92 Good Food Guide restaurants supporting StreetSmart Published 13 November 2023
In partnership with hundreds of restaurants throughout the UK, StreetSmart has kicked off its 25th annual campaign to tackle homelessness. For those of us fortunate enough to enjoy dining out, a £1 addition to your bill at participating restaurants will go towards funding beds, housing, employment training and mental health support for those in need. Head to one of the Good Food Guide restaurants below to support the campaign this winter.
Glitz, glamour, dependable cooking and jaw-dropping views
With ‘incredible’ panoramic views stretching over the city to the Pennines beyond, 20 Stories can be an eye-popping experience. Literally towering above its nearest rival when it comes to sheer glitz (ahoy down there, … Read more
With ‘incredible’ panoramic views stretching over the city to the Pennines beyond, 20 Stories can be an eye-popping experience. Literally towering above its nearest rival when it comes to sheer glitz (ahoy down there, The Ivy Spinningfields!), it's got all the glamorous rooftop cocktails and golden light a socialite could wish for – with the bonus of bottomless brunches, afternoon teas and well-crafted ‘festive family roasts’ on Sundays.
The kitchen also has the chops when it comes to an à la carte menu loaded with good North Country produce and well-grounded technique – as in braised lamb shoulder with grilled heritage squash, BBQ sprouts and chestnuts or pan-roasted cod with cauliflower, fennel, orange and red wine sauce. You're paying for the food and the view, so competitively priced set lunches and pre-theatre deals are worth considering for 'well-made classics' such as seared salmon with courgettes, orzo and basil or a textbook flat iron steak with skinny fries.
Desserts are a highlight, from caramelised pear cheesecake or peach frangipane slice with apricot sorbet to the signature ‘20 Stories wonderland’.Exhibitionists will love the wine list, drawn from a collection of 600 bins stored in five Eurocave fridges – although a ‘broader range at the lower end’ would be appreciated.
Eco-conscious fire-fuelled eatery next to the 40FT Brewery
In a foodie courtyard behind Dalston Junction, the inviting smell of burning embers and charring now mingles with the aromas of hops and freshly baked loaves. Those embers are from Acme Fire Cult – a low-budget, eco-consciou… Read more
In a foodie courtyard behind Dalston Junction, the inviting smell of burning embers and charring now mingles with the aromas of hops and freshly baked loaves. Those embers are from Acme Fire Cult – a low-budget, eco-conscious eatery devoted to fire-fuelled cooking, with plenty of noise and loud music adding to the vibe and more than half the tables outside, under cover and close to the smoky action. But this isn’t just another dude-food BBQ joint: here, vegetables are elevated to a starring role, with rare-breed meats and day-boat fish providing the support acts. There’s also much use of micro-seasonal ferments and by-products from the 40FT Brewery next door – Acme even makes its own version of Marmite from leftover yeast.
The menu is a globe-straddling line-up of unorthodox but exciting modern dishes: coal-roasted leeks with pistachio and romesco are a favourite with readers (‘salty, sweet, delicious and utterly incredible’), likewise tomatoes with green goddess and sorrel. As meat and fish are introduced, you might find chunks of lamb makhani meatballs (a homely dish with ‘subtly balanced spices’) a Tamworth pork chop with mojo rojo or whole gilthead bream slathered with guanjillo chill butter. For afters, there’s usually a choice of two seasonal offerings, perhaps saffron and honey-poached pear with sesame and vanilla yoghurt.
Saturday means brunch, while on Sundays everyone piles in for the sharing platters of grilled and smoked meats piled high on dripping toast (‘it’s the only place where I’d happily be outdoor for my roast,’ commented one fan). To drink, mezcal margaritas fly out of the bar, seven taps dispense brews from 40FT and the concise wine list is a knowledgeable, well-researched slate.
