Club 2. Dalston
Dalston Junction
AllPress
ACME Fire Cult
All Good N1
ALLPRESS
A Mecca of coffee for the peoples of East London and beyond. The onsite roasters also supplies coffee to many other local coffee destinations across the capital. This location for bean aficionados get’s busy, the queues within testament to the quality of the coffee available. The beautiful gardens leading into the coffee house itself were full on the sunny Friday upon which I visited. Get their early, take a sunny seat for a bit of local celeb and hipster spotting and enjoy the flavours of their beautiful coffee
The Coffee
House Black Filter coffee - two were on offer, and queues and my own social anxieties being what they were, I didn’t ask which I had been served, I don’t however believe this mattered as the coffee was delicious.
A darker roast with very slight acidity however a background fruitiness still abounded on the after taste.
About Allpress
Allpress Dalston is our UK base for roasting, technical support, barista training and serving locals a damn good coffee. We’re proud to roast specialty coffee for some of the best independent cafés across the UK, and Dalston in East London is where it all happens. https://www.allpressespresso.com/
Things to note: Beans from their own roasters can be bought on site. Can get very busy, so expect to queue - even for takeaway. Quite a large space although tables were at a premium when I visited.
ACME Fire Cult
Thoroughly caffeinated, I wonder around the corner, down a back alley and into a very busy and full courtyard, the world of Dalston seemed to have convened at midday within a small former industrial area just off Dalston High st. The queues weren’t however for my destination but instead for the sandwich purveyors - the Dusty Knuckle. Slipping through the crowd I headed for my table in the welcoming darkness of the ACME Fire Cult. I had been recommended this restaurant by a chef friend and so was keen to get started. Although almost empty at midday on a Friday, the staff were incredibly welcoming, the music perfectly matched the aesthetic and I immediately decided that I will return one evening to experience a busier hustle and bustle.
The Food
Starter: Prawn and Pork Fat rillette, Toast, Lemon
Inspired! Fisht, Fatty, Flavour Bomb. a slightly smoky flavour abounds. The crisp toast and sharp acidity of the lemon combine with rillette to ensure every mouthful has beautiful acidity, fat and texture. Delicious.
Alongside the rillette I had a 40ft brewery Disco Pils a proper light and refreshing Pilsner; smooth, light and fruity, slips down beautifully. At 4.8% it’s really light and crisp with flavours of Pear, Green Apple and a little fresh cut Grass. The lager went perfectly with the rillettes, cutting through the fat and providing a fruity crispness which worked alongside the acidity of the lemon.
Main: Tamworth Pork chop with Mojo Rojo and BBQ’d Greens with Ancho Oil.
By this point the smell from the rack BBQ and chest smokers is exquisitely filling the restaurant with a beautiful woody, sweet meaty smokiness.
Perhaps the Finest Pork Chop I have ever eaten. Nothing really needs to be said other than if you eat meat, this needs to be experienced. The veg was charred and held a smokey flavour and beautiful crunch which worked incredibly with the Mojo Rojo and the smoky fatty Pork. An Insane combination with great produce cooked very very well.
To pair with the Pork chop I drank a pint of the 40FT Brewery - Neighbourhood WCIPA (6.0%) Sweet Pine, resin and caramel on the nose, this is a proper classic West Coast IPA. Malty, Piney, resinous dank and bitter, beautifully malt forward with a delicious bitter but fruity back end, This is how a WCIPA should be. The beer worked beautifully with The pork and veg adding to the flavour combinations a stone fruit flavour and bitterness which more than adequately cut through the fatty oily beauty of the food.
To Note: The Acme Fire Cult is next door to 40ft Brewery and is a partnership with said brewery. The brewery however has different opening hours - 5pm on a Friday and so I needed to find a different craft location for an after Lunch beer.
All good N1
One of two locations within East London - I believe the other is in Hackney Wick, this small beer shop and bar feels well at home in its Dalston Location. The selection is great and to some perhaps overwhelming. 6 keg lines serving local and slightly further afield brews alongside heavily stocked fridges and shelves. Upon my visit they were hosting a Weekend Project tap takeover.
And so, onto that beer…
The Beer
Weekend Project - Afternoon Chico WCPaleAle - 5.2%
Another lovely West Coast style beer. Less malt bill than the 40ft but still resinous pine, lush stone fruit and a lovely crispness. 2/3rds of which was the perfect desert/digestive after the barbecue lunch.
The coffee
ACME Fire Cult
Prawn and Pork fat Rillette
Pork Chop and BBQ’d Greens
The Beer (1)
The Beer (2)
The Beer (3)
