Have you ever been to a Korean Wedding ? Even more specifically – a Korean Wedding in Tashkent, Uzbekistan ? I had the fortune to be invited some years ago by a Client/ Friend (Vitaliy) to his wedding, and maybe unsurprisingly I found myself as the only Westerner at this over the top,enormously attended event, in a Hall large enough to swallow up Buckingham Palace. I was a curiosity to many at the wedding- especially the local women. They were all lovely, full of questions and very attentive, and I was suspicious, thinking that I could be a potential groom for them. I then found out that more than being a curiosity, I was also the “novelty” at this gathering, and called up on stage in front of hundreds of guests to perform ! What I was asked to do was to sit on an enormous balloon with a colleague of mine from Moscow on a similar “space hopper” style blow up, and we had to race the length of the ballroom before jumping up and down as aggressively as possible to burst our transport vehicle first to determine a winner. Boy did they laugh, and how shockingly exhausting it was for me, probably not helped by the dozens of vodka shots that I had consumed in toasts beforehand. Not something to quickly forget, and an incident remembered whilst visiting Blanchette East with a Korean/Russian Lady friend “VK” last night. Apparently the Balloon thing used to be quite common at Weddings (albeit apparently it is losing its popularity now ) but games are a thing to break up and lighten what can become a lengthy procession of speeches and toasts sometimes lasting for days……
Blanchette does not serve Korean food, but offers a menu of French and North African cuisine in an array of sharing starters/ snacks, and Plates that can be consumed individually, or again shared according to preference. It is – I must say- one of the most welcoming restaurants I have been to for a while, the decor consisting of an eclectic mix of velvet curtains, candles, paintings, flowers, exposed bricks, fireplace, empty bottles and just “stuff” placed in all the right places to make you feel warm,cosy and at home. Some may say Belle Époque style. 
It is backed by Salt Yard Groups Ben Tish and Simon Mullins, but run by Brothers Maxime, Yannis, and Malik Alary who opened the original Blanchette in SoHo in 2014. I have not visited the original but I am assuming it was impressive enough to encourage a follow up in the East which is nestled amongst the Curry Houses of Brick Lane, albeit in the quieter drag at the top end nearer to Bethnal Green Road.
We sit and first choose some wine feeling thirsty, and in need of sustenance after a windswept walk from the City. There is a tempting cocktail list too ( all at £11), but we plump for a Bottle of Cote du Rhône Domaine Les Aphillanthes, a mix of Carignan,Mourvèdre, Grenache 2015 for £38. Also sold by glass or Carafe, as are half a dozen of reds and whites. The wine list is very Francophile focused, with one or two exceptions, but reasonably priced with the most expensive red being a Rothschild Bordeaux at £75.
Who does not like a Sausage Roll?
From the snacking menu we start with the Merguez Sausage Roll (£6) which comes with a vibrant and spicy Harissa mayonnaise. It’s not fine dining, more homely, but an inviting golden encased earthy tasting sausage roll, all the better with a kick of the Mayo.
This comes with the Bread we had ordered which arrives in a little brown bag, is warm, fresh and smells very inviting. Basically a classic Baguette in generous slices. Next to the table were a Burrata (£12) that sits in a pool of Rocket and Basil Emulsion with toasted pine nuts scattered around.
Burrata
VK says it’s just Burrata where I beg to differ, as the quality of the cheese is 5 star and scooped up to the bread with some emulsion and nuts, it was a great little snack. Maybe not so little – these snacks are quite sizeable and I have ordered 4 main plates after these – more of that later. Now we have a Baked St.Marcellin with Honey and Truffle ( £6.50)on the table.
OK but Honey / Truffle where are you ?
It arrives with more bread in the form of thin cut toasts and an earthy onion relish. The Honey and Truffle seem to be missing in action, but the cheese is great spread on the toast with the relish, but something that could have easily have been knocked up at home.
We are already feeling full so now somewhat worried about 4 more plates to come. Good news is that I will be able to sample more dishes for a comprehensive review, bad news is How to eat 4 more? Better order another bottle of wine to help us get through. But this bottle is not right- corked or tainted in some other way. The waitress comes back and says the Barman thinks it’s ok but “no worries I will open another”. 2 observations here. First they clearly need a new Barman as if he cannot tell when a wine is “off” he should not be employed. Second, full marks to the waitress who was fantastic throughout our meal and quickly arrived with another bottle- no questions asked.
