The Dove, 24 - 28, Broadway Market, Hackney

The Dove on Broadway Market is a very popular hackney bar-slash-pub. Its official title is a gastropub, I believe. I personally don’t go in for this gastropub nonsense, you are either in a restaurant or a pub, stop pretending. It serves Belgian beer, even the horrible cherry stuff and has a gastronomic stylee menu of burgers - all Thai spices and salsa. Despite the fact that it is generally populated by the insufferable Hackney media types, it’s actually quite good. Chips (note the use of “chips” not French fries or wedges, these are proper chips) come in a pint glass with mayo and chilli and are excellent. Their burgers are fantastic, wild boar, pork and cider, thai lemongrass varieties as well as a more traditional straight-forward-no-messing-about beef version. And once you negotiate your way though the three hundred beers on offer to find something drinkable it’s actually a nice venue.