Buried in the depths of deepest darkest Mile End is The Morgan – a pub that’s strictly for those ‘in the know’ offering up a haven from the drudgery of the area.

The Venue
The Morgan is a real find for Mile End. This is true East London – a bit rough around the edges, a charm that you either love or hate, and salt of the earth types aplenty. However, for someone not familiar with the area it could all be a little overwhelming – what with the hundreds of grotty kebab shops, students slumming it from nearby Queen Mary and scary looking dudes with big dogs. That’s why this pub is a much needed addition. A beautiful building appears out of nowhere up Morgan Street (can you guess where it gets the name from?), covered in twinkling fairy lights and looking more like somewhere you’d find in Cornwall than Mile End.

Inside, it’s just as rustically charming. Big and airy without being cold and unfriendly, you’re thrust into a warm environment perfect for dining on pub grub or downing a pint or two. To the left lies the dining area – just on the right side of informal, but still obviously set apart from the lounging seats to the left, which are saved for the drinkers. It’s all woods and warm, old school furnishings, but couldn’t be described as an old man pub thanks to the gleaming, clean surfaces, twinkling almost romantic lighting, and general air of upmarket pub. Nice touches such as a blackboard in the dining area explaining the menu, can be found all over. All in all, it’s about as good looking as a pub should be without becoming a bar.

The Atmosphere
This place is always busy – even early on in the week. And you can only really expect to see locals here – people who know to venture up the dark road from Mile End Station. Despite the definitely local skew, it’s in no way clichy or unfriendly and everyone seems relaxed. All ages, from students to older couples can be found eating and drinking here and there’s a wide range of fashions from student grunge to office chic and casual pub drinker. Basically, anything goes. The staff are efficient and friendly and it’s hard to fault – it’s nothing spectacular, but sometimes that’s what you want.

The Food
The food at The Morgan is a bit of a mixed bag – ranging from the exceptional to the barely satisfactory. Although, it must be said, that the overall feeling after a meal is one of satisfaction. A meal here doesn’t come cheap – you can expect to pay up to £90 for two people to have three courses and a bottle of wine – but when you compare it to Central prices, it starts to look pretty decent. Everything here is hearty British fare. For starters, the pea, ham and coconut cream soup is a little bland and overly heavy – your mouth almost feeling chalky after a few mouthfuls, but the potato salad is to die for. Light and fresh and containing black pudding, the flavours work really well together – the rich, seasoned taste of the meat adding depth to a simple salad.

For mains, the steak is decent, coming with a range of sauces (best ask for them on the side though as they don’t skimp!), cooked perfectly to specification – although it can be a little fatty – and served with incredible hand-cut chips. These chips are particularly exceptional and taste healthy – not retaining the greasy texture many fries can acquire. Alternatively, the fishcakes with poached eggs work well as far as the flavours go – the runny yolk mixing with the salmon for delicious bites of rich flavours that don’t dominate the dish – but the fishcakes are a little dry and could do with softening, although the yolk does help to counter this somewhat. All in all, it’s decent, hearty grub.

The desserts, however, are very hit and miss. The sticky toffee pudding is one of the best in London – fluffy, filling and laden with rich caramel flavours, served with a big helping of cream. However, the apple tart is one of the worst in the capital. Rock hard, flat and requiring a repeated sawing action with a knife to cut through, even the creamy ice cream fails to recover the dish. It can make an unfortunate end to an otherwise decent pub grub experience.

The Drink
Despite this being ‘just a pub’ the wine list at the Morgan is extensive for such a venue and covers all the usual suspects as far as reds, whites and roses go. You can expect to pay around £15 for a decent bottle, which is great value. There is even a decent selection of New World wines, which is all the rage at the moment

Alternatively, when in Rome do as the Romans do and order one of their many pints on draught. There are, unsurprisingly, no cocktails or any of that fancy stuff – this place keeps it real – but there is a great selection of spirits – premium and otherwise – and the prices are all very reasonable for London (although Mile End is notoriously cheap thanks to the university up the road).

The Last Word
The Morgan is a welcome reprieve in Mile End – the food can be a little hit and miss, but when it’s good it’s very, very good! It would certainly be a good place to have a drink or two or three after a hard day at work.

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