The story
The Water House Project serves a seasonal modern British tasting menu at 1 Corbridge Crescent in Cambridge Heath, London E2 9DT. The Good Food Guide rated it Very Good in 2026. The restaurant closes for good at the end of June 2026 when its lease expires.
Gabriel Waterhouse began cooking at 23, shortly after finishing a degree in philosophy. He trained under the Galvin brothers at Galvin La Chapelle, and he first tested his food through pop-ups in his East London flat. The restaurant opened in autumn 2021 with Patricia Wakaimba.
His cooking draws on classical French technique, his Northumbrian childhood and Japanese methods. Fermentation, drying and pickling appear throughout the menu, and meat is used sparingly.
The discovery menu began with a celeriac and kohlrabi broth finished with koji oil. A chestnut and cep parfait followed, served between wafers of rye bread. Cured lobster claw and tail came with carrot escabèche and a Madeira and spice finish.
Dessert was canelé with orange marmalade and a dash of Laphroaig whisky.
Diners often share long wooden tables in a high-ceilinged room with large windows, concrete walls and exposed ventilation. The kitchen is open to the dining room.
Each service is a single seating, so the evening moves at an unhurried pace. Drinks pairings use small-producer wines, and a non-alcoholic option features teas, tonics and ferments made in-house. One pairing matched a roasted Orkney scallop with a 1909 Wilding Cider.
Recognition
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Details
History
*The restaurant will be closing for good at the end of June 2026, due to the expiry of its lease.* Are you looking to sample great cooking combined with the sociability of a supper club? Then, make a beeline for Gabriel Waterhouse's classy restaurant tucked down a graffiti-strewn side street in Bethnal Green. Waterhouse honed his craft at Galvin La Chapelle in the City but has reimagined the notion of fine dining, moving from stiff formality to what might be called a ‘chill experience’. Arrive at 1pm for lunch or 7pm for dinner, and remember that it pays to be sociable – you may end up sharing a communal table in the modern high-ceilinged room with its huge windows, wooden furniture, concrete walls, exposed ventilation and 'borderless' kitchen. The vibe is totally relaxed, with well-informed staff consciously cultivating a sense of fun and informality. An umami-rich celeriac and kohlrabi broth infused with koji oil, accompanied by a chestnut and cep parfait sandwiched between wafers of rye bread opened our 11-course 'discovery' menu, emphasising the fact that a lot of forethought and work has gone into each dish. The same care and attention was applied to a serving of cured lobster claw and tail with carrot escabèche, finished off with Madeira and spices for extra warmth. Elsewhere, the textures and garlicky flavour of allium and Roscoff onion worked well with a soft sunflower and miso paste, three-cornered leeks and toasted nigella seeds, We also recommend opting for the well-curated drinks pairings: the crispy notes of a glass of white Rioja (Solar de Randez 2023) perfectly complemented a dish of oysters topped with green-chilli yoghurt, pickled cucumber and a cold apple, cucumber and sorrel granita. Or how about the fruity notes of a 1909 Wilding Cider (from the 2022 vintage) to accompany a roasted Orkney scallop with a koji emulsion and celeriac braised in seaweed stock, all perked up with a drop of lovage oil? To close the show, freshly baked canelé with a dollop of orange marmalade and a dash of peaty Laphroaig whisky was a terrific way to end.
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