Although anywhere that describes themselves as ‘New York style’ should be viewed with cynicism, Village East manages to fulfil its own brief. Just about.

The Venue
Village East is a large venue spread across two floors with lots of interconnecting areas and a few private rooms. The large brick building offers big windows that flood the space with light during the day, and all the different nooks and crannies have one thing in common: minimalism. Bare brick walls, a brown and beige colourscheme, stripped back wooden floor boards, a metallic bar, large overhead lamps… it’s simple without being dull with a distinct uptown warehouse feel. Even the dining room is minimalist, with a mix of designer white chairs, black leather sofa seating and neat little rows of tables. It’s nicely done.

The Atmosphere
Bermondsey doesn’t always attract trendsters or the moneyed, but Village East is Michelin recommended and so all sorts of people actively seek it out, which makes for a good mix of clientele drinking and dining here. There’s a laid-back feel to the space but the staff do make a concerted effort to ensure you’re served promptly, which so easily could have been overlooked in such a stylish venue.

The Food
Village East is famed for its food and it’s easy to see why, given the good prices of the dishes (starters are priced at around the £7 mark; main courses under £15; and desserts come in at £6.10).

And what of the food? The dishes are simple and focus on bold flavours and fresh ingredients, covering everything from fish and chips to lobster. Usually beef burgers in restaurants are the boring choice but not so here. Not cheap at £14.70, it’s soon easy to see why: this burger is huge. It’s served perfectly cooked to specification and comes with an incredibly rich, fleshy piece of sautéed foie gras. It is decadence in a bun. Caramelised onions add a tangy sweetness to the burger and a jumbo gherkin provides some much-needed vinegar to cut through the rich meat flavours. It’s all rounded up by chunky, perfectly cooked chips. Job done.

The Drink
They have a lengthy choice of innovative cocktails at Village East, priced at £7-£9 a pop and charmingly divided into sections like ‘From the garden’ and ‘aromatic and herbaceous’. Particularly good is their marmalade caipirinha (Velho Barreiro cachaca, lime and orange marmalade, orange juice) priced at £7.70. Packing that distinctive caipirinha kick, the marmalade flavour softens the drink with its sweetness whilst not making it too sickly thanks to the distinctive marmalade tang. It’s very well balanced and is nicely put together.

If cocktails aren’t your thing then they also offer a good choice of wine by the glass and bottle as well as draught beers, including Becks Vier, the still quite rare Stella Artois Black, Staropramen, Guinness and Franziskaner wheat beer, although they’re not cheap at over £4 a pint.

The Last Word
Village East could have easily gone the pretentious trendy route but it has kept its stylishness in check with some very good food and a varied drink selection.

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