* Head chef Ayo Adeyemi has left and been replaced by Alain Ducasse alumnus Mutaro Balde. Watch for a new review coming soon.*
Judging by our most recent lunchtime visit, this Fitzrovia hot spot is a restaurant on the up and up. … Read more
* Head chef Ayo Adeyemi has left and been replaced by Alain Ducasse alumnus Mutaro Balde. Watch for a new review coming soon.*
Judging by our most recent lunchtime visit, this Fitzrovia hot spot is a restaurant on the up and up. We found the warm terracotta-toned dining room almost full to capacity, with diners occupying the well-spaced tables and thronging the comfortable counter. The £55 lunch menu is appealing, but most opt for the full tasting deal (competitively priced at £120 at the time of writing), with the option of tatale (Ghanaian plantain pancakes) with goat cashew cream and Exmoor caviar available for a supplementary £35. With chef Ayo Adeyemi at the helm, the cooking is overtly complex although the concept as a whole is straightforward: West African flavours, British ingredients. Kick off with a pair of terrific openers: waina (a fermented rice pancake) with chicken liver and Senegalese yassa, followed by a deep-fried oyster with a Gambian red pepper relish. Every dish has something exciting it wants to share with us. Seared mackerel, blackened on top, but fashionably near-raw underneath, comes with Afro-Brazilian vatapa sauce and dense cubes of moi moi (steamed bean pudding), while monkfish with grilled maitake mushrooms is paired with a fresh, fruity 'sosu kaani' chilli sauce. Meat cookery is a strength, the benefits of the charcoal grill in the open kitchen highlighted in a skewer of ox tongue suya. That said, while the dishes were individually praiseworthy, the tasting menu overall lacked a little range – smoky flavours and smooth emulsions dominated. An icy clementine and goat's milk palate cleanser arrived just at the right time during our meal. The wine selection, in service to the food, wanders from Kent to Austria and on to South Africa and beyond, with a good range by the glass. A final word about the front-of-house team, who are friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Established in the mid-1980s, at a time when London was just beginning to tire of the artful conceptualism of nouvelle cuisine, Andrew Edmunds brought informal bistro dining back to one of the lesser-known back-streets of north So… Read more
Established in the mid-1980s, at a time when London was just beginning to tire of the artful conceptualism of nouvelle cuisine, Andrew Edmunds brought informal bistro dining back to one of the lesser-known back-streets of north Soho. Despite the eponymous owner's sad death in 2022, nothing much has changed: the Georgian townhouse still feels homey, with candles stuck into old Burgundy bottles on the clothed tables. The handwritten menus have moved on a little and now feature the likes of burrata with agretti in romesco, although the pulsing heart of it all is the kind of straightforward food you could cook at home, but which takes on a patina of glam when eaten out. The spring season ushers in buttered asparagus to start, while the mains deal out pork chops in mustard and skate with capers, or perhaps something a little more elevated in the shape of roast pigeon on a braise of peas and broad beans. Get your geographical bearings for desserts of Paris-Brest or New York cheesecake. Not the least attraction of the place is a legendary – and legendarily kindly priced – wine collection that boasts reference producers all over the show, including such endangered wine-list species as fine German Rieslings, mature cru Beaujolais, pedigree Californians, and a honour-roll of all the major port shippers.
It may feel a little counter-intuitive to find a seafood-leaning restaurant up in the clouds, but the ascent to the seventh floor of the South Place Hotel is worth it. It's a bracing location complete with a heated terrace and che… Read more
It may feel a little counter-intuitive to find a seafood-leaning restaurant up in the clouds, but the ascent to the seventh floor of the South Place Hotel is worth it. It's a bracing location complete with a heated terrace and chef's table, and one worth enjoying as the backdrop for a highly refined approach to contemporary cuisine. Following Gary Foulkes move to Cornus, the kitchen is now run by Craig Johnston (formerly of Marcus Belgravia) – although Foulkes is still acting as ‘consultant executive chef’ behind the scenes.
