Perched on the Regent’s Canal, this stylish little spot is a barometer of the area’s increasing upward mobility. It’s also a nice place to eat. Last summer saw the closure of sister restaurant Acorn House, & the transplant of the latter’s head chef here. At lunchtime you’ll find Dalston locals tapping on their Macs & choosing from a simple, inexpensive blackboard menu. In the evenings, things get more sophisticated. English tomato soup with almond & basil pesto could segue into char-grilled lamb cutlets, carrot, cumin & tamarind, followed by wacky & wonderful desserts such as Jersey milk jelly, caramel popcorn & coriander-seed sablé. Tip-top ethical credentials include the expected focus on seasonality & sourcing, but this ‘social enterprise’ also trains local people, eschews bottled water in favour of filtered tap, & has a wormery to digest kitchen scraps.