The restaurants hiding in plain sight

Which places do you walk past and yet never go in? Bella Vita, for one. Plus: readers vote to review The Rabbit, the latest on new Leyton brunch spot Farha, Dom's Subs, Burnt, Swirl and Hitchcock

Beetroot tartar at Bella Vita. Photo: Stephen Emms

There are the local restaurants that I frequent - perhaps, lazily, too often - and then there are those that I strut past regularly, and yet never quite step inside. The ones hiding in plain sight, if you like. These are often places where I’ll even pause to peruse the menu - for an imagined future visit - not to mention sometimes scrutinising dishes on Insta stories.

In last week’s poll I asked paying subscribers which Leyton and Leytonstone restaurants I should visit next out of a list of five which, in my mind, deserve further investigation. These were Ghanaian streetfood bus Big Do, dominating the car park at the foot of Church Lane, Mediterranean joint The Rabbit, Portuguese restaurant Mar & Terra in Baker’s Arms, the constantly evolving Star Of India and new Pan-Asian opening Eastern Spoon.

The winner by a long shot? Why, Leytonstone High Road’s The Rabbit, that slightly enigmatic venue whose inbuilt pavement terrace involuntarily acts as a deterrent to the casual passer-by, while its lack of clear menu at the entrance surely hinders custom further. Despite this, chalkboards carry offers - say a glass of wine with a main, or 10% off food after 6pm - which somehow still haven’t tempted me in, either.

And yet, you lot are evidently as curious as I am, as it won a massive 43% of the vote. Though it plays down its food at street level, on Instagram, however, its dishes appear enticing, hashtagged lyrically as “Local ArtFood Adventures” rather than just dinner. Signature dishes from chef Ionut Lascu promise, say, a “Sea Bass Fillet Experience”, and social media captions are written in a sort of cod-poetic style, their meaning elusive: “a rare dish inspired by #nature: confit rabbit with mashed potatoes and green beans pods. The traditional French slow cooking process of the rabbit meat will indulge you in a unique flavoured culinary adventure.” I’ll reserve judgement - but fingers crossed and am looking forward to reporting back on this next week.

How did the others fare? Mar & Terra on Lea Bridge Road came second (with 23%), followed by Leytonstone’s Star of India (20%), Eastern Spoon (10%) and Big Do with 3% (I’m curious to review this one; the only hindrance for me is its zero star hygiene rating). All these will now be featured in the weeks running up to Christmas.

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In the meantime I revisited a similarly unheralded local, Leytonstone High Road’s Italian-leaning Bella Vita, which has been trading now a decade - no mean feat in the current climate - and another example, I think, of a restaurant hiding in plain sight. After all, it’s almost directly opposite popular pub The Birds. Although I’ve lived in the area for years, I confess I hadn’t returned since a first and only visit with my then Leytonstoner co-writer Miranda Eason way back in 2015.

At the time our verdict was that the menu was a “little over-extensive”, the calamari starter “unmemorable”, the pizza good, and while “it was quiet early on a Tuesday evening, it filled up with mostly canoodling couples.” In a fascinating sign of the times, the bill - which we declared “very reasonable” - of one starter, two mains, a bottle of wine and coffee came in at just £35.10. Different times, eh?

Anyway: a return was long overdue. Readers may remember I included Bella Vita’s good-value set menus in my recent round-up of bargain spots on Leytonstone High Road: two courses at lunchtimes for £14.95 (12-5pm), and £20.95 in the evening, including a glass of house wine.

On a sunny Friday lunchtime last week, I perched at the window counter, overlooking the small pavement terrace, and wondered why it had been nearly a decade since I last ate here. Inside, you can see the Eat My Pizza effect: gone are the functional wooden chairs and in are velvet accent, creating a touch of contemporary comfort.

The list of starters feels lengthy, ranging from crispy crab claws to chargrilled halloumi, zucchini fritters to bruschetta Toscana. But my beetroot tartar, pictured above left, was a hit: dramatically presented, the oven-roasted beetroot was swirled with natural yoghurt tahini and olive oil, topped with caramelized walnuts. Although it wasn’t served with pitta bread, as advertised, the accompanying basket of warm sourdough-style baguette was swiftly emptied.

Eschewing both pizza and classic pasta dishes (although I may return for the ragu), I settled upon the corn-fed chicken skewer: while not “cubes” as stated on the menu, what I received was far more satisfying - four grilled tender boneless thighs, tastily marinated, skin scorched, sitting on a rich and unctuous spicy tomato sauce, paired with perfectly cooked fluffy rice. Even the crunchy radish and red onion winter salad was a thoughtful touch.

My verdict? This lunch menu is surely one of the area’s best-value - and filling - feeds for fifteen quid. Two factors impressed beyond the food: tap water arrived iced, and there was no service charge at the end. It would be even more appealing if the staff were more welcoming, especially on a quiet afternoon. But nonetheless I will be back. Have you been in recently?

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St John’s Church Leytonstone last night. Photo: SE

Welcome to this week’s issue. Did you realise the Leytonstone Christmas Lights switch-on was last night? Nope, me neither. In fact, I only found out as my friend and I decided to eat spontaneously at Homies On Donkeys - yep, now there’s a perfect example of a local restaurant I frequent a little too often. Anyway, thanks so much to the amazing community that is building every week on the free mailing list: it’s wonderful to see hundreds of new sign-ups each month.

But perhaps you’re eager for more longer reads, more opinionated food & drink stories, unbiased restaurant reviews, foodie gossip and articles that go beyond surface level? All these are funded by the generous support of paying subscribers — join them today for 86p a week and get access to the archive (here’s why, as a freelance writer, I installed a paid upgrade to keep this newsletter going). Plus, you’ll be helping provide free high quality local journalism to those who can’t afford to take out a paying subscription, and also helping the OG site Leytonstoner.London remain free to all. Just hit the button below.

There are other ways to support this newsletter too, by hitting the heart button (yep, for the Substack algorithms), sharing it with your friends and neighbours, or even just donating the price of a coffee. And limited concessionary rates are available to those on a tight budget (email stephen@leytonstoner.london).

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Anyway, on with the rest of today’s edition, which is packed with essential news, features, reviews and insights, including:

• The latest news on Leyton’s new Middle Eastern brunch stop Farha - and what they’ll be serving

• The story of Dom’s Subs, who pop up at Loop next week

• Burnt Smokehouse’s must-try dish, which only took me 18 months to discover (lol)

• Merry Hitchmas special - a complete guided walk to Hitchcock in the neighbourhood (with sidestreet murals you may have missed)

• Suffra-what? Thoughts on this week’s Overground renaming

• Same 5 Questions returns with upcoming Leyton musician Joseph Bell

• The latest on Swirl, Whole Beast and more in a news section packed with tips, pop-ups and new openings

• And don’t forget, an archive of 80 local restaurant food & drink offers cab be rummaged through here

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What’s the story with new Middle Eastern restaurant Farha?

A year in the making: Farha. Photo: SE

Stylish incoming cafe Farha - inspired by the Arabic word for “joy” - overlooks the gently undulating swathes of Draper’s Field.

You may remember that, over six months ago, I first spoke to the owners who, inspired by local hits like Morny and Back To Ours, originally planned to open a similar-style venture here on Leyton High Road back in the spring.

I caught up with them this week to find out what the latest news is, what their food offer will involve, and whether they’ll also be open in the evenings.