The Plough at Swan Wharf, Old Ford, E3

Situated on the ground floor of a former waterside wharf building,the bar room is a simple square space with an open kitchen to one side,very basic canteen style furniture and a concrete floor.The bar was offering a few craft kegs and two handpumps ,which on my trip were drawing Truman's Swift and a decent Hackney Golden Ale.The highlight is the vast beer terrace with a large raised seating area with fine views of the River Lee Navigation and it's junction with the Bow Back Rivers network.All the tables were picnic style but made of scaffolding planks,and the rough look is maintained by a series of sheds in one corner of the terrace,one housing some sofas,another a dartsboard.A sandpit completes the hip scene outside,this is a real winner in hot weather for the youngish customer base.Food available until 9.30pm. Nothing noteworthy in the real ale offering,but a decent place in fine weather to pop into for a pint,this place is firmly on the Hackney Riviera .

Run by the same people behind the Plough in Homerton, this is a large converted canalside warehouse on Fish Island, which now acts as a de-facto brewery tap for the resurrected Truman’s Brewery. Much like similar ventures from Crate and Howling Hops, a little further along the canal, this is a large, open plan former industrial space, so homely décor isn’t really to be expected. The single, concrete floored room has a servery and kitchen area on the back wall constructed from wooden planks. Benches run down the left hand side of the room and a drinking ledge down the right hand wall, with the large space between filled with a number of sofas. The décor is minimal and includes an enormous mural of some sort of idyllic scene and a nice old Truman’s mirror which provides a link back to the past in this very modern, 21st century venue. Having arrived on a gloriously sunny day, I went out to enjoy the canalside garden area, which in reality is a concrete space between various old warehouses. A raised section next to the canal has some nice booths to sit in and gives great views over Old Ford Lock, whilst the lower area has ample bench seating under a striking graffiti mural to the rear. The facilities were rounded out with a sand pit for the kids, a stall selling ice lollies and a bike rack which is handy for those cycling along the tow path. Just the two Truman’s beers were available on cask – Zephyr and Lazarus – alongside Hackney New Zealand Pale Ale. Keg options included another Truman’s brew, something from the Redwell Brewery and a cider. My pint of Zephyr was in good shape and went down in record time in the warm sun. I think that visiting on a warm day probably improved my feelings towards the place. The thought of sitting in a large, empty warehouse on a cold winter’s day doesn’t really appeal, but I thought it worked well with the large front doors opened out on a summer’s day. Perhaps not quite a destination pub in its own right, but worth checking out in combination with some of the other similar bars nearby.