Last Updated on March 13, 2025
An East London pub lunch with an East Asian flavour
Venturing to Dalston to visit The Marquee Moon we’d entered Real Housewives of Clapton territory upon stepping out of Kingsland station and nearly being mown down by a spice zombie on a click-clack Lime bike. Shaun of the Dead vibes increased when someone angrily staggered from their hangover across Kingsland High Street right up to my iPhone. Luckily for me, this hoodlum was TikTok literate and apologised when I explained it was time-lapse footage. This doesn’t happen in cosy-by-comparison Walthamstow.
The Marquee Moon, formerly known as the Marquis of Lansdowne, with absinthe mint paintwork, green stained-glass windows and tumbling houseplants, is slightly further up the A10 on Stoke Newington Road. The venue, now donning a Saul Bass style logo, has been renamed after rock band Television’s 1977 cult punk era album and is run by the same owners of All My Friends and in Hackney Wick and The Greyhound in Peckham. The pub has the outward appearance of a grimy old East End boozer although judging by the woodwork casings behind the velvet banquet seats and the shiny dark tiles in the loos (labelled “cubicles”, “urinals”), much of the interior is new. A carpenter was still hanging a door as we arrived.
Visiting over Sunday lunchtime, tables filled with a crowd ranging from pink-haired emo-girls with Amy Winehouse eyeliner downing cocktails to Gen X leather-clad parents sharing a relaxed Sunday roast with their teenagers and dogs. To my left I spied an Acne Studio scarf, and to the right, silver winged Zadig & Voltaire handbags. The “natural wines” quaffing characters celebrated on the Socks House Meeting Instagram account exist. A purpose-built tiled DJ booth lined with bar stools provided a soundtrack of ambient and psych rock.
The Marquee Moon menu, from New Zealander chef Huri Rapana Neil, presents a creative take on East Asian flavours. For the Sunday roast, sides including kimchi mash and smoked nori carrots nuzzle alongside more familiar roasties and Yorkshire pudding. Sunday lunch prices are standard for an East London gastro pub; meat roasts are £19 to £21. The vegetarian option would have been celeriac and leek pie at £17. Wines by the glass range from £7.50 to £13.50. The wine list was mostly European curated less conventional choices rather than the greatest hits of Chardonnay and Sauvignon. It required a considered read to decide.
I kicked off with a cocktail. Sharp yet smooth Yuzu Spritz (£12) was a perfect palate opener although the ratio of ice to liquid was high and I quickly craved another. Although, being in Dalston, I instead chose unfiltered orange wine. Cuordivigna Azienda Vitivinicola Bulli (Emilia Romagna, Italy, £10.50, not pictured) arrived bright as beer, ice-cold and cloudy with petillance. It’s light wine but with unexpected complexity and that stays with you. After a few sips, I was sold. Should you desire something less Hackney and more Asian, The Marquee Moon offers three types of Sake in carafes. My traditionalist husband stuck with the house Marquee Lager.
The husband ordered Soy Chicken with Sesame and Caramel Sauce served as a half-roast chicken divided into chargrilled pieces. Juicy and well-flavoured, it had probably been spatchcocked. We were bemused by the traditional choice of Willow Pattern plate juxtaposed with the post-hipster surroundings.
I ordered the Braised Pork in Sweet Soy and Fermented Granny Smith Sauce (£18). I’m informed the pork belly is slow roasted for five hours and the sweet sticky flavour went fabulously with the Asian flavours of the kimchi mash and smoked nori carrots.
Both roasts at The Marquee Moon came with potatoes, parsnip puree, peas, carrots, Yorkshire pudding and a stainless steel jug of self-serve gravy. I especially liked how the roasties were baby potatoes in their skins and the peas served with chopped herbs and onions were much more interesting than everyday peas. They tasted fresh not frozen although it’s an unexpected time of year for fresh peas. Alongside we loved the creamy Short Rib Kimchi Mash (£9).
Desserts weren’t listed on our clipboard menu but upon enquiry, we were offered chocolate mousse or bread and butter pudding. The latter no longer being available we opted for chocolate. Mousse suggests something whipped with a bubbled texture. Instead, this was a gorgeous ball of soft silky rich milk chocolate ganache alongside three home-baked shortbread fingers. A new name would make sense but this dessert was indulgent and gratifying. We broke the biscuits up and used them to scoop up the chocolate. Then we people-watched and savoured the orange wine.
Upon leaving we noted how busy the benches outside were with people drinking. Most dining tables inside had signs denoting they’d been prebooked thus you’d be wise to do the same on Sundays. Couples can also eat at tall tables with bar stools closer to the DJ booth. Children and dogs were present although it’s definitely more “street” than pub-meets-soft-play-area (thank goodness). The Marquee Moon is a new moon but the East London fashionistas look like they will wax lyrical about it.
The Marquee Moon
48 Stoke Newington Road
London N16 7XJ
Leave a Reply