Return of Little Georgia

After Little Georgia was unceremoniously ousted from its nest in buzzing Broadway Market, to make way for the frankly duff La Vie en Rose (owned by the developer - who'da thunk it?), many local fans thought it had gone forever.

But now it's back, in an edited way: smaller premises round the corner, no drinks licence - which is a shame as the vodka and Georgian wine used to make it a permanent party - but with the same honest, home-cooked food.

Georgia's Black Sea geography shows on the plate: influences are Russian, Turkish, Slavic. So you get mezze that wouldn't look out of place in an ocakbasi - sludgy spinach laced with licoricey herbs; chopped, spiced peppers - jostling with beet and walnut pkhali. Walnuts or pomegranates are a recurring theme: in the mezze, in a stew called kharcho - traditionally a goulashy arrangement of mutton and rice, here more a stroganoff-lite of nut-laced stewing steak. Hachapuri, a borek-like, cheese-stuffed bread, is glorious.

Our lone waitress was puffing away at a fag on the outdoor tables when we arrived, her serving style a Slavic mix of warm and lugubrious. Clientele comes from the young, gorgeous creative types who have colonised this corner of Hackney. An intriguing diversion from the beaten track.

Little Georgia Cafe
87 Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QR