Anthea Gerrie enjoys sushi rolls and miso at Apothecary East in an unexpectedly cosy corner of east London
It’s Shoreditch but not quite as we know it. Fielding a cosy rather than an industrial vibe, retro Parisian rather than modern urban decor, Apothecary East surprises particularly with the food – Japanese-inspired fare creatively reinterpreted by an Italian chef.
This pub-restaurant models itself on its Japanese equivalent – the izakaya casual eatery to be found in every neighbourhood of every town in Japan, and indeed a cool, refreshing bottle of Asahi (£6.30) is exactly what I need after tramping too far, misled by Google Maps, to find its home in a narrow lane off Great Eastern Street.
It’s the profusion of dark wood and dim lighting which make Apothecary East look pubby, the big dark green booths and bentwood chairs which suggest Paris. A lack of any attempt to ape minimalist Asian decor no doubt reflects the taste of owners James Williams and Rohit Chugh, ex-pats who fell in love with Tokyo culture and cuisine and made it their mission to bring that vibe to East London. The retro furnishings are also a nod to the building’s history as a Victorian dispensary and a previous incarnation as an iconic Shoreditch drinking destination.
Clearly a large bar and comprehensive cocktail menu suggest Apothecary East remains a popular watering-hole at night; sake bombs are on offer for the City crowd coming straight from work at the bank.
While there are sushi rolls aplenty, the menu is more about Japanese flavours than classic sashimi and tempura, with a big focus on vegetables. Pumpkin curry and cauliflower are among the hero ingredients of lunch bowls which are good value at £10, and there’s also a bowl built around fried katsu chicken for carnivores.
After warming up on a cold day with a bowl of excellent miso soup (£3.90) I was hanging out for a sushi roll. Would that the soft-shell crab featured on the dinner menu was available at lunchtime – it wasn’t, but I enjoyed a delicate version based on snow crab (£12.80). However, the only way I could get my raw fish fix was in a bowl of chirashi poke (£12.50) – rice topped with a mix of diced tuna, yellowish and salmon sashimi(there is also a yellowtail tiradito, but like ceviche this is a pre-seasoned dish born in Peru).
One of the best dishes was aimed at the veggies who are exemplarily catered for at Apothecary East – miso-roasted aubergine, dark, deeply full of Asian flavour and a real bargain for the portion size at £7.50. Pescatore and carnivore I may be, but I would go back just for that dish. Perhaps at dinner time to taste the more substantial dishes only served in the evening, and plough a well-curated sake menu.
New to me as a lover of Japanese food was the crunchy topping on one or two of the lunch bowls I had not previously encountered even in Japan – furikake, clearly the country’s equivalent of toasted breadcrumbs – a mix of wasabi, sesame seeds, crispy shallots, nori seaweed and a couple of Japanese ingredients probably impossible to find in the UK anywhere but an Asian supermarket. In that sense Apothecary East is surprisingly authentic in purveying a taste of Japan quite different from the standard fare of Nipponese-inspired rivals – even if the chef is Italian rather than straight outta Tokyo.
Tell Me More About Visiting Apothecary East
Apothecary East 36 Charlotte Road London EC2A 3PG
Tel: 020 7060 5335
