Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Fay Maschler's rating
Reader rating
Description: Water House is an ethical restaurant with solar and hydro-energy providing the power; water is bottled and purified on site; there's a wormery to digest food waste; and the restaurant's profits are ploughed back into the local area. The dishes are made from fresh, seasonal and organic ingredients which are sourced locally wherever possible.
Phone: 020 7033 0123
Open: Mon - Fri 8am - 10:30am, 12pm - 4pm & 6pm - 10:30pm
Sat 8am - 10:30am, 11am - 5pm & 6pm - 10:30pm
Sun 11am - 5pm & 6pm - 10:30pm
Dress code: Smart / Casual
Payment options: All major cards accepted
Eco-aware: The wood-lined dining room was designed by architects Waugh Thistleton
Arthur Potts-Dawson and Jamie Grainger-Smith are co-founders of Eat Green Ltd (previously known as Bliss Restaurant Consultancy). Their positioning of Acorn House in King's Cross as a blamelessly eco-friendly restaurant has brought them recognition and halos.
Water House, which opened last week in Shoreditch beside the Regent Canal, is their second restaurant venture in conjunction with Shoreditch Trust, which runs the New Deal for Communities programmes.
I think it is essential that you know this before setting out to find Water House - I drove, but in a teeny-weeny car - as you otherwise might wonder why you are paying over the odds for food and wine while younger versions of Mitt Romney wait on tables in the wood-lined dining room designed by environmentally sensitive architects Waugh Thistleton.
Potts Dawson has an impressive CV as a chef which includes Fifteen, Cecconi's, Electric House and River CafÈ. When we ate at Water House last Tuesday he was just wandering around in a daze, complaining of having had no sleep for 48 hours.
The food was good but unexpectedly profligate with food miles. Speck d'Aosta, burrata, Taggiasca olives, pancetta, pomegranate, porcini, white truffle oil, and seared Paradise prawns (from New Caledonia) all had a part to play in the dishes.
Best of those we chose were duck confit and cardamom risotto; spaghetti with mussels, porcini, tomato and Diesel oil (presumably from Renzo Rosso's Diesel Farm estate near Vincenza); slow-roast lamb shoulder with sauteed potatoes and mint and steamed cod (sustainable, natch) with smoked brandade.
The restaurant has a small terrace overlooking the canal. We were taken to look at the wormery which will provide compost for the window boxes planted with herbs.
It is a tiny wormery. There can only be less than domestic compostable waste which is, I suppose, in itself a triumph of sustainability. As they say themselves, they are "Trying to change the world one drop at a time".
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