A set lunch menu is offered as an introduction to the style (think cured chalk stream trout with horseradish yoghurt and dill or smoked halibut with Maldon oyster, potato and cod’s roe), although Angler's offer also extends to an eight-course taster with stunning canapés and a manageable carte that favours spare precision over indulgence and bulk. Our first course of roast Orkney scallop was divided laterally in two, bedded on squash purée and offset with sweet caramelised onion and a dusting of powdered cep – although we thought the dish needed a little more textural bite. Following on, there was excellent balance in a centerpiece serving of perfectly steamed wild turbot in dashi stock with shards of crispy enoki mushroom and squid-ink noodles.
If meat is what's required, look to a tenderly expressive dish of squab pigeon breast with silky beetroot purée and chanterelle persillade in green peppercorn sauce. There is also great ingenuity when it comes to the dessert stage – from citrus tart matched with basil semifreddo, bergamot curd and olive-oil jelly to Provençal figs with fig-leaf ice cream and honey parfait. A wine list to suit the setting comes at unsurprisingly lofty prices, but there are good glass selections from £10.
A useful address on Kingly Street, this tiny corridor of a wine bar – high stools, tapas-style tables, a scattering of outside seating – is the place to come for a glass of wine and tasty, snacky food ranging from plat… Read more
A useful address on Kingly Street, this tiny corridor of a wine bar – high stools, tapas-style tables, a scattering of outside seating – is the place to come for a glass of wine and tasty, snacky food ranging from plates of Neal's Yard cheese and Cobble Lane coppa to an excellent beef sando (with a vibrant purée of dill and pickled cucumber). An interesting and unusual list of low-intervention wines from European producers, plus a couple of cocktails, keep this relaxed spot nicely buzzing.
Archetypal Mayfair brasserie that oozes class and civility
Run with consummate grace and decorum by ever-present Gavin Rankin, this archetypal Mayfair brasserie feels as if it has been around forever – even though it only arrived on the scene in 2004. Inside, the green banquettes ar… Read more
Run with consummate grace and decorum by ever-present Gavin Rankin, this archetypal Mayfair brasserie feels as if it has been around forever – even though it only arrived on the scene in 2004. Inside, the green banquettes are almost an institution in themselves, and everything about the beautifully appointed dining room speaks of discreet civility and understated class – no wonder the late Queen Elizabeth felt right at home here.
In fact, everyone is most welcome and the whole place exudes genuine warmth – thanks in part to ‘truly exceptional’ staff and classical service of the old school. The menu is built on precisely executed, canonical specialities with Provençal overtones – think asparagus with hollandaise sauce, iced lobster soufflé and jambon persillé ahead of steak tartare with Pont Neuf potatoes, red mullet with anchovy butter or entrecôte of beef with pommes frites.
Many dishes have impressed of late, from devilled eggs (rich and creamy) to Dover sole, executed with consummate elegance, flair and copious quantities of butter – plus a dash of seasoning to bring it home. Desserts are well-tried classics, from île flottante, Marina’s chocolate cake and tarte tatin to Bellamy's famous 'soft' ice creams. Otherwise, a bowl of Minstrels (often brought out by Rankin himself) provides the final satisfying flourish. The lunchtime table d’hôte is a steal, and the fiercely Francophile wine list (from £30) offers terrific value across the range.
The capital's Indian restaurant scene is booming, with openings across the spectrum from street food to high-end cuisine, yet this venture from the JKS group (Sabor, Lyle’s, Hoppers, Gymkhana, Bao etc) is one of the most exc… Read more
The capital's Indian restaurant scene is booming, with openings across the spectrum from street food to high-end cuisine, yet this venture from the JKS group (Sabor, Lyle’s, Hoppers, Gymkhana, Bao etc) is one of the most exciting to date. A short distance from Selfridges, and fronted by an outdoor heated terrace, it’s a bijou space, long, narrow, dimly lit and dominated by an open-plan kitchen. Most seats are at the counter overlooking the chefs at work, though there are some black-leather booths along the opposite wall; the vibe is sociable, aided by a lively soundtrack and a highly charged service team. It’s a great platform for chef Chetan Sharma, who has L’Enclume and Moor Hall in his culinary DNA. He doesn't disappoint, experimenting with ingredients and techniques while fusing different culinary influences into his own individualistic style – although everything is rooted in traditional Indian cooking. The result is an innovative, contemporary menu (two tasters and a carte) based around small plates, chaat (street food) and grilled dishes. Layers of flavour are built up gradually: a raw scallop is provocatively paired with blood orange and Indian lemonade ('a beautiful marriage between the soft, sweet mollusc and the citrusy pop’); tender grilled Lahori chicken comes with a cashew and yoghurt whey. Elsewhere, okra is given a lift with peanuts, sesame and fermented chilli, while 'sides' such as roomali roti or pilau rice cooked in a little chicken broth and topped with deep-fried onions merit a central role. The ‘addictive’ sweet-spicy notes of puffy sweetcorn nuggets served with Kashmiri yellow chilli and corn-husk mayonnaise make a brilliant opening salvo; saffron and white chocolate kulfi 'in the shape of a Magnum ice cream' provides the perfect finale. Wines have been thoughtfully assembled with the food in mind, although prices aren't cheap.
