Food
Having started out in a railway arch underneath Manchester Piccadilly station in 2017, Pollen moved to a new cafe space in New Islington Marina in 2018, and then opened a second cafe at the centrally located KAMPUS building in 2022 in order to meet the growing demand. All Pollen’s sourdough loaves use naturally occurring yeasts and are slow fermented over 28 hours, allowing flavour and nutrients to develop – it’s a damn fine loaf. There’s lots of delicious things on toast, as well as sublime bacon rolls, and of course a an amazing display of pastries that’ll have you pressing your face up to the glass like a small child. Don’t miss the cinnamon roll or the weekly-changing cruffin line up.
Erst is the epitome of assured, confident cooking, the type that happens when you’ve got both killer ingredients and the know-how to show them off to their best. That means you get golden olive oil-drenched wedges of mozzarella and Cantabrian anchovies alongside plump Carlingford oysters and a rich spiced lamb shoulder, courgette and farro dish made for autumn in the North West. Both the tomato flatbread and the deeply funky beef fat and fermented onion flatbread; and the vegan beetroot with ajo blanco that had us dipping spoons back into the sauce several times, were particular highlights on our visit. Wine is just as central to the Erst operation as the food, with a cracking list of around 40 bottles, mostly low-intervention wines from Europe. If you’re anywhere in the Manchester area, do yourself a favour and stop by.
THE EARL OF DERBY
Telegraph Hill boozer the Earl of Derby has got a new lease of life, being completely revamped and restored to the much-loved neighbourhood pub it once was. It’s part of the Parched group, run by four friends who own a collection of small, independent South London pubs including The White Horse in Peckham and Grove House Tavern in Camberwell. Behind the bar, The Earl of Derby is championing locals, offering beers from nearby breweries like Gipsy Hill Brewery and Brockley Brewery alongside low-intervention British vineyard organic wines. Heading up the kitchen is chef duo George Genn and Laurence Pengelly, who were former chefs at Brockley’s busy brunch spot Good as Gold. Coming together to form ‘Gengelly’s’, the pair serves up inventive takes on trad dishes, like the leek bhaji with brinjal chutney and the Yorkshire tea ice cream & warm whiskey sauce with crumble. There’s also a Sunday roast offering too. The Earl of Derby is already a big hit with the locals, and we predict it will only become more popular as time goes on. A trusty pub in the heart of a South London neighbourhood, what’s not to love?
If the dumpling cravings strike during a designer shopping trip, the new Dim Sum Terrace at Harrods is the perfect place to go. Taking over one of only two terraces at the department store, the all-day restaurant on the fourth floor has a conservatory area and an outdoor space with awnings – if the weather is good, it’s a lovely sundowner spot with a cocktail in hand. Handmade dumplings and other dim sum dishes are the order of the day, with the likes of pork xiao long bao, turnip cake with XO sauce, duck spring rolls with hoi sin, BBQ pork char siu bao and lava custard buns on the menu. But this is Harrods so, of course, you can expect some extra high-end flourishes, like wagyu & taro croquettes topped with caviar, foie gras on scallop & prawn siu mai, and venison puffs finished with gold leaf. That means the dim sum here will set you back more than you’d pay in Chinatown, so head up to the terrace if you’re ready to splash out.
The younger but bigger of the two Padella restaurants, Padella Shoreditch, is the perfect place for some al fresco pasta thanks to its 26-cover terrace – it’s heated and covered in the rain and uncovered in the sunshine (the restaurant’s glass barriers are also retractable to really open up the space) so it works whatever the weather decides to do. The menu is packed with all the Padella classics including courgette fritti, pici cacio e pepe, pappardelle with 8-hour beef shin ragu, and tiramisu, and if you like an early dinner, you can get the famous negronis for just £2 between 5pm – 6.30pm, Monday – Friday.
