Food
CAFE DELIGHT
This delightful cafe has something for just about everyone, from fry-ups and pancakes to burgers and salads, as well as caff classics like chicken escalope, lasagna and jacket potatoes. It’s light on the wallet and generous on the service, and is perfect for a solo bite and a milkshake.
Looking for a bit of luxury with your Sunday roast? Claridge’s Restaurant delivers it and then some. The menu offers a modern twist on the classics, with starters like ham hock terrine with pickles and brioche, French onion soup, and seabass & crab fishcake with tartare sauce. You’ve got plenty of options for the main event, including Norfolk black leg chicken with truffle stuffing, roasted rib of beef with horseradish purée and Yorkshire pud, porchetta with burnt apple purée, and celeriac & mushroom pithivier. Sides come for the table so you get plenty of roasties, glazed carrots, seasonal greens, cauliflower cheese and gravy too. And if you’ve still got room, indulge in a baked meringue tart or apple crumble with ice cream and custard, served family style. Given it’s the flagship restaurant of a five-star hotel, the service is exceptional – it’s the definition of hospitality – so prepare for a very special Sunday.
MORCHELLA
Perilla has been a fave of ours since it opened on Newington Green in 2016, so any follow-up restaurant from the team was always going to be big news (and come with big expectations). Happily Morchella, open on the site of an old bank just off Exmouth Market more than meets them. If Perilla’s interiors are stripped back – literally to the plaster – then Morchella’s are pared back, with soft tones, parquet floors and beautiful burnt orange chandeliers creating a familial bond between the two restaurants. There is one identical feature, the menu and cutlery are sequestered in drawers inside the table, which has become something of a signature over in Stokey. The two restaurants diverge more clearly on the menus, with Morchella having much more of a Mediterranean slant than the pan-European offering at Perilla, with dishes like cigars of spanakopita; salt cod churros with chunky romesco; scallop and wafer thin slices of cauliflower mushroom; hake covered in a luscious sobrasada sauce; and white monkfish atop cuttlefish, finely chopped to mimic the texture of grains and swirled into its own ink, creating an arroz negro minus the arroz.
BOUCHON RACINE
In Bouchon Racine in Farringdon, Henry Harris has created a gem of a place, along with co-owner and GM Dave Strauss. The menu is loosely based on Henry’s legendary Knightsbridge restaurant, Racine, which closed back in 2014 and that basically means classic, rich French dishes delivered with absolute aplomb. There’s a big chalkboard menu includes the likes of egg mayonnaise and salty Cantabrian anchovies; fatty middle white pork belly rillons served on a bed of simple salad with vinaigrette; roast rabbit dish with mustard sauce and bacon; confit lamb with wild mushrooms on a bed of mogette beans; and some big sharing steaks and chops if you’re feeling hungry. Do not miss out on the excellent chips and the insanely-good creamed spinach spiked with foie gras either. And for dessert, there’s a must-order creme caramel that’s out of this world.
Burmese food isn’t exactly easy to come by in London, but there are a couple of gems to seek out – one of which is the unassuming Cafe Mandalay. Located on the back streets of Old Street, Cafe Mandalay just looks like your regular cafe, and it does still in fact turn out English breakfasts and sandwiches. Ask for the Burmese food menu, however, and you’re in for a treat. They do an excellent lahpet (tea leaf salad), ginger salad, smoked fish curry, chicken coconut noodles, Shan noodles and much more. It’s fresh, authentic and delicious and there’s only one dish on the entire menu above £10, a chicken biryani at a frankly still bargain price of £12. Note it’s only open for breakfast and lunch until 3pm.
THE PRINCE ARTHUR
The Prince Arthur really is a brilliant neighbourhood pub. A lovely corner site on a quiet residential road just north of London Fields, it’s got all the old charm of proper boozer with the big curved wooden bar, rickety old tables, green banquettes, fireplaces, and regular live music. The pub has had a great run of kitchen residencies, from Hot 4 U in the early post-lockdown period, followed by chef Vivienne Westwood, and now Joe Couldridge from Stokey’s The Clarence Tavern has taken over the kitchen.The menu switches up fairly regularly, with a short selection of small plates, three larger dishes, and a few specials always on offer, but if you see the crispy polenta fries; veal sweetbreads; pickled beetroot, pesto, caramelised Roscoff onion and watercress tart; and fresh-from-the-oven madeleines served with lemon curd, order them.
SILK ROAD
Located on Camberwell Church Street (now just one door down from its original location) Silk Road is one of the most popular spots in the area. And for good reason as it’s got to be one of the cheapest yet most delicious Chinese restaurants in London. You can spend ages in there with a big group, ordering all the food and drinking all the beers, and it’s somehow impossible to ever spend more than £15 a head. It specialises in food from the Xinjiang region and if you don’t order the smacked cucumber salad, the lamb fat skewers, the big plate chicken and the pork dumplings then you’re doing it all wrong.
