Filly Brook — Restaurant in London

A worthwhile venture up to sunny old Leytonstone , it's very positive to see these types of establishments popping up in areas that were a desert for good beer and food not too long ago.

Housed in a quirky building that reminded me of the temporary classrooms at school, lots of wood on the exterior .

Impressive Tannoy Speakers sit either side of the large open window towards the front of the building, a true highlight of British speaker engineering. I even spotted a Bryston amplifier behind the bar.

Someone is a budding audiophile that's for sure.

We were given a friendly greeting by the gentleman behind the bar and he remained polite despite my awkward dad joke opener.

I was definitely thirsty so after waiting 5 minutes without being given any attention I made the short journey back to the bar, unbeknownst to me this is a table service venue only . My request to pick up the drinks from the bar was met with a polite reminder that they'll be brought out to the table.

If that's the way they do things then fair enough .

The beer menu leaned towards the light and pale offerings, we got stuck into a boisterous pale from the omnipresent Polly's brewery and a very interesting sounding collaboration beer brewed at Werewolf in Camden.

As with most bar visits after a short while we were both suffering from food envy.

The menu sounded very appetising, other patrons looked somewhat enamoured by their glistening plates of meat and stacks of halloumi fries.

We ordered the bone marrow topped with beef curry, the loaded nachos(gyoza with more beef curry) and finally the pineapple kimchi.

The food arrived promptly and as I gazed into my loved ones eyes we could both feel the anticipation.

The loaded nachos gyoza style were not quite as loaded as might have hoped, crispy deep fried gyoza skins topped with beef curry, ok nice enough yet the curry itself lacked the depth of flavour I'd expect and it was missing a fresh element to deliver the perfect palate orgasm.

Moving onto the bone marrow which was topped with a very similar looking curry albeit with the addition of a sweet sauce and flowery accountrements, the parts of the curry that was submerged in the marrow glistened in the light , a deft touch. I mean who doesn't like bone marrow, it adds a certain richness that no other fatty goodness can deliver.

Pineapple kimchee needed some work, big chucks floating in a volcanic red sauce that delivered on flavour yet lacked the satisfying cabbage crunch you'd get with a more traditional offering, needless to say we ate a few pieces and left it at that.

After another couple of beers we felt it was time to depart and seek out new pastures .

A worthy addition to the London beer scene, quirky, sonically seductive and somewhat unique at least architecturally speaking.

Maybe we'll return when they're in party mode and dance...

I booked a table for 10 for a casual birthday celebration. It started so strong at Filly Brook - lovely, friendly, attentive service, even sat me and my partner for a bit when we got there 10 mins early, really accommodating for young kids as we had 2 in our group, DELICIOUS food and drinks.

Then it went wrong. Despite booking a table for 3 hours via email a few days prior (which seemed to be no problem for the person who emailed me back and agreed to said booking...) , I was told 2 hours into my booking that they need the table back? And that bookings were for 2 hours only? This isn't stated anywhere on their website nor was it told to us when we arrived. If i'd have known, i'd have been more than happy to still book and would have planned accordingly (we had another pub venue to go to for 6.30 anyway!)

So thus ensues one of the staff trying to hustle us away at 5.30, trying to take away food and drinks people were still consuming, reminding me 3 times that we have to leave at 6pm. And just general unpleasant service. We felt rushed and it soured what was a really enjoyable afternoon. There wasn't anyone waiting to take the table behind us when we left at 6, so we honestly do not know what the rush was?

I'd like to return again, as it seems a great place for Leyton, with cool vibes in general. But with that ending, i'm not so sure. Just perhaps let folks know bookings are for 2 hours only and then don't hassle...

I generally enjoy coming to Filly Brook, particularly because of the music and beer.

Unfortunately, I found the service today inadequate and I can't help thinking there was an element of racism (I am non-white and most of the customers there were white) within the service which I am pretty sure the staff will deny it. I went in today and told the staff I was here for a drink, so I found a seat. However, the staff were just standing at the counter chatting without giving me a menu or water. There was only me and a customer who was about the leave at that time. I was waiting for a while but nobody came to serve me until I asked the staff if they could give me the menu. They finally did. When the food (fries) arrived, I was not offered napkins. I waved and called the staff a few times but they did not notice me. I had to walk to the counter and ask for one.

There were more customers coming in by then. What intrigued me was that when other customers came in, the staff immediately offered menus, water and cutlery to them without the customers asking them to do so. I felt I was treated differently compared to other customers. I complained to the staff when I paid and he just said the other staff were new and apologised, which I was not convinced....