london
Cornerstone
• British• Hackney
About the restaurant
Chef-patron of Cornerstone, Tom Brown has had a distinguished career in the short time he's been in restaurants, working under Nathan Outlaw, among others, before opening Cornerstone in Hackney Wick in 2019.
The restaurant won a Michelin star in 2021, outlining Brown's creativity and forward-thinking approach to fish cookery. The recent distinction doesn't mean a posh feel or a hushed dining room. The restaurant feels at home in this part of East London, with a sparing, contemporary look and feel and a vibrant atmosphere.
Dishes like the crumpet topped with potted shrimp or crab have become mainstays on the menu, which otherwise changes regularly according to what's pulled off boats around the UK. As Cornerstone has progressed into the restaurant it is now, Brown has also experimented with curing fish and creating seafood versions of popular charcuterie dishes, which are always worth trying if they're on the menu.
Reviews from the Web
Critic reviews
The Infatuation
The space is large and airy with a central open kitchen and Conran-ish tables of varying sizes either side. It’s simple and it’s calm. All of which adds up to a great restaurant.
The Guardian
A ripe, foamy pillow of cod brandade is piled high with wild mushrooms and in the middle, an egg yolk waiting to run
Standard
Cornerstone is on Prince Edward Road, near an old security firm. “It just felt right”, Brown told me of the site, but God knows why (rent?). It’s not built for passing trade and it’s too big, really, for its purpose.
Time Out
This is a large, ruggedly handsome restaurant, all concrete floors and designer cutlery, where the food.
The Nudge
The restaurant itself is in Hackney Wick (and is actually named after an Arctic Monkeys track). With a distinct feeling of beautiful industrial minimalism, it features a stark black bar punctuating an all-white space, with the occasional wood furnishing – such as a 5000 year old oak table, salvaged from a Croatian river – to take the edge off.
- 3 Prince Edward Rd
- E9 5LX
- London
- +44 20 8986 3922
- Visit website
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