YIQI
Given the trend for regional Chinese and Thai restaurants in London in recent years, its ben a while since a new place describing itself as Pan-Asian came along. But that’s what we have with YiQi, a smart new spot on Lisle Street in Chinatown, from business partners Kevin Cheong and Keng Yew, together with Stanley Lum, who was previously at Hakkasan. The menu features his take on favourite handpicked dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and mainland China, and although you might think it’s hard to pull all that off, everything is done very well indeed. Favourites include the Singaporean-style oyster omelette; stir fried clams with tangy kam heong sauce; and winged bean minced chicken fried with Thai basil. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty big menu and there’s loads on there worth a go, including house speciality seafood like skate with yuzu chilli spicy sauce, and bamboo tube rice with seafood curry. Then there’s the intriguing ‘Wagyu Mousse’ for dessert. All in all, YiQi is a great new spot for Chinatown and well worth checking out.
THE TAMIL CROWN
The Tamil Prince opened in Islington last year when an ex-Roti King duo, chef Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson, took over and reinvented a Barnsbury pub. It was – and is – a total hit, so it’s no surprise that the team were quick to expand. The Tamil Crown is the name of the second site and like the original, it’s doing food from the Tamil Nadu region of India, it’s inside a pub and it’s in Islington, this time the other side of Upper Street, close to Angel. The menu at The Tamil Crown, once you’ve been able to read it (the lighting in the upstairs dining room is incredibly low), is similar to the one that’s turned the OG into such a favourite, with the addition of some exclusive dishes, like the moreish lime leaf-roasted chicken and pineapple chutney; rich beef masala on a spongy, crispy-bottomed uttapam with a punchy coconut chutney; and mango sambar. The regulars shouldn’t be overlooked though, especially the gloriously craggy onion bhajis, and the Chettinad lamb and Thanjavur chicken curries, both laced with curry leaves and whole chillies. And a word on the roti, it’s superlative, maybe the best in London, which is appropriate considering the founders’ Roti King backgrounds. Order one each, and then order another because you won’t want to leave a drop of sauce unmopped.
INÉ
Mayfair to Hampstead might not be the most obvious route for a restaurant group’s expansion (you’d expect it to be the other way around) – but that’s what the team behind Taku Mayfair has done with INÉ. The restaurant opened in Hampstead at the end of last year, bringing Japanese fine dining to the North London neighbourhood. Looks-wise, it’s very Japanese inside – extremely minimalist with lots of natural wood and booth seating behind an eight-seater omakase counter. Omakase is served at particular times throughout the day and is £100 for 15 courses, otherwise, there’s an a la carte and an INÉ special menu to choose from. Whichever route you go down, you’re getting a blend of the Edomae style showcased at the Michelin-starred Taku and more contemporary influences. The sushi here is top quality, particularly the sashimi selection, the botan ebi nigiri and the tuna nigiri set, and the octopus karaage, hamachi carpaccio and wagyu katsu sando shouldn’t be missed.
BIG NIGHT
At Big Night in Hackney, the Stanley Tucci- and Japanese yakitori izakaya–inspired, late-night restaurant, chefs Joshua Ralphs and Jack O’ Connor, where they put British-ish produce on sticks and grill them over charcoal. The skewers, including inner chicken thigh and spring onion; pork with spicy Thai mustard; lamb heart and kidney with XO sauce; beetroot, daikon and shallot; squash and black bean; and Chinese tahini-topped fermented sprouts, are at the heart of the Big Night experience but the pickled mussels and smoked greens are not to be missed either. Don’t leave without digging into the very wobbly and very lovely crème tea caramel. With a killer soundtrack, a sprinkle of madness and a few vodka shots, Big Night delivers big vibes.
GRASSO
Founded by Seanie Grasso, whose mum’s family went from Syracuse in Sicily to NYC to London, Grasso in Soho is a proper, family-run Italian-American joint. Little Italy faves dominate the menu, including the signature dish of mom’s spaghetti and meatballs (made to the original family recipe), shrimp cocktail, mozzarella sticks with nduja and wild honey, penne alla vodka, tagliatelle alfredo, lobster linguine, and chicken parm. Grasso also slings pizzas, made with an in-house two-day dough technique, with toppings like vodka sauce, meatballs, fennel sausage and eggplant parm. Add on a couple of Brooklyn’s G&Ts or Cherry Coke Long Island Iced Teas and you’ve got yourself a good time.
