Bergen House is a Stoke Newington version of a man cave. Not only are there low lights, leather booths, distressed brick and art nouveau stylings, there’s cheeky menu banter, a strong selection of whisky and beer and a pile of board games.
As for the food, it’s comforting, pimped-up pub grub. There are burgers, lamb chops, baked camembert and plenty of glorified bar snacks, plus bigger sharing dishes for two: fish pie, beef wellington, sausage and mash or a whole roast chicken.
But the main attraction is what the BH menu describes as ‘everyone’s favourite: banging steak & fries’. A green leaf and walnut salad starter (too-sweet vinaigrette, but otherwise decent) was followed by a perfectly pleasant sliced steak with a peppery green sauce and salty, crunchy, skinny fries. And just when my plate was nearly cleared, unprompted they brought a surprising but not entirely needed second helping. At £16.50 for two, this is one of the cheapest steaks in town and though it’s not be the finest, it’s not bad if you’re on a budget and in need of a meat fix.
Bergen House may not be a culinary destination, but it’s a nice spot for a hearty dinner and a game of Scrabble. And that’s clearly a winning combo: on the Friday night I visited, it was packed out with bro dates bonding over meat and beer. Less steakhouse, more sausage fest.