Welcome to The Water House Project
We are a British tasting menu experience in Bethnal Green, East London.
Opened in Autumn 2021 by Chef Gabriel Waterhouse and Patricia Wakaimba,
the restaurant was created to bridge the elegance of fine dining with a more relaxed, genuinely welcoming atmosphere.
We serve a seasonally evolving tasting menu, inspired by ingredients sourced across the British Isles and shaped by the rhythms of the seasons.
Our cooking reflects a thoughtful, responsible approach to sourcing.
We use small amounts of ethically and sustainably reared meat and fish,
and work closely with suppliers who share our values.
Alongside the menu, we offer carefully considered drink pairings: wines from small-scale producers, or a non-alcoholic pairing of teas, tonics and ferments made by our kitchen team.
Each service consists of a single tasting menu with one seating,
creating an experience similar to an expanded chef’s table,
allowing the evening to unfold at a shared, unhurried pace.
Our Menus
Discovery menu - £90pp
Typically 11 servings
Wednesday 7pm & Saturday 1pm
Signature menu - £115pp
Typically 14 servings
Thursday - Saturday 7pm
Wine Pairings
Our wine pairings are designed to be approachable and thoughtful, selected to complement each course of the menu.
Chosen afresh for every new menu, they highlight balance, seasonality and a sense of place, with wines sourced from small-scale producers.
Non-Alcoholic Infusions
Our non-alcoholic pairings are created in-house by our kitchen team. Through foraging, fermentation, pickling and preservation, we produce a changing selection of infusions that mirror and enhance the flavours and textures on the menu.
Wine List
Our wine list, separate from the pairings, is carefully curated in collaboration with our friend and Master of Wine, Jonny Orton.
Corkage
We charge £45 per 750ml bottle.
Dietary Requirements
With advance notice, we are happy to provide vegetarian
and pescatarian menus, and can accommodate nut allergies
and gluten intolerances.
Due to the nature of our cooking, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate vegan diets, dairy allergies or intolerances,
or intolerances to onion and garlic.
Non-Dairy Diets
Dairy is integral to almost all aspects of our menu.
For this reason, we are unable to accommodate dairy allergies
or intolerances, or to omit dairy from individual dishes.
We take great care and pride in the food we create, serving dishes without these elements would not be a true representation of our cooking or the experience we aim to offer.
Cancellations
As a small restaurant, late cancellations have a significant impact on both our business, and the experience we create. For this reason, we operate a five-day cancellation policy.
Cancellations made within five days of your reservation will incur a cancellation fee. If we are able to reallocate your reserved places, we will of course refund the deposit fee.
If you need to cancel or amend your booking, we kindly ask that you let us know as soon as possible, allowing us the best chance to offer your places to other guests.
If your party arrives with fewer guests than booked, and without prior notice, the cancellation policy will apply to the number of guests unable to attend, as this prevents others from being able to reserve those seats.
Please note that we are unable to make exceptions to this policy, including for COVID-related cancellations.
Group Bookings
Where possible, we can accommodate groups of 7 – 8 guests on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, as well as Saturday lunch.
Please email us at enquiries@thewaterhouseproject.com
to check availability.
Full payment is required at the time of booking for larger groups.
For groups of more than 8 guests, we offer private dining.
Private Dining
Our space is available for private hire, offering an intimate and bespoke way to experience our tasting menus.
Blending the precision of fine dining with a relaxed,
warm and welcoming atmosphere, our home provides a unique and memorable setting for special occasions,
and gatherings with friends, family or colleagues.
We can accommodate up to 38 seated guests.
To discuss our private dining options, please email us with your requirements at: privatedining@thewaterhouseproject.com
Gift Vouchers
Our gift vouchers offer a thoughtful way to gift an experience,
inviting guests to enjoy an evening or an afternoon with us.
Vouchers are valid for one year from the date of purchase and can be redeemed directly through our website.
Each purchase includes both a digital and a physical voucher,
which will be sent to the address provided at checkout.
Vouchers are redeemable 48 hours after purchase.
If you would like to purchase a voucher for an option not currently available online, please contact us at enquiries@thewaterhouseproject.com for a customised option.
(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.
