Four years ago Bamboo-Mat was a small unit in Leyton with a short menu and a lot of conviction. It is about to become a two-floor restaurant on North Lane in Wood Wharf, and we would like you to know exactly what is coming.

What the new restaurant is

Bamboo-Mat Canary Wharf sits across two floors, and the split is deliberate.

Downstairs is the raw bar and the cocktail bar, and it is where you can watch the work happen.

Counter seats run the length of the raw bar, so if you want to see fish broken down and a tiradito dressed a foot in front of you, sit there. Ceviche, tiradito and our signature salads, ordered alongside a pisco sour or a glass of Champagne.

Upstairs is quieter and built for staying longer. Tables for two and four, banquettes along the windows, and one long table that seats fourteen for the nights when the whole group comes. This is the floor for a proper dinner rather than a drink and a bite.

The menu carries most of what Stratford regulars already know, with the charcoal robata grill as the significant addition. Sushi, teriyaki and tiradito made our way, built to be shared, ordered widely and passed across the table.

Why Wood Wharf

The eastern end of Wood Wharf has quietly become one of the more interesting places to eat in London this year. Ong Lai Kopitiam, Mama Li, Cafe Seek, Signorelli, Osteria Al Molo, Lockdown and Beam are all within a short walk, and on a warm weekend the outdoor tables fill up properly.

What is missing is Nikkei.

When we open, we will be the only restaurant on the estate cooking Peruvian-Japanese food, and that is precisely why we chose the site.

We also noticed something simple. People increasingly want to eat somewhere they can walk home from.

Wood Wharf is becoming a neighbourhood rather than a commute, and a neighbourhood deserves a proper restaurant rather than a chain.

← All journal entries