It was roughly 14 years ago that I first visited Aldgate East. A friend moved to his new place, we were students back then and cheap accommodation was high on the agenda. It was early Sunday evening that I decided to make my way home and after being chased to the station by a gang it was the first and last time that I visited my friend, having been traumatised by the event. I have since visited the area, mostly during daytime on weekdays but never evenings on a weekend. I was therefore astounded to see how much the area has changed and how much more is due to change. Around the corner from the station, less than 5 minutes’ walk on Commercial Street and Wentworth Street corner you will find The Culpeper.
I’ve read about the place on various sites – research is key! As with everything preparation, preparation and preparation – and I was indeed excited to visit it for the first time. I got there earlier than planned with my brother, who has just moved back to London after a 12 year stint back home in Greece, to meet K who was out shopping that day. The place looked great, even better than the photos on the website that usually tend to do a great job – Photoshopped or not – in making a place look rather appealing.
Sat at the bar and looked at the beer menu, an excellent selection of locally brewed beers to celebrate the recent explosion of microbreweries across London. There were beers from Hackney, Bermondsey etc. I ordered a local IPA – name escapes me, serves me right for not taking notes – my brother ordered a local beer brewed with fresh lime zest which was quite unique in flavour (BBNo 01|06). K, who arrived a little bit later than us got her usual, an Aperol Spritz! Soon the rest of the group arrived and enjoyed a drink with us at the very buzzy bar of the Culpeper. It was a pretty mixed crowd but generally the trendy East London types – plenty of beards in the place.
Our table was at the Kitchen – which is on the first floor – and every single person from the group took the opportunity, whilst we are waiting to be sat at our table, to peruse the establishment. Although I was not the first to embark on the nosy journey I could not possibly miss such opportunity, especially as I wanted to take some pictures at the same time. It’s over four floors, although one of them is just the bedrooms, and each level serves food from a different kitchen. Although it is typical for such an arrangement what surprised me is that the menu was very limited and that you could not order from a different kitchen other than the level you were on, to be frank, I would expect otherwise due to the limited menu.
What I found worth of specific mention is the roof garden which has a small bar for drinks and cocktails and next to it a BBQ from which beautiful smells emanate that hit you as soon as you step foot on the roof. Although the roof is probably only open or usable in the summer it has a very nice atmosphere and feel to it with some great views of the City and some freshly cooked food from the grill. Unfortunately due to poor lighting the iPhone photos are too grainy…
We were sat at our table and were brought the wine menu which was passed to A. For a minute or two he looked perplexed as the Culpeper does not have a typical wine list, to be precise it has a section called ‘Peculiar’ – how very British. We decided to be daring and order a red wine from the peculiar list, which was a natural wine. It was interesting but I am not sure if I would order it again – not that I can remember the name of it. (Note to self: I must remember to take notes regardless the fact that I am with a big group.)
To start I ordered the chopped raw beef, which I must admit was not what I expected as I thought that it was coming with horseradish and I was surprised that the meat was fridge-cold and a bit bland. There was a negative review of the buffalo mozzarella with pickled girolles & oregano but generally everyone seemed to be happy with their starters.
The main was 750gr of beef rump to share with my brother and it was EPIC!
There was food envy across the table especially for the amazing Pommes Anna chips. So much envy that they had to ask if they could have two portions of them for the rest of the table.
Although slightly disappointed by the starter the main left me drooling. However, it was a bit pricey, as all good things in life are…but for beans on toast! The evening came to end with a round of cocktails, old fashioned please, and some warm gooey chocolate cookies on the house.
The experience from the Culpeper has been very positive, save for my starter and the limited menu, and it is certainly a venue that can accommodate almost everyone. It has a great variety of drinks, the cocktails were great, and can provide a quick bite on the ground floor or the roof’s BBQ whilst it can also provide a proper dinner for the grown-ups! It has very friendly and accommodating staff and a very lively atmosphere, across all levels. I will definitely try it again, especially for a Sunday roast which is always an important test for gastropubs!
40 Commercial St, London E1 6LP
T: 020 7247 5371
GastroGreek 