The Empress (Hackney)

• It was so delicious and also hard to eat because it was over stuffed with filling
• The bread used was ciabatta and can be very filling
• Unfortunately I think the person who apparently makes good things happen was off or hungover
• On arrival I was seated and told I couldn't have the table for long as it was booked which made me feel a little unwelcome
• Wouldn't have been bothered if it wasn't for the fact they were half empty and they then took ages to serve me
• My simple starter/croquettes was flat cold in the middle
• The service was poor and then a woman clearly in her fifty's started breast feeding a child that appeared to be about five years old
• I have no problems with mothers feeding their baby's it's natural
• If The Empress (Hackney) really is on the Michelin guide it's an absolute joke
• The victoria park village neighborhood is quite nice
• It is what they achieve with a simple salad menu that makes the venue appealing
• A TimeOut review gives the best description here
• Seemed much more than the sum of its parts with grilled radicchio
• As the decorative items are scattered around in an impressive way and the staff are genuinely interested in your pleasure with the meal
• The Empress (Hackney) first stole my heart a couple of years back when I went to catch up with my friend Harry who was sous chef under Rosette winning Head Chef Elliot
• Fast forward a couple of years and I couldn't resist popping in to celebrate turning 25 in with six of my pals
• The Empress' menu is perfect for those who like to try a bit of everything
• They offer generous helpings of bar snacks as well as usual starters and mains and there's nothing wrong with jumping around a bit
• Whilst we were deciding we ordered a couple of baskets of freshly baked bread from the E5 bakehouse that we then proceeded to smother with unsalted butter
• Presented prettily with pea shoots and other microherbs
• I went for a perennial old favourite of whole baked camembert with homemade chutney and thin slices of sourdough toast
• It was a typically countrified affair presented on a beautiful wooden board with the crisp slivers for dunking
• Gooey and oozing I definitely polished off the entire lot but had to ask for another round of toast that only came just as I was scooping out the last of the cheese with a fork
• The food in The Empress is definitely something to write home about (told you those pigs ears were good) but the service let it down this time
• Until recently I lived on Victoria Park and so I was within easy walking distance
• They make the best espresso martinis in town
• The ingredients are always fresh and seasonal
• Every time I go back there is something new and interesting on the menu
• The bar snacks are worth a mention too
• The portion sizes are fantastic and the fish is not oily and over fried like you get in many places
• The croquettes are always good too and perfect to accompany a glass of wine if you&rsquo
• As I mentioned their menu is ever changing but their steak is always very good and whatever the fish option is it will be cooked to perfection and delicious and light
• I like the way the menu is arranged as it&rsquo
• On my most recent visit we started with the cured salmon
• We paired the meal with a couple of cocktails and a great bottle of red and stayed until we were pretty much kicked out
• The Empress (Hackney) is so cosy in the evenings
• The food here is creative and delicious and refreshingly
• What a lovely pub in Victoria park village visited on a Wednesday evening and it was busy but not packed
• We all had steak which came with thick cut chips and rocket it was extremely tasty
• As a result we were most definitely food poisoned
• Unfortunate because it was the night before Christmas

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