Planque
Members keep up to 72 of their own bottles in a climate-controlled cellar under the railway arches, and the kitchen cooks to that five-page low-intervention list, which is why the plates run light and acid-forward with restrained seasoning.
Why go
Jonathan Alphandery founded it in 2021 across two arches at Acton Mews, and it runs as four things at once: a cellar, a wine shop, a members' lounge and a restaurant that anyone can book (Hot Dinners). Seb Myers cooks, after time at P Franco, and Harden's describes the result as modern French crossed with Nordic. The list runs five pages and leans hard on low-intervention producers from France and Italy, which shapes the plate: lighter acid-forward dishes and restrained seasoning, because a stemmy Loire red or an orange skin-contact bottle gets flattened by anything sweet or heavily reduced. Harden's 2026 survey rates food 4 and service 4 at £92 a head, calling the place a beautifully designed wine drinkers' hangout
(Harden's). Weekdays are dinner only, and it closes on Sunday.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the duck offal choux farci, which Time Out called
a thing of beauty,
and the salted caramel tart with Beenleigh blue,a dreamy dessert.
1 Harden's respondents single out the pumpkin seed and bread ice cream. - Avoid: paying for membership to get a table. The restaurant takes public bookings, and the fee buys priority booking and cellar storage.
What locals & experts say
- Time Out (Angela Hui, 13 October 2021, five stars):
Sublime modern French cooking that's smart with textures and balance,
offa hefty five page wine list. Plenty of low-intervention producers from France and Italy.
1 - Harden's (2026 guide):
an incredible wine list from a seriously passionate and knowledgeable team,
food 4, service 4, ambience 3, £92 a head.2 - Local rec: Satnam and others sent Jeff here. REAL.
Good to know
- Timing: Monday to Thursday dinner only, 6pm to 9pm. Friday and Saturday lunch from noon plus dinner to 9.30pm. Closed Sunday. The venue's own site publishes an undated hours notice that looks years old, so trust Harden's or call.
- Booking: recommended, through the venue's reservations page or 020 7254 3414. Members get priority, the public gets the rest.
- Price: £92 a head in the 2026 Harden's survey. Time Out's 2021 bill was £157 for food and drinks for one visit, and the lounge membership was £80 a month then.
- Dietary: no allergen, gluten-free, celiac or vegan statement is published, so ask when you book.
- Location: 322 Acton Mews, under the arches between Haggerston and Kingsland Road.
Craft signals (wine: a members' cellar as depth, a seasonal kitchen on top)
Two signals, one for each axis. Depth is the cellar: members store up to 72 bottles each in climate control, with a retail shop attached and a five-page list leaning hard on low-intervention producers from France and Italy, which Harden's and Time Out both describe. That is a wine institution rather than a restaurant list. The kitchen is the part that moves, modern French crossed with Nordic and written around what the list wants, lighter and acid-forward. Seasonal covers the plate honestly while the depth case sits in the cellar.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Multiple recs, including satnam" REAL.
- Rec via: Satnam, among others on his list. REAL.
Verdict
should-visit — Go if you care about the list. Two railway arches at Acton Mews hold a cellar, a shop, a members' lounge and a restaurant, and Seb Myers writes the menu around the bottles rather than the other way round. Time Out gave it five stars in 2021 for 'sublime modern French cooking that's smart with textures and balance', and Harden's 2026 survey still rates food and service 4 out of 5 at £92 a head while calling the wine list 'incredible'. The membership and the locker culture are the interesting part and also the ceiling: the food is very good rather than singular.