Silo
Hackney, London
Forward-thinking foodies from across the globe beat a path to Silo, Douglas McMaster’s zero-waste restaurant in Hackney Wick. Sitting at the kitchen counter (made of recycled plastic packaging), drinking a Japanese knotweed cocktail, and vibing to an actually decent restaurant playlist, it’s hard not to feel excited about the possibilities of fine-dining. The menu is projected onto the wall to save paper – choose the full taster or the early-evening 'shortlist'. ‘Quavers’ of koji tapioca, with beetroot molasses and a blizzard of Dorstone goat's cheese 'snow' make excellent salty-sweet snacking, especially with a glass of biodynamic sparkling Vouvray; you will have guessed wines are of a natural bent. Cocktails are wacky too, involving barley wine, discarded banana-peel rum and so on. Brassica, black garlic and sunburst apple is a salad of sorts, not as bright and crunchy as it might be, but packed with textures from rapeseeds and puffed barley. McMaster wasn’t around on our visit, but in his absence the kitchen hit heights with two stellar main courses: juicy grilled oyster mushrooms with buckwheat porridge – a risotto in spirit – enriched with leftover cheese ‘garum’ in lieu of Parmesan; and an almost classical dish of chicken breast, hay-aged and finished on the hearth, with buttermilk sauce. A chipolata of the chicken’s liver and heart was a nice surprise on the side. Dessert was a dinky sandwich of sourdough ice cream between crackers made of bran leftover from flour milled on site. Service is exceptional. We appreciated such touches as a taste of the wines available by the glass, the offer of an alternative off-menu dish, and the team’s openness to feedback. We also noted that the tableside screeds which once accompanied every dish have been abbreviated. If you do want the full spiel, however, the knowledgeable staff are happy to oblige.
Dining Information:
Counter seating, Family friendly, Credit card required
Crate, Unit 7, Queens Yard, Hackney E9 5EN
020 7993 8155