BÉBÉ BOB
There’s lots of places to get chicken in London but none are as glamorous as Bébé Bob, the rotisserie chicken-focused spin-off restaurant from Bob Bob Ricard. The Golden Square spot is filled with Art Deco detailing, geometric patterned carpets, a circular bar with a gold granite top, and a red and blue colour scheme. You can’t visit a Bob Bob joint without a glass of champagne (there are no ‘press for champagne’ buttons here though, so you have to ask for it the old fashioned way), which is the perfect accompaniment to classic starters like caviar, egg mayonnaise with anchovy and prawn cocktail. Chicken is at the heart of the menu, with Vendée or Landes birds from France being the main choice you have to make, and it’s served tableside along with the most gorgeous chicken jus – not that you need it because this chicken is seriously juicy and tender. If you’re doing Sunday lunch, you can order up chicken fat roast potatoes, roast carrots and parsnips, sautéed kale, and an indulgent truffle cauliflower cheese on the side, and you won’t wanna miss out on the honey cake for pudding either.
ALLEY CATS
Alley Cats is bringing a bit of the Big Apple to London with exposed brick, red and white gingham tablecloths and Italian-American inspired thin crust pizzas. Sicilian Head Chef Francesco Macri makes use of quality Southern Italian ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from Campania and aged mozzarella from Molise, for his 14-inch pizzas, which come with toppings such as smoked pepperoni, aged mozzarella, tomato sauce, habanero and honey; fennel sausage, tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, pancetta, red onion and pecorino flakes; creamy vodka tomato sauce, aged mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella; and wild mushrooms, aged mozzarella, taleggio, red onion jam and fried sage. If you’ve got an American-sized appetite, you can bookend your pizzas with cheese & garlic bread knots, meatballs in slow-cooked tomato sauce, loaded vanilla soft serve, and tiramisu topped with hazelnuts, salted peanuts and pistachios.
BANH
If you’re after an affordable and delicious lunch in Dalston, you won’t go wrong at Banh. They specialise in handmade bánh mì, but they’ve also got a selection of custard or pork-filled Vietnamese buns if you want something to go with your sandwich. There are eight types of bánh mì on offer here, including veggie and vegan options, but they only make a limited number each day, so get down there early if you wanna guarantee getting your hands on one.
ORIGIN CITY
Opened by the same family team behind wine bar and shop 56 West Smithfield, Farringdon restaurant Origin City is an expression of their love for British fine dining, Scottish produce and the Provençal way of life, with a menu that showcases pasture-to-plate and nose-to-tail dining. All of the meat used at Origin City, including many heritage breeds, comes from the owners’ organic farm in Argyll in Scotland and it’s butchered in house, so whether you go for the Texel lamb, Tamworth pork or Black Angus beef (or all three if you’re feeling particularly hungry/ambitious) for your roast, you can be sure it’s going to be top quality. All the roasts are served with Yorkshire pudding, beef-dripping potatoes, glazed heritage carrots, sprouts and cauliflower cheese, and there’s sticky toffee pudding on the dessert menu so you’ll want to leave room for that too. If you’re looking for somewhere to take your parents for Sunday lunch, Origin City is the spot.
BAR DES PRES
As you’d expect from a Parisian import, Bar des Pres is one chic place to spend an evening. The bar and restaurant is sleek and glamorous (the Art Deco bar downstairs is also a looker) and the elegant food matches it perfectly. Chef Cyril Lignac showcases his Franco-East Asian style, and a fair bit of technique, with dishes like salmon, crispy rice and chipotle mayo; crab and avocado galette with madras curry; lobster roll with avo and baby gem; and satay beef fillet with lime condiment. There’s also more traditional Japanese sushi and sashimi on offer and if you’re a fan of classic French puds, you can indulge in profiteroles with vanilla ice cream, chantilly cream and chocolate sauce and vanilla & praline millefeuille.
THE COLONY GRILL ROOM
Need to book a brunch fit for a special occasion? You’ve got to go for The Colony Grill Room, full stop. This gloriously 1920s-esque restaurant sits at the heart of Mayfair’s Art Deco Beaumont Hotel, and has a brunch menu that’s every bit as thought out as their lunch and dinner offerings. Here, you’ll find all your favourites, but with a glamorous, old New York City twist that The Colony Grill Room does so well. Kick things off with a classic cocktail – i.e. make the tough choice between a mimosa or bloody mary – paired with a snack (the chickpea fries with jalapeno ketchup are a particular highlight). Then, for the main event, go for eggs (done all ways, Benedict, Royale, Florentine, etc.), pancakes or French toast for something sweet, or a full English if you’re feeling hungry. And, for that extra bit of luxury, add on some caviar and oysters too – when in Mayfair, right?