A quirky red and white storefront tucked away at the end of a steep cul-de-sac off Stokes Croft marks the spot, but don’t be fooled by the setting: Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeon's modest Korean restaurant has a big reputatio… Read more
A quirky red and white storefront tucked away at the end of a steep cul-de-sac off Stokes Croft marks the spot, but don’t be fooled by the setting: Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeon's modest Korean restaurant has a big reputation. ‘Original’, ‘stylish’, ‘novel’ and ‘entertaining’ are typical comments from its many fans, while the food is ‘fabulously prepared with a great eye for detail’. The best seats in the house are on the ground floor, otherwise descend to the basement dining room, where rough stone walls, chalkboard menus and clattering chopsticks give the place an air of friendly bustle.
Tongdak is what draws the crowds here: crispy-skinned wood-roasted chicken stuffed with sticky rice and slow-cooked until it melts off the bone. Served with tangy pickled mooli and dipping sauces, it is a comforting treat. Other delights are plentiful and moderately priced, so you can mix and match. Try gochu twigim (crispy tempura chillies stuffed with finely minced pork, glass noodles and herbs), galbi stew (beef short ribs braised in sweet soy sauce) or spicy tofu with king oyster mushrooms and Chinese greens.
Dessert is either Jersey milk soft-serve ice cream with a choice of toppings such as honey butter chips, or matcha and chestnut tiramisu. Korean beer, exotic cocktails and soju (Korea's classic fermented spirit) are available alongside a minimal list of around a dozen wines (note the orange varieties).
‘Cash chemists’ proclaims the 1920s mosaic tiling at the entrance to Caper and Cure – a reminder that the site was famously a pharmaceutical drop-in where poorly folk could procure their remedies without prescrip… Read more
‘Cash chemists’ proclaims the 1920s mosaic tiling at the entrance to Caper and Cure – a reminder that the site was famously a pharmaceutical drop-in where poorly folk could procure their remedies without prescription. The pill boxes and potions are long gone, of course, and the place is now in the business of nourishing the local community with expertly crafted food. Owner Giles Coram has created a bijou shabby-chic success story here, an ‘absolute little gem,’ genially run by a band of helpful, happy staff. Dishes are whisked out of a tiny open kitchen at the back of the restaurant, and they never fail to please: nibble on chorizo croquettes before tackling some scallops enriched with brown crab butter or a serving of cured gilthead bream with smoked caviar and pickled kohlrabi. To follow, regulars continue to rave about the onglet steak and the pan-fried gnocchi, although the day’s market fish served with pink fir potatoes, capers and Muscadet sauce is always a seasonal winner. A scoop of frozen vodka and lemon sorbet makes the perfect palate-cleanser ahead of, say, tonka bean panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb. Casual midweek suppers receive lots of support and everyone dotes over the Sunday roasts – and why not, when the menu promises Quantock pork belly, chicken ballotine or dry-aged rump cap with their time-honoured accoutrements. Drinks are top-notch too, with brews from the Bristol Beer Factory alongside some perky wines at keen prices. ‘I would go here every week if I could,’ confesses one loyal local.