A fave over in LA where it first hatched, Eggslut has properly established itself in London with sites in Notting Hill, Fitzrovia, Shoreditch and Victoria. It’s all about egg sandwiches here (there’s a big fat clue in the name), although the signature Slut, a coddled egg on a potato purée, poached in a glass jar, topped with gray salt and chives, is not to be missed. Sarnie-wise, the Fairfax is for all you scramble fans, with cheddar, caramelised onions and sriracha mayo joining the soft eggs in a brioche bun, and the Sausage, Egg & Cheese, with house-made turkey sausage, over-medium egg, cheddar and honey mustard aioli in a brioche bun, is always a winner too. A side of truffle hash browns and some fresh OJ and you’ve got a brekkie that’s good enough to eat all day long.
THE TAMIL PRINCE
The Tamil Prince sits on a quiet street in a residential part of Islington, having taken over a whitewashed corner pub building that was previously called the Cuckoo. Despite the sleepy surroundings, this pub really packs a punch. It was completely reinvented by ex-Roti King duo Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson and now serves up an acclaimed menu inspired by Prince’s childhood home of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Start off with small plates such as okra fries, onion bhaji with mint chutney and spiced chicken lollipops with sweet chilli chutney, followed by an exceptional king prawn & curry leaf varuval, or maybe the masala-marinated tawa whole sea bream. If you’re in the mood for dessert, don’t miss the gulab jamun (sweet, fragrant fried dumplings) and you’ll wanna have at *least* one of their signature cocktails (the Tamil Negroni is killer). Whatever you end up picking, we’re confident you won’t be disappointed.
THE 10 CASES
This unpretentious bistro is centered around an accessible, fun and regularly changing wine list that features 10 reds and 10 whites (plus fizz and rosé), all of which are available by the glass, carafe or bottle. The team really make an effort to keep the list fresh – no wine has been listed twice in all the time The 10 Cases has been open – so it’s the perfect spot for trying something new. You can pair your vino with French-European bistro fare like comté gougères, pan-fried grey mullet with artichoke barigoule, steak frites & peppercorn sauce, and lemon tart. The wine bar, shop and cellar next door switches things up again with the wine offering – there are 16+ regularly-changing fine wines by the glass and more than 300 bottles available to takeaway or drink-in (with corkage).
THE MELUSINE
From the same duo behind the (now closed) Greek Larder, Theodore Kyriakou and Wade Munford, The Melusine is a seafood restaurant centred around a menu of exceptional quality fish and shellfish. Located inside the Grade II-listed Ivory House, the restaurant is bright and airy, with an open kitchen that serves up the likes of grilled cuttlefish, new season lamb, garlic flower tzatziki, chickpeas and capers; whole octopus tentacle, fava, capers, mesclun leaves and citrus dressing; crab risotto with melon seeds and fennel top; taramasalata, breakfast radishes, watercress, and squid ink shallots; and a raw selection including rock and native oysters, clams and crab.
BISTRO BARDOT
Located in a historic, 19th-century pub, Bistro Bardot (as the name suggests) is a bistro serving up a menu of classic French dishes. The pub sits just next to Wapping Gardens, so they have a pretty idyllic terrace complete with tasselled umbrellas and plenty of greenery. Indoors, the renovated interior is chic and welcoming, with deep teal walls and candlelit tables. Expect to find the likes of duck & pistachio paté en croute, escargot, ratatouille, beef bourguignon and a selection of French cheeses on the menu. They’re open in the evenings most days, but on Sundays, they offer a breakfast menu as well as a bottomless brunch option, so you can sip on Bloody Marys for 60 minutes straight while you tuck into some eggs royale.
Slurp Noodles is a sure thing if you’re looking for South East Asian street food in London. There’s a great mix of authentic small and larger dishes on the menu, including quail egg fried wontons, fried tofu with sweet chilli peanut sauce and various meats with rice (char siu pork, Hainan chicken and braised pork leg). Of course, there are noodles too, choose from banmian with char siu pork and wonton, ho fun noodle soup, five spice noodle soup with pork or beef, clear noodle soup with roasted pork or clear noodle soup with chicken. Small side note, their website is a bit… dodgy – head to their Insta instead.
