Over the last few years, the east village in Stratford has been blowing up, gaining a loyal following of locals and workers, resulting in an elevated food and drink offering. Bamboo Mat is one of these such restaurants, presenting what they coin as a ‘fresh perspective on Nikkei cuisine’.

If you don’t know, Nikkei is a creative mix of Peruvian and Japanese, a recent food trend that has been taking London by storm. On a Tuesday night the restaurant had a nice after-work buzz, accompanied by the dim lights and intriguing décor. With friendly staff and well-placed tables, it felt easygoing with a hint of bouginess.

We chose to go with the chef’s suggestions, a feast based on their plant-based and vegi options; Padron Peppers with mango miso, Grilled Sweet Potato served with yoghurt, pickled shallots, feta cheese, pomegranate and coriander, Veggie Ceviche with passion fruit & mango tiger’s milk, sweet potato, avocado, broccoli, red onion and chancha corn, and Mango Maki with avocado, cucumber, romano pepper, mango puree and sriracha sauce. I’m a big mango fan so this was heaven for me, lots of strong flavours with a sweet and tangy twist. My personal favourite was unexpectedly the baby spinach salad, finished with wasabi dressing and sesame seeds, the dressing was completely moorish, spicing up the taste of the humble spinach. The grilled broccoli with sweet soy sauce, sesame seeds and crispy onions was also a surprising front runner, charred to perfection with beautiful Unami flavours. We finished with the crème brulé.

Of course, I took the opportunity to sample the equally exotic cocktails, opting for the passion fruit margarita; tequila, triple sec, lime, passion fruit with a salt rim. I have to say I do always slightly regret being enticed into a fruity margarita rather than the original, but this was decent and for £10 it was good value.

A great shout if you are looking for somewhere interesting in Stratford, Bamboo-Mat combines creative food with friendly service. Their vegetarian offering has expanded significantly making it suitable for mixed groups of meat and non-meat eaters.

Website: https://bamboo-mat.co.uk

Address: Stratford, 21-24 Victory Parade, East Village, London E20 1FS

Written by Jordan Crowley

Photography courtesy of Bamboo Mat