HWK is a multifaceted outdoor events space in East London, just around the corner from Hackney Wick, that also houses a restaurant and bar where guests can order Mediterranean plates and vibrant cocktails. Available for food and drink on Fridays and Saturdays, the menu features a variety of sharing plates made from seasonally-changing ingredients, all of which are served in a laid-back alfresco courtyard.
A short but tempting menu offers ‘small bowls’, sharing plates and desserts with options for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans. The small bowls comprise a variety of dips, all of which are served with toasted bread, including hummus, olive tapenade and smoked baba ganoush. Sharing plates, meanwhile, are fresh and colourful, with examples of dishes being mozzarelline served with purple basil pesto and rocket, broad beans with chorizo and mint, crab croquettes with bread and green aioli and Ortiz sardines served with a slow-cooked spicy tomato and red pepper sauce. There’s only one dessert, but it’s a good one: a cashew nut blondie served with a ball of vanilla ice cream and honey tequila sauce. It's vegan, too.
Guests are also spoilt for choice when it comes to the cocktails, which span a unique range of long, short and straight-up serves. From the list of shorts, look out for the Honey Badger which mixes whiskey, honey water, peach and orange bitters and is garnished with a Fabri Maraschino cherry. Straight-up options include the Mezcalita, a Mexican-inspired drink comprised of mezcal, triple sec, lime juice, agave and fresh red chilli, while lovers of long cocktails might like to go for a Bourban Iced Tea made of tea bourbon, crème de peche, apple and cranberry juice, demerara, lemon juice, orange bitters and ginger ale. There is also a list of draft and bottle beers, red, white, orange and sparkling wines, plus premium spirits.