The Best-Value Restaurants in East London Are Cheap, But Not Cheap Eats | Eater London

"The curry houses around Brick Lane can be quite overwhelming, especially with Adrian Chiles’ face endorsing no fewer than three identikit curry houses. Grinning across the road at each other are Amar Gaon and Cafe Spice, two of the few which cater to the local Sylheti Bangladeshi community without concession to British tastes for rich, Punjabi sauces. Their differences are reflected in disparate takes on the Bangladeshi/Bengali mashed staple of fish bortha — Cafe Grill’s is white and green, fresh, herbal, and vibrant, while Amar Gaon’s is heavier, pungent, and singing with the volatile aroma of mustard oil. Elsewhere, there are dishes that reflect the Bangladeshi love of river fish and seafood: chitol, pabda, hilsha, and the thousand voyeuristic eyes of tiny keski (silverfish) mas bursting in the mouth. Both restaurants are best experienced in a group so that multiple dishes can be ordered and enjoyed alongside shukti satni, an indispensable chilli paste charged with the taste of fermented fish." - Jonathan Nunn