Casa Fofo

Casa Fofo is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant on Sandringham Road in Clapton, from former Pidgin chef Adolfo De Cecco -- one of the most celebrated neighbourhood fine dining destinations in East London and, as The Infatuation notes, "one of the best-value tasting menus in town." The entirely unpretentious setting on a long residential road linking Dalston with Hackney Central is the perfect embodiment of the Hackney dining ethos: world-class food in an unhurried, genuinely welcoming environment where neither crisp tablecloths nor celebrity sightings are the point.

The daily-changing 8-course tasting menu (£76; wine pairing £58 extra) is the only thing available -- there is no à la carte -- but it comes with a full vegetarian option of equal quality. The cooking draws on global influences to produce dishes of real surprise and delight: candied nori with creamy parfait; aged monkfish with onion and sea fennel; asparagus, lovage and green strawberry; duck liver with black bean and hoshigaki. Michelin awarded the restaurant its star in recognition of a kitchen that combines fine dining craft with a genuinely homely, accessible atmosphere. Reservations essential; book well in advance.