The Royal Oak, E2

Popular with the area’s new professional and hipster throng, this is another Tower Hamlets’ cracker, making for a good triple with the Birdcage across the road and Marksman just to the north. A replacement for a Victorian predecessor, this was designed along the lines of the inter-war ‘improved’ or ‘reformed’ hostelries being a very impressive pub designed in 1923 and given the design, only one man could possibly be responsible: the name’s Sewell. A. E. Sewell. Local brewer Truman, Hanbury & Buxton’s golden boy. The exterior features his classic Dutch bell gables and muted pastel-hued glazed faience tiling; two Truman’s sign brackets also remain. Inside, there’s a simple central field panelled bar without back, and a parquet floor, but it’s the remainder that really impresses: the nearly full-height wood panelled walls with Truman’s lettering at top, the lovely Art Deco lights and gorgeous white panelled Vitrolite ceiling; according to Historic England, there’s a very attractive upstairs bar/dining room too. To the rear there’s a fine fireplace, sadly unused. Unsurprisingly, the ensemble is Grade II-listed and has featured in films such as The Krays and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Furniture is simple and conventional. Thankfully the customer is spared electronic gimmickry, the only exception being muted music on the gramophone. There’s certainly food and I don’t know whether it qualifies as a true gastropub, but the guinea fowl salad with figs, sorrel and pomegranate is a far cry from the area’s jellied eels of old, though as mentioned earlier, there is a bit of a problem with cooking smells. Ales: one unused pump, the awful Sharp’s Doom Bar and East London Brewery’s Cowcatcher, price not clocked though a bit strong for a session ale but well-kept nonetheless. This is a genuinely lovely pub. With a better choice of ales and improved ventilation in the kitchen, this place could be right up there as a local destination for the discerning pub-goer and I’ll certainly be returning when next in the area as this was the highlight of our mini-crawl.

Nice looking pub , very busy in part I'm sure to the adjacent flower market . Beers were ELB Cowcatcher and unfortunately Doombar. Its worth a look.