Food
THE CULPEPER
The Culpeper is an East End boozer with a difference. The menu here, for the roast and otherwise, is heavily focused on sustainability and their produce is locally sourced from minimal intervention and regenerative farms. They even get some of the herbs used from their own rooftop garden – it doesn’t get much more local than that. Highlights from the Sunday menu include the burrata, wild nettle, pickled kohlrabi, nuts; broccoli hummus, crispy chickpeas, radish, croutons; bavette, horseradish cream with *that* Pommes Anna; and golden beetroot, mushroom, spinach & onion Wellington for the veggies. Our top tip, save room for dessert.
THE BARING
Islington isn’t lacking in great boozers but there’s always room for more, especially when they’re of the calibre of The Baring. Sustainability, seasonality and provenance are central to the operation here for both the drinks and the food and it’s a superb menu that goes beyond standard gastropub fare by effortlessly incorporating different cultural influences into the dishes. And that’s no different on Sundays, where popular starters from the a la carte menu are joined by roasts like Simmental beef bavette and Yorkshire pudding, Rhug Estate venison with creamed kale, charcoal grilled Vendée chicken with romesco sauce, and a grilled Normande beef rib for two, all served with roasties, hispi cabbage and gravy. And no, it wouldn’t be wrong to get an order of the pub’s epic chips on the side as well.
MOUNTAIN
Tomos Parry has been successfully marrying up the food of Spain and Wales for five years with Brat, at both the main restaurant in Shoreditch and the site at Climpson’s Arch in London Fields. And he continued that idea with his latest venture, Mountain, which opened on the former Byron site on Beak Street in 2023. Though the ethos here is very similar, Mountain is no carbon copy of Brat, so don’t go expecting those famous whole turbots. Instead the menu reflects a mix of his Welsh heritage and fave Spanish influences using produce from trusted suppliers in Wales and Cornwall, with dishes like raw sobrassada with honey, spider crab omelette, fresh cheese & anchovies, lobster caldereta, mutton chops, Jersey beef rib, wood-fired rice and ensaimada with hazelnut ice cream.
SUSSEX
Sussex, one of the five London restaurants from the Gladwin Brothers, is bringing a bit of the family’s West Sussex farm to Soho with the ‘Sundays From The Farm’ menu. Filled with wild, foraged and locally grown produce, it’s Sunday lunch done countryside style. For the main event, you can choose between rolled leg of lamb, beef rib on the bone with horseradish caramel jus, Saxon chicken with bread sauce, pork rack with crackling, partridge with liver parfait, and beef wellington, each of which comes loaded with trimmings, including Yorkshire puds, roasties, seasonal veggies and plenty of gravy. Richard Gladwin has curated the Sussex wine list, so you can pair your roast with a juicy vino or banish any of those Sunday morning hangovers with a Sussex Bloody Mary.
GAIA
Gaia London is located in Mayfair, just opposite the Ritz, in the building that once housed The Mayfair Club. Inside is very similar to its Dubai sister: a big, beautiful whitewashed dining room with an open kitchen and huge raw bar. The food menu is very similar too, featuring familiar Greek classics with a modern twist and, of course, 95% of them are chopped and served for you at the table – did we mention this was founded in Dubai? The standouts are the stuffed vine leaves, a spinach pie, the moussaka, the truffle potatoes and the very good sea bass steamed in a salt crust with sage and orange zest. Desserts are in the same vein, OTT and decadent, and also served tableside. As cynical as we (and most other people are about Dubai) there’s no denying Gaia is a good restaurant. We’d definitely go back and it’s much better than any other UAE imports that have come before.
KUSHI
Love kushiyaki? Then you’ll want to get down to Old Spitalfields Market and try out the skewers from Kushi. The Japanese-inspired kitchen comes from the same team behind Crunch (and is the unit next door) and centres around skewers, with the likes of chicken wings, chicken skin, smoked quail eggs, miso butter corn, lamb neck and grilled mackerel on the menu. They’re available individually, ranging from £2 – £5 each, or you can get a meal box with skewers and sides like wasabi sweet potato mash, mushroom gohan, and Japanese pickles for £12. Don’t miss the okonomiyaki waffle either.
AKARA
Akara is the new, more casual sister restaurants to Akoko, the West African fine dining spot in Fitzrovia which we were very impressed by when we visited back in 2021. For Akara, owner Aji Akokomi has taken the same modern approach to West African cuisine that made Akoko so popular and distilled into a more everyday, approachable package with a short a la carte menu of snacks and larger plates rather than an intricate tasting menu set up. Though it’s more casual in its look and menu, Akara is still aiming for a certain level of refined experience – call it causal plus. You have to start with the eponymous akaras, crispy black-eye bean fritters that are almost like little doughnuts, cut down the middle and stuffed with fish, meat or vegetables but the rice pancakes served with a black eye bean hummus, spicy BBQ maitake mushroom, grilled fillet of pollock with yassa caramelised onion and lemon sauce, efik rice with slithers of BBQ mackerel, and tamarind date cake dressed in a boozy rum and pineapple sauce and a dollop of tonka bean cream are not to be missed either. With a prime location in Borough Market, punchy flavour-packed dishes, and that lovely minimalist dining room, this is becoming one of our go-to Borough spots.