Out of all the options under the “Plates” menu I fancied every dish other than Grilled Smoked Haddock with Beetroot,Green Apple and Clementine(£16). I am not keen on anything too smokey ( especially Peaty Whisky) and not a fan of beetroot. This is of course what VK ordered. Oh well – don’t have to share everything. This arrived with a dish I had chosen of baked Moroccan Eggs, Peppers and a Flat Bread (£8.75) First thing we both noticed was – It appeared that the Egg was singular not plural as per the menu, and furthermore it was Egg Yolk and the whole egg.
Egg – Singular not a Plural !
On pointing this out to our waitress she agreed 100% and advised she had told this to the kitchen and that the menu should be changed. However, it smelt fantastic and when started to devour it, tasted great on a piece of flatbread. Silky peppers smothered in a runny egg yolk and some texture there too ( unsure what). Very homely again and maybe easy enough to replicate at home but was a hit. The fish I avoided for some short time but for the sake of a review tried it out. Wow – the Haddock was so delicately Smoked and soft and flakey even I loved it.
Smoked Fish and a Beetroot that even I ate !
The Beetroot Purée was sweet and not tasting like it had just been dug up, so was also more than edible for a Beetroot hater. Avoided the chunks of Beetroot that VK said had maybe been lightly cured/ marinated. Unsure where Clementine came in but this dish was unusual and so good I could even order it again.
Before we finished these 2 courses the meat courses arrived and we were in desperate need of another couple of diners to join us as we were flat out stuffed !
I managed to just about clear the Moroccan Egg dish to make way for the newly arrived plates on our tiny table and took a deep breath, slug of wine, and tested out the Fillet Steak Tartare which came with Truffle Mustard and Caper (£13)dressing and yet more bread – sourdough this time. The meat was very coarsely cut ( just how I like it) rather than into a mince purée how some restaurants prepare their Tartares, and the quality of the beef shone through. It was a superb tartare – the best I had had in 24 hours – in explanation, I had been to Thomas Parrys Brat for lunch the day before and their Tartare defies all previous taste experience and knowledge of how a Tartare is prepared/served. Just awesome.
Second best Tartare ever.
So Blanchette had a lot to live upto but I would say second best I have had in living memory. A great side of the dressing when spread on toast was heavenly but I am now full of bread.
Our final Course was and even more comforting, homely “Bourguignon” style Braised Ox Cheeks with a Pomme Puree button onions and mushrooms (£17.50) I could imagine preparing this myself and ending up with something very similar to what was served here but sometimes it is very satisfying to enjoy home cooking when you are not the producing Chef. The desperately sad thing was that we could not do the dish justice and picked at it before it was taken away. I really had misjudged the size of the portions here and the Ox cheeks would have been enough in itself after a couple of starters. But it was outstandingly good, the cheeks so soft and tender and sauce glisteningly coating the mushrooms, onions and lovely lardons.
Next time need to eat this first !
After an offer from our Waitress to box up the leftovers to take home was rejected, I am surprised by VK asking if they have any ice creams or sorbets. We do not look at the Dessert menu ( next time as I have heard they are impressive) but end up with a Coffee Granita with some kind of Cream or Creme Fraiche on top amid mixed with a mystery ingredient which we cannot identify but tastes a little weird. We establish it is actually chestnuts but neither of us think it’s works well together and it goes unfinished.
Somehow we made it to the end of the meal with a warning note to be a little smarter when ordering here next time ! The dishes were generally very good with a couple of misses, or what appeared to be ingredients going AWOL. The atmosphere is perfectly inviting and warming, just the right noise levels, friendly and efficient service, and I would definitely return. I asked VK at the end what would be her rating – 5 for service, 4.5 for the food but a black mark for no wardrobe as her coat was knocked to the floor from the back of her seat on numerous occasions. Now that’s a criteria I had not thought about before – cloakroom Marks !
Myself, I am awarding 4.5 for service and 4 for the food, but that could increase if I choose the right dishes and not so many upon any return. The prices are reasonable, and wine list pleasingly good value for money. We paid £180 for 2 including 2 bottles of wine, but if you sensibly ordered the dishes you could easily get away with close to £100.
Rating – Food Very Hot Pan 4/5
Service Blazingly Hot 4.5/ 5
Blanchette East, 204 Brick Lane, London E1 6 SA
0207729 7939
blanchettebricklane.co.uk
One to try