* From September 2024, Celentano's will become a restaurant with rooms following its acquisition of the adjoining Cathedral House hotel.*
Celentano’s is inspired but not constrained by Italian cooking and chef-owner Dean Pa… Read more
* From September 2024, Celentano's will become a restaurant with rooms following its acquisition of the adjoining Cathedral House hotel.*
Celentano’s is inspired but not constrained by Italian cooking and chef-owner Dean Parker is something of a food alchemist. He experiments with ingredients and preservation techniques while fusing different culinary influences into his own individualistic style. Don't be surprised to see kombucha and kimchi keeping company with classic coppa and carpaccio. Celebrating small, sustainable producers and with zero-waste values, the menu balances rustic authenticity, technical precision and an element of surprise. Standout snacks include the fried porcini lasagne and the rare-breed home-cured charcuterie. Follow that, perhaps, with an almost Venetian linguine, traditional surf clams embellished with cod cheek and kombu butter. The restaurant's ethos manifests itself in Loch Etive trout tail (perfectly baked on the bone with a simple whey butter) or a caressingly tender lower-carcass cut of local Dexter beef. To finish, an affogato gets the full 'comfort food' makeover with malted barley and chocolate crumb. The flexible format allows a mix-and-match approach, though careless choices might result in feeling either underwhelmed or over-faced. The multi-level, open-plan dining room sits within a quirky turreted building (formerly the Cathedral House hotel) and has a bustling but informal feel. A heated garden terrace overlooking an atmospheric necropolis might be the perfect spot for enjoying homemade vermouth or coffee liqueur in a signature negroni or espresso Martini.
Peru comes to Brum in the shape of Chakana, the first solo venture from chef Robert Ortiz (ex-Lima in London). Located in the city’s Moseley district and housed in a former Lloyd’s bank (the safe is now a private dinin… Read more
Peru comes to Brum in the shape of Chakana, the first solo venture from chef Robert Ortiz (ex-Lima in London). Located in the city’s Moseley district and housed in a former Lloyd’s bank (the safe is now a private dining room), this neighbourhood restaurant is an airy, plain and comfortable space with stripped wood floors and thick, rustic-looking wood tables. Food-wise, the ‘ambitiously sized’ carte delivers ‘creative and exciting’ dishes such as braised squid with Andean potato stew, crispy artichoke, seaweed and anchovies, or duck escabeche with plum and beetroot sauce and vegetable saltadito. Starters are mostly riffs on marinated fish, perhaps a visually arresting, incredibly fresh scallop tiradito – a citrusy, bright-red tiger’s milk sauce of hibiscus and rocoto peppers cut with another vividly yellow tiger’s milk, all squiggled around slices of incredibly creamy shellfish. Others have commented on the tasting menu, with highlights ranging from ‘excellent’ tuna quinoa nigiri (a take on sushi involving potato rather than rice) and sea bass ceviche with beautiful coloured chillies, different types and textures of corn and a sweet potato purée to superb 24-hour confit suckling pig with crispy crackling, plantain, charapita chillies and 100% Amazonian chocolate. Chakana may be Peruvian, but it also serves up a very decent Sunday roast combining the best of native produce with British lunching traditions. To drink, a mix of South American and European wines starts at £24; otherwise, the list is very strong on pisco-based cocktails.
