Public House The Cat and Mutton is a few things rolled into one; a restaurant with hearty meals, a club with its own themed DJ nights and a traditional pub with leather sofas, hard wooden floors and your favourite ales on tap.
The Venue:
Split into two main floors, C&M is one of the leading gastropubs on Broadway Market, a hot nightlife spot bordering Hackney's London Fields. The pub has been around for a while - since 1729 to be exact - and the vintage vibes are reflected by the interiors. There's an old-timey feel to the house itself but the atmosphere is anything but; on weekend evenings it has many characteristics of a club, but it's still easy to sit down, have a pint and make conversation with friends.
An East London institution, there's all sorts of antics to enjoy on the corner of Broadway Market.
The Ambience & Clientele:
Around Christmas-time the place is bursting at the seams, but there's excellent service upstairs and plenty of couches and tables to kick back and relax. If you're there to party your best bet is to stay downstairs, but if you want to eat and chat, follow the spiral staircase to the first floor where there are plenty of welcoming tables, stools and chairs to get comfy at and look out over the streets of East London below.
Good for a party and an intimate catch up with your pals, here's the quiz night getting into full swing.
The Food & Drinks:
The Halloumi skewers came loaded with sweet grilled peppers, and smothering them with the salty cream sauce was heaven. I should have kept the sauce with me for my main. The jerk chicken with mango coleslaw was excellent but whoa was it spicy! Why play with fire if you're afraid of getting burnt they say... According to management, the chef's recipe originates with his Caribbean mother.
My favourite cocktail was the London Fields Iced Tea, a lovely pick me up laced with lemon, elderflower, and bourbon. I also sampled the mezcal and blackberry Smoky Rocke, a classic Mai Tai and one of the friendly bartenders even let me try a cocktail he invented there and then. It was good but you're going to have to go and ask for it yourself if you want to know more; he doesn't even have a name for it yet and my lips are firmly sealed!
No Cat & Mutton review is complete without reference to their majestic Sunday Roasts.
Summary:
Whether you come alone or with friends, you'll always find something to do at The Cat and Mutton. Yes, it's far out in East London but it's well worth the journey, especially when you consider their packed programme of pub quizzes, DJs and live blues piano evenings. Best for showing up early for food, before spending the night drinking, dancing and chatting 'til close.
