Two under-the-radar name changes took place this week at opposite ends of Leytonstone High Road, well over a mile apart.
On a sleepy weekday lunchtime, the sign Mirella quietly appeared on the exterior of the dining room that, for two years since it opened, was called Eat My Pizza. You may know that this bougie high-ceilinged former Barclay’s Bank is part of the Romet Group, who are behind established East London restaurants including Figo (in Leyton and Stratford) and Venerdi on Clapton’s Chatsworth Road.
I was curious as to why they’ve rebranded without fanfare, and so in the latest issue set out to discover why: as well as speaking to the team, I popped by unannounced to order small plates and work out what — if anything — has actually changed.
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And that’s not the only local metamorphosis. Twenty minutes’ walk south towards hit wine bar Le Regret is the former pared-back Japanese diner Yume. This week it re-emerged cocoon-like as The Oriental, after a year of being shuttered.
It too is still steered by the same owner, Xian Jin Yu, pictured above earlier this week, a skilled chef who has previously worked for respected joints like Hakkasan and Duck & Rice, before opening his own South Leytonstone restaurant in 2022.
In today’s issue Xian tells me why it was closed for a year, the reason behind the rethink on both name and menu, and what his top three dish recommendations are for customers.
Read a lot more about both restaurants reborn in the latest Substack newsletter out here.
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