URBAN BARISTAS
Urban Baristas have locations all over the city, but Wapping was officially their first sit-in cafe and where they started serving up their Aussie brunch when the site launched back in 2017. As well as a comprehensive selection of specialty coffees, you can grab smoothies, something from the ‘avo toast bar’ and a range of brunch dishes at the weekend.
WAPPING DOCKLANDS MARKET
The Wapping Docklands Market is open every Saturday, located along the edge of the Shadwell Basin. As well as stalls packed with fresh produce, there are indie brands selling specialty coffee, flowers, wellness products, fresh bread, cheese, craft German beers, wine, cocktails and more. Plus, there’s seating for up to 100 people, live music and a range of street food vendors so you can really make a day of it.
DINNER FOR ONE HUNDRED
Founded by pizza chef Jake and London bus tour guide Jacob as a community dinner for one hundred people (hence the name), the pair turned the biz into a regular operation during the pandemic, slinging pizzas in a front garden and then as a pop-up at the Hill Station Cafe in Telegraph Hill. D4100 pizzas went down so well that the Telegraph Hill space is now permanent (they’re also doing pizzas at The Perseverance pub in Bloomsbury), so head down for a Macgyver (tomato, mozzarella, chorizo, whipped feta, hot honey, crushed fennel seeds), a Kevin (tomato, mozzarella, pancetta, leek, basil) or a Gianluca (tomato, mozzarella, basil, mushroom, olive) al fresco.
BRILLIANT CORNERS
Listening bars and audio-focused restaurants have gone through a renaissance in London but Dalston’s Brilliant Corners was one of the first to do it, opening way back in 2013. The Kingsland Road spot specialises in Japanese small plates, live jazz and DJ sets. The sound system is world class and there are always expert selectors passing through, so music fans are in for a treat. The food and drink offering is just as good, with izakaya-inspired plates like tuna maki, beef tataki, tofu korokke with miso aioli, chicken karaage and sashimi moriawase with ponzu on the menu, complemented by mezcal margs, miso highballs and natural wines.
EAT OF EDEN
If you’re after vegan food in Brixton, you wanna head to Eat of Eden, whose menu of Caribbean plant-based dishes has made them so popular that they’ve been able to expand with two more branches in Clapham and Lewisham. They’re known for their platters, which you can build yourself from the selection of curries, stews, rice and salads. Go for a mini platter (£13.95 for five items), an Eden platter (£19.50 for seven items) or a shared platter (£32 for 12 items) and settle into the Brixton Village patio (you might be here for a while). Expect affordable options and big portions – be careful not to fill up on the jerk jackfruit bites.
ENISH
A branch of the prolific group (they’ve got eight other branches in London, as well as two in Dubai), Enish Brixton is a bustling Nigerian restaurant with an extensive menu of authentic dishes. They’ve got all the classics, including the likes of jollof rice, ogbono soup (with or without swallows), fried plantain, yam porridge, a range of suyas as well as various other meats and fish from the grill. Aside from the food, they’ve got a regular programme of live music and DJs – you’re not gonna be bored with a night out at Enish.
THE DRAPERS ARMS
This Islington pub boasts one of the best Sunday roasts in London but there’s lots to enjoy at The Drapers Arms for the other six days of the week. The bar is stocked with craft ales and lagers, there’s an excellent wine list with a heavy focus on European bottles, and the daily changing menu is filled with great gastropub dishes, such as red prawns, fennel & bisque, Toulouse sausages with lentils & mustard dressing, whole megrim sole with brown butter & brown shrimps, and mixed berry fool with raspberry coulis & shortbread. The smart dining room is the perfect place for a long lunch and if the sun is shining, you can’t beat a pint or two out in the garden.