The prospect of chilling out on a hugely desirable decked terrace by the river Cherwell makes this enchanting Victorian boathouse one of Oxford’s great delights – and that’s before you factor in its glorious wine… Read more
The prospect of chilling out on a hugely desirable decked terrace by the river Cherwell makes this enchanting Victorian boathouse one of Oxford’s great delights – and that’s before you factor in its glorious wine cellar and the added temptations of punting on the water. Dating from 1904, this beloved institution is also a good shout for capably handled food with noticeable English and French accents. Nothing is overplayed here, but the kitchen comes up with subtly creative ideas to match the seasons. Eating alfresco in summer, you might indulge in a bowl of gazpacho with watermelon or Cornish mackerel with sauce pipérade ahead of Cotswold chicken breast with samphire, tarragon and pea fricassée. Come winter, other treats await those who congregate in the dining room – an affable blend of wooden floorboards, bare beams and white tablecloths. Openers such as venison fritters with Parmesan purée and crispy kale might precede guinea fowl adorned with a festive harvest of walnut purée, wild mushrooms, roasted Brussels sprouts and bone marrow jus. For afters, hot chocolate pot with passion fruit is a perennial favourite – although you might prefer local strawberries with elderflower custard or tarte tatin with Calvados ice cream, depending on the calendar. For many, however, it’s all about the superlative wine list, an all-embracing compendium stuffed with mouthwatering global selections ranging from Old World aristocrats of high pedigree to the most fashionable young contenders. Mark-ups are kind, with selections from the 'shortlist' starting at £19.75 (£5 for a standard glass).
This area of Fitzrovia is beginning to be known for some exceptionally good eating, and Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s pioneering Clipstone (a sister restaurant to nearby Portland) is a case in point. Opened in 2017, th… Read more
This area of Fitzrovia is beginning to be known for some exceptionally good eating, and Will Lander and Daniel Morgenthau’s pioneering Clipstone (a sister restaurant to nearby Portland) is a case in point. Opened in 2017, the place has settled comfortably into its stride. Decor-wise, it’s not much – bare-boarded floor, plain tables and chairs, an open kitchen – but it comes across as very much a neighbourhood restaurant (despite the central London location), one where the mood is relaxed and the food is a delight. Short menus (lunch is a bargain) offer wonderfully seasonal dishes that are straightforward, mostly simple assemblies with inspired finishing touches – moules-frites with hispi cabbage and green apple, say, or a Tamworth pork loin partnered by parsley root, boudin noir and quince. At a winter lunch, a simple snack of salty aubergine fritti with 'dijonnaise' went well with a glass of Thörle ‘Feinherb’ Riesling Rheinhessen. Then came a little biscuity galette topped with ricotta, young violet artichokes and roasted hazelnuts, followed by crisp-skinned Cornish bream with buttery Yukon Gold mash, a slick of equally buttery sauce and some crunchy monk's beard. Dessert was equally reassuring, a pistachio and marmalade cake with Grand Marnier ice cream. The wine list is a headline attraction in itself, bursting with pink, orange and skin-contact tipples, artisan gems and a ‘single bottle' selection that's well worth exploring.
At the hip end of North Street, this cool but relaxed small-plates diner has created something of a tidal wave of enthusiasm since opening in October 2022. It feels like a breath of fresh air, with a spare, white interior and larg… Read more
At the hip end of North Street, this cool but relaxed small-plates diner has created something of a tidal wave of enthusiasm since opening in October 2022. It feels like a breath of fresh air, with a spare, white interior and large plate glass windows that flood the space with light. You can book a table or simply drop in and bag one of the countertop stools if you fancy a quick plate of something delicious – perhaps a fennel salami croquette or a scallop served on the shell in a pool of miso and caper butter, with its crispy deep-fried roe balanced on the side. Chef-patron Mark Chapman honed his small-plate chops at tapas joints Bravas and Gambas in the city. Now he and partner Karen have struck out on their own, he is able to blend his expertise with some fine-dining flourishes – witness a simple salad of chicory, fennel, blood orange and almond, which appears on the plate like a beautiful tangle of blush-hued octopus tentacles. It's also worth tucking into heartier dishes such as slow-cooked pork cheeks, each one nestled in a leaf of treviso and topped with shards of pickled fennel. Or try a plate of handmade tagliatelle bathed in a minerally, deep-green cavolo nero sauce enriched with confit egg yolk and ricotta salata – plus a spicy kick from lima chilli. Your commitment to sharing may be tested by desserts such as orange, nutmeg and pistachio tiramisu or dark chocolate and salted caramel tart with crème fraîche and almonds. Like the menu, the drinks list is big on sustainability and draws heavily on local producers: think Psychopomp gin, Iford cider and beers from the Wiper & True craft brewery in Bristol. Almost half the mainly European wine list is available by the glass.
