Toklas
Temple, London
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*Chris Shaw has been promoted from senior sous-chef to head chef. Watch for a new review coming soon.*
Named after avant-garde food writer Alice B Toklas, this is what happens when the founders of the Frieze Art Fair set up an eatery. Restaurant design doesn’t get much cooler than concrete walls, a plant-filled terrace, mid-century chairs, and a big bold Wolfgang Tillmans exhibit. The setting is a 1970s brutalist building, now cultural centre 180 The Strand – prepare for people-watching par excellence. There’s effortless elegance on the table too, in pink radicchio leaves torn and scattered with hazelnuts and orange, plates of salted almonds or crisp panisse with sage to nibble with a classic negroni – or fresh pappardelle anointed with a rich rabbit ragù. Not here, however, the more provocative examples of Toklas’s oeuvre – hashish fudge is notably absent; instead, there's a suggestion of her savoir vivre and love of the sun-drenched French south. Red mullet with mussels, monk's beard and tomatoes, for example, or sardines with lemon, mint and capers, or warm quince frangipane tart. On the wine list, there are some fine examples from France, Italy, and Spain, but with comparatively few under £40. Toklas Café & Bakery next door is a local destination in its own right.
