Eating Out

Canteen

Much has been made of the down to earth British food at Canteen in Spitalfields, and many of the superlatives have already been used by the posse of critics who have lined up to eat there. However, that didn’t deter me from heading back for another look last month, even though we’ve recommended it in these pages (in line with the majority of the rest of the national food press) before.

The truth is that I wasn’t exactly blown away by our meal, but that’s partly because of the fact that I expected it to be really good. Such is the lot of a successful restaurant I’m afraid – once you’ve got a reputation, people arrive expecting to be impressed. We, on the other hand, were not so much impressed as satisfied. Satisfied that the service was still good, and satisfied enough that we didn’t stay for dessert knowing it would be just as competent as the two dishes we’d had beforehand.

To start I plumped for my ‘go to’ starter; potted shrimps on toast, served with some fresh cress on the side. These were very good, but I’m easy to please when it comes to this dish. My other half’s starter was the highlight of the evening; beetroot, celeriac and horseradish. The deep coloured beetroot contrasting perfectly with the creamy horseradish and celeriac to make for a really superb bowl of mashed veggie goodness.

Our mains were not so spectacular. My rump steak with mushrooms and fries was well cooked and tasted OK, but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever eaten. Nor was it the worst, but this is precisely the point – when you go expecting the earth and all you get is the moon then, well… erm… Oh you get the point. My guest’s choice - a vegetable pie with mash and greens - didn’t really hit the heights she was expecting either. It was little stodgy, she felt, although the greens and mash were right on the spot.

As I said it’s hard to impress time and time again, but that’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend a visit. If you haven’t been to Canteen it’s definitely worth booking a table and it’s still definitely a good restaurant. Perhaps I’m a bit spoilt, but I really was expecting a bit more from my latest meal there.

Dinner for two including wine and service costs approximately £60.