ACME FIRE CULT
Acme Fire Cult, the live fire kitchen from Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins, is putting its own spin on the classic Sunday roast. Expect grilled and smoked meats, as well as innovative veg-led plates, all designed to be shared feasting-style. Kick things off with a coffee (it’s Sunday morning after all) and by coffee, we of course mean the coffee kombucha (made using next-door neighbour Dusty Knuckle’s coffee grounds) and bourbon cocktail. Then, split some small plates like char siu beetroots, coal roast leeks and cauliflower ‘Aslam’s Butter’-style before diving into the main event: the grilled and smoked meats platter. Inspired by Dalston’s Turkish food culture, this is Acme’s answer to Blacklock’s ‘All In’, featuring a whole lotta meat on bread with delicious dips.
After finding success in Ancoats in Manchester, Rudy’s Pizza, which specialises in Neapolitan-style pies, has expanded beyond its home with additional sites across the north and three pizzerias in London, in Soho, Tottenham Court Road and Shoreditch. The restaurants all sling pizza made with the brand’s signature 24-hour dough, made fresh daily, and topped with the finest ingredients from Naples, which are cooked for around 60 seconds to achieve that soft and airy crust – don’t forget to order a pot of ‘nduja aioli to dip it in. The menu includes classics like the Margherita, Calabrese and Capricciosa, alongside rotating specials like Triple Pepperoni and Guanciale & Pear and a short selection of starters and puds. Add on a couple of spritzes or Italian beers and you’ve got yourself a real pizza party.
CAFE KITTY
Annual arts festival Underbelly has opened the doors to its very own permanent theatre, Underbelly Boulevard, in Soho and it’s got itself a lovely in-house restaurant and cocktail bar in the shape of Cafe Kitty. It comes from the team behind Kitty Fisher’s and Cora Pearl and it has that same glamorous feel, with green velvet banquettes, soft pink walls and vintage glassware. It also has the same approach to food, offering a modern British-European menu filled with simple, comforting dishes. You could dip into the small plates section, which features crowdpleasers like cheese croquettes, steak tartare, Welsh rarebit and Caesar salad, if you just wanted a few bites before catching a show but there are larger dishes if you have time to linger. If it’s on, the chicken, bacon and leek pie is a winner, and the famous crispy potatoes from Cora Pearl are not to be missed.
SAISON
Saison, just over the hallway from his eponymous restaurant, is another of Mauro Colagreco’s three spots at Raffles London at The OWO. Here the beautiful courtyard-garden style dining room combines with a crowd pleasing menu to create a restaurant that feels more comfortable in its own skin. Expect to see dishes like duck terrine with quince chutney and grilled bread; quail with smoked chestnuts and a sharp salsify clementine vinaigrette; spit roasted rack of lamb served with confit shoulder and a pumpkin gnocchi and cavolo nero gratin on the side; wild sea bass with citrus beurre blanc and artichoke mousseline; and pear panna cotta topped with bright pink hibiscus jelly and crunchy tea shortbread biscuits. While each of Mauro’s restaurant is catering to very different needs and styles, Saison is the one that felt most enjoyable overall, taking overtly quite simple dishes and adding that twenty percent magic dust and a little subtle twist here and there to keep things interesting.
MAURO COLAGRECO AT RAFFLES LONDON AT THE OWO
Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO is just one of Mauro Colagreco’s (of the three-star Mirazur in the south of France) three restaurants at the swanky new Raffles London hotel. The interiors are very neutral and not in step with the menu, which is sharp, creative, and forward-thinking, and structured around the ‘British country garden’ showcasing seasonal fruit and veg from suppliers that he’s found around the UK. Each course on the menu highlights a key ingredient in rather opaque fashion – “carrot”, “lettuce” and so on – but this of course only tells you part of the story. The lettuce, for instance (one of our favourites) is actually grown in shipping containers in London at Crate to Plate, and comes with a beautiful vermouth sauce and chunks of smoked haddock. “Radicchio” is in fact a grilled loin of venison served with a mustard sauce and crunchy bitter leaves; and “Citrus” for dessert is a crisp ravioli shell on top of black lemon ice cream and yoghurt fontainebleau. The cooking here is excellent, with interesting dishes that challenged the norm of classical fine dining. We did leave wondering slightly what it’s intended audience was however – perhaps a bit too challenging and left-field for the regular fine dining crowd and hotel guests and, for more adventurous restaurant-fanatics maybe not quite attractive enough, especially when you consider the dining room.
