181 Clarence Road, E5 8EE; verdene5.com
Nearest Overground: Hackney Central
WHAT'S THE DRAW: Slick but friendly winebar and restaurant with clever cooking, stellar wines and a street-corner location in Clapton.
WHAT TO DRINK: The wine list is enough to make a grown oenophile cry, with a rarity-packed lineup spanning styles and continents – plenty of it by the glass. The 2009 Kabaj merlot from Goriška Brda in Slovenia had us hooked.
WHAT TO EAT: We visited on steak night (Tuesday) and hoovered up a beautiful rib-eye with chimichurri. Which didn’t stop us tucking into the fantastic charcuterie, much of it cured on the premises.
