormous ribs on the desk, however the a whole bunch of tiny fin spines proper across the edge carry nothing to the social gathering however inconvenience and pointless frustration. The chips had been supreme for dipping contemplatively into the herb mayo because the ­afternoon progressed.

There was a really competent-looking ginger cake for ­dessert, all darkish spice and brooding complexity like Tom Hardy, solely smeared with a thick layer of Jersey cream. However I might not let it distract me for, wondrous to inform, there on the menu, as daring as brass, was deep-fried bread and butter pudding with chilly ­custard. I’ve put away kilos of B&B pudding in my day and take into account myself an aficionado, however these things was method off any recognised scale. Not slabby, rubbery or jellified, however mild and ethereal, nearly like a ache perdu. Deep-fried for warmth and crispness of casing. An ideal sq. sitting in a pool of ­custard on the supreme temperature to enhance and help. I’m sorry. I simply can’t “be there” for individuals who take their custard sizzling.

The parking, the attractive individuals and a first-rate methodology actor taking the orders are all exotically Tinseltown, however the core of Cecilia couldn’t be extra totally British. It’s 28 years since St John launched, and the River Cafe served its first meals in 1987. I’m unsure why however solely now are we seeing sufficient eating places “impressed” by them, burgeoning so concurrently as to danger cliché. I’m comfy with this as a working definition of Fashionable British and I’m blissful to embrace it, however I’m conscious that others will name it drained.

This appears like a wierd conclusion to attract about a spot that’s trendy in each sense, however there’s nearly nothing new about Café Cecilia, and I imagine that fits me reasonably nicely.

Tim Hayward is the winner of greatest meals author on the Fortnum & Mason Meals & Drink Awards 2022

Comply with Tim on Twitter @TimHayward and e-mail him at [email protected]

Comply with @FTMag on Twitter to seek out out about our newest tales first