Apothecary East is a rarity. The kind of luxuriously hip and, dare I say it, slightly boujis nightspot that actually lives up to its looks. Just off Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch and bedecked outside with lights it's hard to miss. Step inside and you're greeted with a red lit bar, and a buzzing vibe, slip to the back and grab one of the booths backing on to the open kitchen for the best spot in the house and enjoy what's to come.
Start off with one or two from the quite frankly banging cocktail list; they sure know their way around a spicy Margarita and trust me, you'll regret not having one. And then the food. The miso aubergine is a triumph, sweet and sticky and sprinkled with sesame, it's the best place to start. Raw dishes of seared tuna and yellowtail tiradito are fresh and zingy, melt-in-the-mouth punchy bites. We loved the chickne gyoza and karaage chicken - both full of flavour without being at all greasy, totally delicious. The sushi rolls were all excellent, but the real standout was the beef shortrib; utterly sublime, supremely tender, so good we ordered two in fact. There wasn't room for pudding, but the double beef made up for it.
Visit on Monday or Tuesday evening this week or next and you can make the most of unlimited small plates for just £24. The Izakaya Unlimited menu, priced at £24.00 per person, allows 90 minutes of unlimited dishes including Miso Aubergine, Shoyu Garlic Sweet Potato, Karaage Fried Chicken, Tofu Veg Gyoza and Nori Fries – all perfect for sharing. Guests can then reorder and replenish as a table, round by round, with the option of celebratory Sake Bombs or Happy Hour cocktails for £7.00 from 4pm – 7pm. Plus come the weekend there's a Saturday Highball Brunch with dishes offering contemporary Japanese twists on brunch classics like Avocado & Wasabi French Toast with teriyaki drizzle and Miso Scrambled Eggs served with house kimchi. The brunch menu is now priced at £30.00 per person with a welcome Mimosa or signature Sake Bomb and snacks & sushi rolls for the table to share, including Lotus root crisps with Sriracha hot sauce and Spicy salmon rolls with avocado, spicy miso and sesame, followed by three small plates each.
It was undoubtedly one of our favourite meals of the year, easily. Being so conveniently close to work I think it's likely we'll be back pretty damn soon.
