Sager + Wilde

Well it’s official. The seasons have changed. I have swapped my constant search for the latest roof to hang out on for where I can sit in a cosy warm place drinking bottles of a few glasses of red wine. 

Last night this search led me to Sager and Wilde, a new wine bar on what I can only describe as the slightly unloved part of Hackney Road. Nestled in between a variety of Kebab Kings and Royal Fish Bars is a wine sanctuary for all those East Londoners who are getting bored of bloody Negronis and just want a glass of vino.

 

 

The inside is really well decorated. Exposed brick and a great big tiled bar – the whole thing is extremely stylist in a minimalist way. It makes a nice contrast to yet another new East end bar with mismatched furniture/ shabby chic. We arrived at half 6 to find the place already packed but luckily scored a small table. I had a prosecco and my companions had the English Sparkling wine from Kent. 

The food offering is either a plate of charcuterie or cheese (£10 each) or a selection of grilled cheese sandwiches. We shared a plate of meat and another of cheese and both were delicious. Then again the cheese is from Androuet in Spitalfields... one of my favourite places to indulge my cheese problem.

  

  

We tried another few selections of wine. The staff were very friendly and informative in terms of wine selection as the menu does have an interesting selection which not everyone (including myself) will be familiar with. If the only wine names you know are Sav Blanc or Cab Sav, then you might get a bit lost reading the selection of wines from all over the world.I think the main benefit of this place is that they have a selection of pretty fancy wines which you would never normally be able to get by the glass. Therefore you can try some wine which would normally be £80 a bottle for £10 a glass. Not cheap no, but reasonable to compared to the bottle.

 

  

Overall I think Sager + Wilde is a great little spot and welcome addition to the East. Perfect for huddling away from the cold. My only problem? I’m just probably not fancy enough and still think that a glass of wine after work should be the size of a fishbowl preferably attached to my arm with an IV. However give me a few years and I can only expect/ hope that my sophistication will have crept in and I will be swirling and sniffing wine with the best of them!

Sager and Wilde
193 Hackney Road
E2 8JL

Cafe Route

Another weekend another brunch. This time on Saturday, feeling slightly worse for wear I wondered down to Cafe Route right next to Dalston Junction. I had decided to try this spot after reading about it in The Dalstonist’stop 5 brunch spots in Dalston.

This time despite being tempted by a few things on the menu – I went for an old friend whom I hadn’t visited for a while... Eggs Benedict. Call me boring but this is my most common order when eating brunch out.. Be it Eggs Benedict, Florentine or Royal – there is something about a massive pile of Hollandaise sauce which can instantly make you feel better. Plus it’s something I can never really be bothered to do at home for just the one lone bruncher, so I only have it when out. On the other hand – this does mean I have a pretty high standard... 

The use of parma ham instead of normal ham was something I hadn't had before. It was nice if a little chewy! The hollandaise portion was nice and generous too - nothing worse than stingy hollandaise portions. 

Amelia had the vegatarian breakfast which looked nice. A good selection of different veggie bits and pieces made it look interesting and not hard done by as most veggie brekkies can be. 

Now there was one little glitch with our brunch.. after about 20 minutes of waiting we were about to ask about the food when a sheepish waitress came over to explain that our order seemed to have gone walkabouts. She put the order through again and asked if we would like something whilst we waited on the house. I had a pressed apple, ginger and lime juice and my brunch partner had another orange juice. In a way when something goes wrong in a restaurant/ cafe/ bar it tends to be a good way of judging the customer service. Here they were extremely apologetic and did offer us something to keep us going so we weren't too disgruntled at all. 

Route Cafe is also a delicatessen and I had a great time having a little gander through the fridges checking out the different sauces, olives, hams ect. Next time I'm definitely going to stock up on their homemade pesto and other antipasti bits - a picker's paradise. 

All in all Route is a nice addition to Dalston's brunch scene in a great little spot conveniently located next to the station. 

Cafe Route

Unit A Gaumont Tower

Dalston Square

E8 3BQ 

0207 249 6202