Restaurant Review: Hackney Bureau in NE London
The first challenge: could we get a table without waiting? Luckily, in Hackney, people don't seem to get up really early, so a 10:30 AM arrival was in time to easily snag a table. According to their website, you can theoretically make a reservation.
The second challenge: could we get a good cappuccino? There's no point having brunch if you can't get good coffee, after all. I wasn't as positive on that front. The coffee has a fruity flavour, which is ok, but not close to my standard for best coffee.
The third challenge: Could I get a dish without refined carbs? Surprisingly, there is no whole grain toast to be had on offer. So much for healthy hipsters! But the Bureau did oblige me by adding a lot of extra vegetables to my dish of Truffled Mushrooms to make up for the loss of toast (see picture above). The downside was I was hungry again less than 3 hours later...
The fourth challenge: Is the food genuinely good? I have to say, I was surprised at how good the quality of the food was. All the ingredients were very fresh, especially the eggs I had served poached. I don't know why I thought hipsters might not have as picky of a palette for food...clearly I was wrong! But I have to say my truffled mushrooms didn't taste anything like truffles. A little false advertising there.
My friend E also loved her Eggs Florentine with hollandaise, spinach, and English muffin.
The fifth challenge: How diverse is the menu? If you take into account how small their kitchen is, they have a good number of items on the menu, but I thought their food was a pretty boring and typical. They do say they were the first breakfast place to serve flat whites and smashed avocado, but that's not a very good excuse. The problem when you live in a city where so many residents can't be bothered to cook at home is that restaurants don't have to serve amazing food anymore. They just have to serve food.
The sixth challenge: Pay by card? Unfortunately they only take cash. I was also kind of annoyed when E and I specified that we wanted change as two five pound bills and they were not sure they could oblige us. I'm sorry, if you're going to be one of those annoying restaurants that don't take card payments, you better be able to provide the requested change for people! Aside from this factor, the service was very very good and we were given constant attention, refills, etc.
Would I return? Maybe if I didn't live almost an hour away. I personally wouldn't make the trek to this place unless I already had other plans in Hackney. Maybe I'm just too old to appreciate a hipster joint...
Hackney Bureau
3 Mare Street
Hackney, London E8 4RP
T: 020 8533 6083
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