Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joleeeeeene

I went on a date. A very good date set up by Jake. He told me to meet me at a corner in Hackney at a certain time and to dress nicely. I LOVE that.

I mean I just love being out in general, eating, drinking, chatting. Most of my happy times are around a table with friends and a bottle of wine. Jake didn’t tell me where we were going, but he led me to this pretty terracotta painted restaurant withe Jolene written on the brick in scrawly lettering. I only knew this micro chain as coffee shops (who serve the most amazing coffee by the way) I did not know they had restaurants too! We were greeted by our server who gave us the option to sit on the pavement and have an aperitif before we ate, and reccomended his favourite which was an apricot cordial with gin and soda. we were off to a good start because 1) I love an aperitif before a meal and 2) it was bloody delicious. Not too sweet, but refreshing and slightly tart.

We were led inside and seated at a large farmhouse table where a family were sat. Usually I loathe the thought of sitting on communal tables having to make awkward small talk, but there was something organic about the situation. There was a nice feeling to it, as if we came for the same gentle experience. The restaurant pride themselves on only using local produce, and the menu changes daily. We had a selection of tapas style dishes, from serrano ham just sliced thinly on a plate, an aubergine crostini, some absolutely mouthwatering zucchini fritti with a garlic aioli, and the ultimate star the tagliatelle with ndjua and mussels. Our server also did the respectable thing and gave us a slice of homemade sourdough to mop up the rest of the sauce from the pasta.

We finished the evening with a couple of espresso’s and a stunning chocolate and apricot cake, thankfully we didn’t get two because it was just so rich.

I would highly recommend Jolene for an evening meal, it took us both away from London for the evening, made us relaxed and comfortable with its tipsy swooning atmosphere, candle light and rich smells wafting from the kitchen. I would also recommend their coffee shops too, as the coffee and pastries are delightful.