Joyau

Tucked inside a Forest Gate railway arch, Joyau is our dream end times bunker, filled with excellent European-leaning small plates, a plentiful supply of wine, and the kind of flowers that cost £20 per sprig. On any given evening snatches of laughter drift in from the tables outside, shredded, slow-cooked duck is smeared on bread with abandon, and locals pop in to grab a bottle from the shelves to take home.

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

Far from being another draughty, converted arch in east London, dreamt up by someone who’s watched one too many #vanlife videos, Joyau prioritises comfort and prettiness. It’s got dim lighting and flickering candles that are generous to anyone who's had a long week. And you’ll sit between higgledy piggledy stacks of wine books that make it feel like you’re flirting over the kitchen counter. But one that’s got vases of wildflowers rather than passive aggressive sticky notes.

Like moths to a flame, couples drift in, drawn by the seductive beads of condensation rolling down glasses of rosé and the need for somewhere a little more special than their local pub. Joyau is somewhere where you won’t be rushed, where each wine doesn’t get its own TED talk, and where everything you see could be filed under a Pinterest board titled ‘How To Look Cool Without Trying Too Hard’. But it’s not just dates being wooed. Parents in workout clothes, who order negroni sbagliatos in-between negotiations with small children, are also warmly welcomed. 

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

photo credit: Amy Heycock

The carefully curated wine list changes frequently enough to keep up with our mood swings—so that’s daily—and staff won’t judge you if you ask them what a ‘zippy pét nat' is. The comforting dishes change less frequently, but a deceptively simple pie with buttery discs of soft potato layered like scales is a staple. Rich, endlessly scoopable pork and duck rillettes demand to be re-ordered. And you’ll want to finish strong by ordering the rice pudding which is creative and comforting at the same time. If you don’t roll out of this wine bar significantly happier, fuller, and Googling Forest Gate house prices, you aren’t doing it right.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Amy Heycock

Potato And Crème Fraîche Pie

If you only order one thing, get this pie. It’s minimal—just four ingredients we heard—but tastes creamy, buttery, and light all at the same time. There’s also extra crème fraîche on the side for dunking crunchy crusts in, which we appreciate.

photo credit: Amy Heycock

Tomato, White Peach, Mozzarella

This salad looks so simple, almost like something we could make, but one mouthful told us that it isn’t. The delicate floral peaches pair well with sweet fresh tomatoes and we like that they haven’t gone overboard with the creamy clusters of mozzarella that are dotted throughout. The salads change seasonally, pictured is the beetroot, blackberries, and hazelnut salad.

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

Pork And Duck Rillettes

If we could only smear one thing on bread for the rest of our lives, these rillettes would be right up there. They’re rich and fatty, and coarse enough to pick out each individual strand of meat, but soft enough to still be spreadable. These disappeared alarmingly quickly.

photo credit: Amy Heycock

Rice Pudding, Nectarine, Puffed Rice

Like Werther's Originals and trips to the Lake District, rice pudding gets a bad rep for being a bit blah. But not this one. It’s got a punchy kefir lime drizzle that’s almost spicy with citrus, jammy nectarine compote, and the fun addition of crunchy puffed rice on top. If you’re craving a super sweet end to the meal, this won’t tick that box, but it’s comforting, creative, and light.