Blanchette

"Bon viveur French impressionist Hard to miss her, reclining shamelessly in the altogether and smouldering come-hither looks out of the window. Art lovers, of course, will recognise her as Ingres's La Grande Odalisque, painted larger-than-life above the bar at this French restaurant in London's spicy Brick Lane arrondisement. Set behind a pistachio-green frontage, Blanchette East is the work of the three Alary brothers - Maxime, Yanis and Malik - who opened the original, much-loved Blanchette in Soho in 2013. It has twinkly candles, bentwood chairs and brocante finds. The down-to-earth staff pirouette between close-knit tables, while hoots of laughter emanate from the velvet-draped private table at the rear. FOOD No dirty burgers here, though there's a lobster and salmon slider that will disappear in seconds. It's all small plates, of course, on a menu that delves around the French Mediterranean with occasional forays down to North Africa. Highlights? The squid 'en Persillade' has a delicious inky palette to paint around the plate with sourdough; the onglet comes bobbled with herby snails (order the crispy frog's legs and croque monsieur for the full moustache-twirling experience); the lamb tagine is a pot of rich, sweet/sour loveliness, best paired with saffron couscous. For pudding, the basil sorbet with fresh mango was an intense hit of palate-cleansing herby freshness. Don't stint on the boards of cheese and charcuterie either, as both are impeccably sourced. If truth be told, you can eat better French food here than at most bistros in the motherland - it's a condensed pocket of flavour for an escapist evening out East. DRINK Start with a French Kiss (vodka, Chambord, squeezed lemon, raspberry syrup, egg white) then order a couple of carafes from the (mainly French) wine list. There's also a list of after-dinner cocktails (maybe skip pudding to avoid a total sugar rush?): the salted-caramel Martini, laced with double cream and nuts, will have you flirting with Odalisque on the way out. VERDICT Down-to-earth French food in a close-quarters setting."