Planque

Billed as a ‘wine drinkers’ clubhouse’, Planque burst onto London’s dining scene in 2021 and is run by former Chiltern Firehouse chef Seb Myers. While the Hackney restaurant is fully open to the public, it also has a membership element with regulars signing up to access on-site wine storage, preferential corkage rates, priority reservations and members-only dinners.

Located under two former railway arches in Haggerston, Planque has been designed by London’s Lipton Plant Architects with interiors from Copenhagen’s Studio X. Made up of numerous small spaces including a members-only lounge, a bar and 60-cover restaurant space for all comers, the space has a striking yet homely aesthetic with cobalt blue wall, an eclectic selection of stylish furniture, and a surprising amount of natural light.

Myers is the perfect chef for the job having also previously overseen the food at P.Franco and The Laughing Heart, which are both big on natural wine. At Planque he has created a refreshingly simple, wine-friendly menu of around 15 mains and starters - although there are no specified sections - and five desserts.

The wine list is focused on what can broadly be termed low intervention wines, featuring many bottles that have been matured on site as well as current release wines. It’s all very east London, but also very good.