Please note, Tuckshop is now closed. Time Out Food editors, MARCH 2020.
It’s not enough to open a café in east London that simply offers decent food and drink. Oh no, it’s got to be multipurpose – with resident cats, an art gallery, yoga studio or a pay-per-minute schtick. By this standard, Tuckshop is low-key, merely sharing the same Victorian arch as White Rabbit photography studio; the corridor-like café with raw brick walls and hanging plants leads on to the artists’ designated area.
From behind a counter on wheels, chef and tattoo artist Magnus Reid prepares a changing menu of brunch and lunch dishes. On our lunch visit there was avocado on toast stacked high and garnished with chilli and lemon juice; almond granola with yogurt and fruit; and generously sized baguettes filled with delicate, herby, smoked mackerel pâté with plenty of watercress.
The simple selection of dishes here is undoubtedly good, but it’s just a little pricey – a ham and cheese toastie, or mackerel baguette will set you back £7. On the plus side, they’re big.
Magnus Reid is fresh from a stint at the Rooftop Café in London Bridge, where he garnered much praise for his cooking; his latest venture is unlikely to cause quite the same stir. But Tuckshop is a good place for a spot of people-watching as you tuck into your brunch or lunch – we spotted a toy dog in a parka jacket on our visit (with its owner, that is).