The Hackney Pearl, Hackney Wick, E9

Just a short walk from Hackney Wick station and the Olympic Park, this is a small shop converted café and bar offering fancy dishes with craft beer, cocktails and wine. The bar has a basic single room layout with the bar sited on the rear wall and seemingly busy churning out more coffee than booze on my Saturday afternoon visit. There is a white tile counter and a fairly unattractive bar back of whitewashed blockwork, to one side of which is a wine rack under a sign that reads 'Wine Shop'. A couple of benches with big padded cushions run around the perimeter of the room, serving some tables that look like they were rejected from a GCSE woodwork class which are suitably complimented with school style plastic chairs. The venue seems to be characterised by its owner's love of contemporary art and photography, with a number of interesting pieces gracing the walls and a couple of shelves packed with various art books. Retro music played quietly throughout my visit and with the temperature inside exceeding that generated by the summer sun, most customers decided to take a seat on the raised terrazzo pavement area to the front of the bar. There is no cask ale here, but you can still find some interesting beer, including Meantime Pilsner, Pale and Californian Pale on keg and a few craft bottles from the likes of The Kernel and Beavertown in the fridges. A cider from Orchard Pig was also available on draught and the wine list looked pretty comprehensive. Prices are on the steep side however, with one of the aforementioned bottled setting you back a fiver and a pint £4.50. One other irritant is the insistence from the staff that you take a seat and order from there, rather than approach the bar. I was hoping this would be another interesting venue in this vibrant, creative part of the city, but felt rather disappointed with what is much more of a café or restaurant than a pub. This is alright if you're looking for a bite to eat over a glass of wine, but isn't the sort of place the beer drinker is likely to want to linger.

http://thehackneypearl.com/