Menuwatch: The Water House Project, Bethnal Green, London

Instead of just being given food to eat, at the Water House Project guests are given a dining experience. The kitchen islands act as a stage and the staff are players in the show – chefs double as front of house to serve and, when each dish is presented, they will describe each ingredient and cooking process with knowledge and passion. "The person who's telling you about each dish is likely to be a person who's actually cooked it, which is quite special," says Waterhouse.

In a course from the spring menu of calçots, Lincolnshire Poacher, dill and apple vinegar, diners are advised to use a spoon to fully enjoy the cheese sauce poured on top in front of them, while for dessert one of the chefs says it's better to eat all the elements of smoked ricotta, fermented blackcurrants and granola together, as the fruit can be quite salty and the ricotta provides balance.

The menu changes every season and the chefs have just held a tasting of the summer menu. "We work from the vegetables up to the proteins," says Waterhouse, "So it's about the flavour combinations that we pair those with."

For example, Waterhouse makes a tomato consommé by macerating vine tomatoes with garlic, thyme, basil and tarragon, hung in a muslin cloth for 24 hours, with the clear liquid collected below. This is served with blanched and diced lobster dressed with spring onion, pickled peach and tarragon oil.

"We use the crippled lobsters – they're the ones that don't usually get sold in restaurants because they're not perfect," adds Waterhouse.

It's important to the team to be environmentally friendly, which is easier when they know how many diners will be coming for each sitting as it drastically cuts down on food waste. Even the lobster shells are roasted to make lobster oil to finish the dish, alongside Thai basil and a makrut lime gel.

Focusing on the greens makes it easier to provide for vegetarians where needed, swapping out the meat or fish for vegetables – in this case lobster for baby leeks.

The dishes have an almost Nordic feel, but Waterhouse says that he simply aims to present ingredients in a beautiful, natural manner without them being overworked. "I was brought up in Northumberland, which is a rural, kind of wild place, and I think that influences my style of cooking as I like things to be presented on a plate in a kind of natural beauty."

The plate of Herdwick lamb, aubergine, lamb jus, peas, broad beans and radish shows this, in rich tones of brown and green. Waterhouse has used Herdwick lamb from the Lake District since he worked for the Galvin brothers at Galvin La Chapelle as chef de partie. In this dish he uses the chump, served pink, and the belly, slowly braised. It is served with an aubergine and cumin purée, a lamb jus infused with mint, rosemary and garlic, and finished with fresh peas and broad beans. A black garlic purée brings a sweet, caramelised flavour and an English muffin with rosemary and thyme is given to mop up the juices.

The price of the menu includes a wine pairing, which Waterhouse and his team select with each new season, with an emphasis on small-scale producers and low-intervention.

"I'm not someone who knows a huge amount about wine, but just from a personal palate perspective, I find that style of wine more interesting," says Waterhouse. A dessert of strawberries, Baron Bigod cheese, sweet cicely, fennel and vanilla salt pairs with a glass of Sauvignon Dulce as a sweet finish to the meal.

The Water House Project has never stopped evolving on its path from pop-up to restaurant. In its younger days, Waterhouse referred to his concept as "social fine dining", where customers meet each other, but now diners have more space to dine in groups. What's next? He can't say, but there's a bright future ahead.

1 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

www.thewaterhouseproject.com