Bistrotheque

An east London pioneer back in 2004, this bar-restaurant-cabaret complex in an ex-factory building has become part of the furniture in E2. In the first-floor restaurant, the whitewashed industrial look is softened by flowers, gleaming glassware and a piano. Service can be hit or miss, but is generally friendly and the weekend brunches (accompanied by a pianist) are hugely popular. Cocktails may be a speciality here (try them in the restaurant or in the cosy Napoleon bar on the ground floor) but the real draw is the entertainment: Bistrotheque's little black-box stage is the beating heart of east London's alt performance scene. It's Jonny Woo's regular spot for seasoned routines and new experiments; it's where musical terrorists Bourgeois & Maurice made their name; it's where alt-dragsters the Lipsinkers cut loose; and it's the cradle of the hugely influential work-in-progress night UnderConstruction.