The new decorative look at Core has worked wonders. What was an underused bar space is now Whiskey & Seaweed (named for its signature cocktail), and the dining room has had quite the 'glow-up' too. The expansive space is bathe… Read more
The new decorative look at Core has worked wonders. What was an underused bar space is now Whiskey & Seaweed (named for its signature cocktail), and the dining room has had quite the 'glow-up' too. The expansive space is bathed in bronze light, with candles performing their age-old office of making a restaurant table look inviting, and at the centre of it all is a striking column, loaded with uplit glassware. So far, so chic. An army of staff is on permanent manoeuvres, yet without making the place feel like a parade-ground. Efficiency and discretion are as finely judged as is consistent given the ambitious context, with just enough friendly chat to ensure civility. As for Clare Smyth's food, the first thing to say is that, for a venue operating in this bracket, it has an uncommonly solid following of regulars. Call them the core of Core. As soon as the nibbles appear, one can see why: a truffled pumpkin gougère; a lobster roll; a caviar sandwich, all sublime. Bread is made with Wessex flour and served with whipped buttermilk. Dishes from the full menu are capable of balancing sparkling freshness and delicate textures – just consider the Isle of Harris scallop tartare in sea-vegetable consommé, the shell sitting proud on a mound of flora. A more assertive fish pairing sees roasted cod honour-guarded with Morecambe Bay shrimps and Swiss chard in brown butter. Tour the home nations with a main course of Rhug Estate venison, which comes with a refined (ie offal-free) 'haggis' of the leg meat and bacon on pearl barley in an ambrosial sauce of 16-year-old Lagavulin single malt. If it's internal organs you're after, look to the crisp-fried veal sweetbread dressed in honey and mustard, with a serving of Norfolk kohlrabi. Desserts incorporate what might be considered the local option, Notting Hill Forest – a trompe-l'oeil pile of ‘fallen leaves’ made of ceps, chocolate, pine and woodruff on nutty crémeux, in which are embedded little shards of millefeuille pastry, to give the acoustic effect of crunching through autumn leaf-litter. And then one stumbles on a prune soaked in Earl Grey tea. Dinner ends with a little tableside tasting of Irish whiskey. A magnificent wine list covers pairing options, as well as an inspired glass selection (from £12), before graduating to the great and the very great of the vinous globe.
High-end contemporary cuisine with a big personality
In 2019, Brazilian chef Rafael Cagali took over the high-profile dining room in Bethnal Green’s Town Hall Hotel (formerly home to Lee Westcott’s Typing Room and Nuno Mendes’ Viajante), and Da Terra has been on an… Read more
In 2019, Brazilian chef Rafael Cagali took over the high-profile dining room in Bethnal Green’s Town Hall Hotel (formerly home to Lee Westcott’s Typing Room and Nuno Mendes’ Viajante), and Da Terra has been on an impressive upward curve ever since. Compared to the early days, it now feels as if he’s giving us more of himself. We see his personality in the bold abstract art on the walls, the kitsch Ninja Turtle figures at the pass, and the painted wood sculptures on the mantelpiece. And, of course, we see it in his cuisine.
Cagali, born in São Paulo to a part-Italian family, has said he doesn’t want Da Terra to be categorised as Brazilian. However, it’s the Brazilian-influenced dishes that really set it apart. Moqueca, a traditional fish stew – served midway through the full-on tasting menu – is first presented as a large copper pot filled with okra, whole langoustines, coriander and limes. When it’s returned for us to eat, it has morphed into an elegant restaurant dish of aged turbot (cooked fashionably lightly, dare we say too lightly?) with palm hearts and farofa (toasted cassava) in a frothy coconut sauce, stained yellow with dendê palm oil. Whole biquinho teardrop chillies, fiery and fruity, come on the side. Other Brazilian touches include a palate-awakening baby caipirinha in a hollowed-out lime; slices of raw Arctic char acidulated with tucupi (a fermented manioc root juice, widely used in the Amazon); and a take on the traditional 'Romeo & Juliette', a sweet-savoury love match of fresh cheese and guava.
