Tiella Trattoria

It’s not the first time an up-and-coming chef has set up shop in an east London pub, but the spirit with which Dara Klein has transformed what was once the Globe suggests this one is here for the long haul. From the stained glass window to the vintage Italian crockery and family portraits, the whole place is suffused with life and character. An everyone-is-welcome atmosphere prevails. Cheery, unfazed Klein oversees the open kitchen, delivering punchy dishes full of confidence and good instinct. A salad of delica pumpkin, radicchio agrodolce and a unifying taleggio dressing was an early hit full of depth and tang, while a bowl of silken pasta e fagioli defied its humble origins. To follow, there might be a saline dish of braised squid with olives and fragrant mint – so triumphantly tender you could cut it with a spoon. This is food that deserves to be lingered over. But if time is short, or you haven’t booked ahead, the dedicated bar is an open-armed call for walk-ins to dip into some stuzzichini, sip a Cynar spritz or linger over a carafe of easy-drinking Tuscan red.