Welcome to The Water House Project
We are a British tasting menu experience in Bethnal Green, East London.
Chef Gabriel Waterhouse and Patricia Wakaimba opened The Water House Project in Bethnal Green in Autumn 2021 aiming to bridge the gap between fine dining elegance and a more relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.
Here we serve a seasonally evolving tasting menu which changes every three months.
Spring - March - May
Summer - June - August
Autumn - September - November
Winter - December - February
We rely on local, seasonal ingredients using these when at their best.
We believe in using small amounts of ethically and sustainably reared meat and fish, and partnering with suppliers who share in our values. Our drink pairings are made up of either wines, sourced from small scale producers or a non-alcoholic pairing of teas, tonics and ferments made by our kitchen team.
Each of our services comprises exclusively of a single tasting menu with a single seating (1pm or 7pm), much like an expanded chefs table.
Our Menus
Seasons Discovery menu - £90pp
11 servings
Wednesday 7pm & Saturday 1pm
Seasons Signature menu - £115pp
14 servings
Thursday - Saturday 7pm
Wine pairings
We believe that drink pairings should be accessible to all, without the added price tag. Our wine pairings are carefully selected for each new menu and help to compliment each course.
Non - alcoholic infusions
Our non alcoholic infusions are made by our kitchen team. We ferment, pickle and preserve to bring a variety of pairings which complement the flavours in each of our dishes.
Wine list
Our wine list, seperate to those chosen for our pairings are carefully curated and supplied by our friend, master of wine Jonny Orton.
Corkage
We charge £45 per 750ml bottle.
Cancellations
We are a small restaurant which means cancellations not only affect us financially but also our restaurant atmosphere. For this reason we operate a 5-day cancellation policy. If you need to cancel your reservation within this 5-day window, we will apply the cancellation fee. However, if we're able to sell your reserved places, we will gladly refund the fee. If you do need to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible, and we will make every effort to fill your reserved places. If you arrive with an incomplete table we will need to charge our cancellation policy for the number of guests unable to attend, as this will have prevented others from making a reservation with us.
We don’t make exceptions for covid cancellations.
Dietary requirements
With advance notice we are happy to provide vegetarian and pescatarian menus and can cater for nut allergies and gluten intolerances but are unfortunately unable to accommodate for dairy sensitivities, vegan diets as well as intolerances to onion and garlic.
Non-dairy diets
Dairy is present throughout almost all aspects of our menu. For this reason unfortunately we cannot accommodate dairy allergies or intolerances and are unable to omit dairy from our dishes. We take pride in the food that we cook and serving you a dish without these elements is not a true representation of our cooking.
Group bookings
Where possible, we can cater for larger groups of 7-8 people on Wednesday/ Thursday evenings as well as Saturday Lunch - please email us here to check availability. (Full payment is required at the time of booking for large groups). For group bookings over 8 people we offer private dining. To make an enquiry, please email us - enquiries@thewaterhouseproject.com.
Private dining
Our space is available for private hire, offering an intimate and bespoke way to experience our carefully curated tasting menus. Blending the artistry of fine dining with a relaxed, warm, and welcoming atmosphere, it provides a unique and memorable setting for special occasions or gatherings of friends, family, or colleagues. We can accommodate up to 40 seated guests. Please email us your private dining requirements here
Gift vouchers
Our gift vouchers are valid for 1 year from purchase and can be redeemed directly through our website.
We will send both an electronic voucher (within 48 hours) and a physical voucher (within 3-5 working days).
Our gift vouchers are redeemable within 48 hours from purchase.
If you'd like to purchase a voucher for an option that's not available, please contact us on enquiries@thewaterhouseproject.com
At check out please enter the address you wish us to send your voucher to.
Our kitchen
Since January 2020 we have partnered with family-run kitchen design firm, Hi-Spec Design.
Hi-Spec Design was established in 1993 by Frank Saffari in rural Northumberland. Frank, with a long engineering background began developing unique work surfaces from his farmyard work shop.
Today the company continue to push design boundaries and source the latest products from manufacturers across Europe, ensuring their clients have access to the broadest range of materials, new design features and appliance technology.
Gabriel Waterhouse
Gabriel’s career in the kitchen began at 23 shortly after completing a degree in Philosophy. Now cooking professionally for 12 years, he has worked under the Galvin brothers at Galvin La Chapelle, Herbert Berger at Inn Holders Hall as well as stages at Lyle’s, The Clove Club, The Ritz and Raymond Blancs Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons. Self taught and learning on the job, Gabriel started hosting pop-ups from his East London flat, whilst working at La Chapelle. Twice a week he welcomed strangers into his home, using this unique opportunity to develop his food style and acute understanding of flavour. The sell out events grew and evolved, laying the foundations for what is now The Water House Project.
Gabriel’s food is rooted in classical French cooking, having gained insight from his time working under Jeff and Chris Galvin, Warren Geraghty and Herbert Berger. He takes influence from his Northumbrian heritage, a region with parallels to the Nordic countries, as well as traditional techniques from Japan. Preservation methods such as fermentation, drying and pickling play pivotal roles in Gabriel’s cooking, adding complexity and depth of flavour throughout the changing seasons.
Growing up in rural Northumberland, proximity to nature influenced and continues to inspire Gabriels ethos and food practices. Meat is used both minimally and mindfully, putting to good use every part of an animal or ingredient and working directly with small scale, ethical producers and sustainable sources. Emphasis is placed on the combination of complimentary seasonal flavours, staying true to the notion that a dish should always be greater than the sum of its parts.
The focus of Gabriel’s food is never on the protein but on the dish as a whole. Every plated element serves it’s purpose.