THE DEVONSHIRE
The Devonshire was opened by publican Oisín Rogers, the recognisable face and name behind Mayfair’s Guinea Grill until his departure in 2022, and Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll at the end of 2023 and became an instant hit. It’s based out of a historic inn on Denman Street that dates back to 1793, with a top-quality pub downstairs and a restaurant upstairs (headed up by Ashley Palmer-Watts of The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston). The food’s all about the restaurant’s wood-ember grill – the menu includes beef chops and ribeyes, Iberico pork ribs, lamb hotpot, creel-caught langoustines, hand-dived scallops and prime day boat fish on offer – but there’s also a selection of bar food, like scotch eggs, bacon sarnies, sausage rolls and cheese & ham hock toasties. It’s also arguably got the best pints of Guinness in town, so it’s worth fighting for that spot at the bar.
BABUR
Instantly recognisable by the life-size tiger that protrudes above the door, Indian restaurant Babur has been serving up top-notch Indian food to the South East Londoners for almost 40 years now. Babur has plenty of accolades under its belt, most recently winning ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ at the 2023 Asian Restaurant Awards. Babur’s food menu includes classic dishes from all over India, elevated with the chef’s take on traditional recipes. The beetroot cutlet with spiced fennel and crispy tapioca, crab bonda dumplings with fresh mint sauce, tikka butter masala, baby monkfish tail caldeen with samba rice, and dal makhni are all winners, and the restaurant’s mango chutney (which you can enjoy with a stack of poppadoms) was deemed London’s best by podcast Off Menu, so don’t miss it.
MAMBOW
After stints at Spitalfields and Market Peckham, Abby Lee’s Malaysian concept Mambow has finally landed a proper percent spot in Clapton. And we’re very glad it has, as it’s some of the best Malaysian food you’ll find in London. It’s a fairly small one-room set up with an open kitchen and tightly packed chairs. There’s metal tables and colourful plates to give that proper street food bustle vibe, and a thumping loud soundtrack – beware if you’ve had a heavy weekend! The menu represents the broad landscape of influence and cuisine found in Singapore and Malaysia, blending Chinese with Indo-Malay ingredients, flavours and spices. Don’t miss the lor bak, crispy fried slices of pork and prawn roll served with an insanely good chilli vinegar jam; crispy otak-otak prawn toast wrapped in betel leaves; grilled banana blossom salad with sambal oelek and spicy peanuts; black pepper chicken curry, made with Sarawak black peppercorns; and Malay-style pineapple curry topped with garlic chive dumplings. To drink, there’s lots of nice natural wines, new cocktails, and soft drinks like milk tea, to stand up to that Malaysian heat.
SALTINE
Having become a local fave with Fink’s, Mat Appleton and Jess Blackstone have expanded beyond their cafes (but remained in North London) with new restaurant Saltine. It’s a beautiful space, with a back dining room flooded with light from the huge glass roof and textured walls and exposed brick and plaster contrasting with 1970s dining chairs and fun artwork by London artist Paul Kindersley. Phil Wood (ex-Spring and St. JOHN Marylebone) heads up the kitchen at Saltine and he’s knocking out some very smart seasonal dishes. The menu changes often but you can expect dishes like crispy lamb with aioli, fresh crab with fennel and pomelo, persimmon and stracciatella with rye crumb, fish stew, and some exceptional chips. The standout dish though has to be the sticky toffee apple cake, so make sure you save room for pud. Saltine is superb neighbourhood spot and with the promise of new dishes on the regs, it’s one to keep coming back to.
LAGOM
Elliot Cunningham has nailed live-fire cooking with Lagom, which is in residence at Hackney Church Brew Co, and now he’s applying his skills to the Sunday roast. As per the concept’s name, which translates to “just enough” in Swedish, the Sunday roast menu is short and sweet with the choice of smoked chicken, coal roasted beef rump, smoked pork belly and coal roasted celeriac. The meat, perfectly cooked and infused with smoke from the grill, is the real star here and the kitchen knows it because you get an absolute whopping portion – three thick slices of perfectly pink beef and a slab of pork belly, with a crispy crackling top, that’s almost half the plate’s circumference. They come with Lagom’s beloved crispy potatoes, cabbage, carrots, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and gravy, so all you need to add is a fresh pint from the brewery’s taps.
The Good Egg has long been a Stokey fave thanks to its Middle Eastern menu, inspired by Tel Aviv street food, and the Jewish delis and bagel shops in NYC and Montreal. In Stokey, the brunch menu features treats bacon & date pitas, egg & cheese bagels, shakshuka, challah French toast, and babka, and over in the Stables Market in Camden, there’s more of the same, as well as street food fave knafeh ka’ak – crisp kataifi pastry with thyme & orange syrup and lots of gooey cheese, stuffed into a sesame bagel. The Camden location is also open into the evenings, meaning you can feast on sharing plates like labneh with pumpkin seed relish, za’atar fried chicken with chilli honey, lamb shawarma with pickles & hummus and cornbread with zhoug & honey butter. There are biodynamic wines on offer but we love the sour cherry & campari spritz, and don’t leave without getting a slice of babka to go from the takeaway counter.