The Marksman

It’s been a decade since the rebooted Marksman opened, serving finely tuned British food for East London hipsters – though its pedigree goes deeper, having been a veteran of this Bethnal Green address for more than 150 years. Past and present blend well here: downstairs is all high Victoriana with mahogany panelling, a miniature cupola and regimental wall plaques adorning dimly lit walls; upstairs, the dining room goes full postmodern with pendant lights, starburst-patterned floors and mid-century furniture. The menu also seems caught between these two worlds, deftly mixing British culinary tradition with more contemporary flourishes – perhaps devilled St Austell mussels with green tomato, or crumbed cod’s cheeks with tartare sauce. As you’d expect from alumni of St John, mains are meaty and mighty: Tamworth pork chop with chard and anchovy, a warming chicken and girolle pie for sharing or a roast Hereford rump of beef for Sunday lunch. Desserts might see crowd-pleasers such as set chocolate with salt toffee and hazelnut crumb. House wines offer decent value, and there's a well-curated selection of beers on tap. Look out for good-value steak nights and curry nights.