Cagali’s Italian heritage comes to the fore in a debonair duck raviolo (course eight) with whey sauce, duck skin crumb, and slivers of duck ‘ham’, grand on its own gold-rimmed Wedgwood plate. A signature entitled 'the humble chicken', is barely recognisable from its 2019 iteration, but for the impeccably, rosy-pink liver parfait. The updated version has a yakitori skewer of thigh and heart, a boned-out puffed-up fried chicken’s foot and a confit egg yolk. To nitpick, the heart had lost most of its heat by the time we got to it. The individual dishes served over three hours were near faultless; taken collectively, however, they defeated us. Fish roe four times – Cagali likes his caviar – is nothing less than Lucullan. A shorter menu is available at lunch.
The wine list impresses with its well-judged choice of low-intervention heroes including Friuli’s Dario Princic, Vega Sicilia from Ribera del Duero, and Fanny Sabre in Burgundy. Service is absolutely first-rate.
The atmosphere is casual at this modern, lively restaurant and bar with its polished concrete floor, exposed steel girders and natural timber tables. Popular with young professionals from the area’s hi-tech Silicon Roundabout hu… Read more
The atmosphere is casual at this modern, lively restaurant and bar with its polished concrete floor, exposed steel girders and natural timber tables. Popular with young professionals from the area’s hi-tech Silicon Roundabout hub, a meal here is a joyful, head-spinning whirl around the culinary globe. Part of Richard Corrigan’s group of restaurants (Corrigan’s, Bentley’s), Daffodil Muliigan's menu arguably comes closest to representing the freewheeling, eclectic style that helped the chef make his name back in the 1990s. Tuck into the deliciously charred ember-baked bread (a large charcoal grill and wood-fired oven dominate the open kitchen) or the chef's famous soda bread with buttermilk and butter while you choose between more than 30 options on the regularly changing menu. Look out for the signatures: Hereford beef tartare with oyster cream; pig's cheek skewers with tamarind and brown crab chip-shop sauce, and the addictive salt-chilli fried chicken. But there is much else to tempt. A full-flavoured, richly satisfying twice-baked crab and Parmesan soufflé accompanied by a delicately smoky bisque hollandaise perhaps, or a generously proportioned and hugely enjoyable lamb dish – cutlet, loin and slow-cooked belly – served with caponata, black olive crumb and ricotta. For dessert, traditionalists should stick with the classic chocolate fondant with caramel and sea salt; alternatives such as Jerusalem artichoke with chocolate and coffee, or ‘tea and cereal’ (featuring a heavily smoked prune purée with tea-marinated prunes, hay-infused ice cream and puffed rice) may prove a bridge too far. Lunchtime deals are a bargain, service is friendly, efficient and attentive, and the fairly short wine list opens at £30. If the convivial atmosphere gets you in the party mood, head to the atmospheric Gibney’s basement bar for an excellent pint of Irish stout to go with a programme of live music, comedy and sports broadcasts.
Among all the steps, pillars, dark marble and even darker wood of the Mandarin Oriental's entrance, it’s easy to lose sight of Heston Blumenthal’s London showcase. The large, high-ceilinged room has as its central focu… Read more
Among all the steps, pillars, dark marble and even darker wood of the Mandarin Oriental's entrance, it’s easy to lose sight of Heston Blumenthal’s London showcase. The large, high-ceilinged room has as its central focus a big, brightly lit glass box of a kitchen – ‘watching the chefs' is almost more fun than observing your fellow diners or admiring the view out towards Hyde Park. The centrepiece is a rotisserie turned by an elaborate clockwork mechanism, on which one can see whole pineapples being roasted. But elsewhere, apart from some jelly-mould wall lights, flights of fancy are minimal, the decor fairly restrained, quite masculine (all browns and creams) and very comfortable. Rather than emulating or refining other chefs’ ideas, Blumenthal has followed his own path here, taking as his starting point historical English recipes from as far back as the 14th century. Eleven years on, the menu still offers many of the original dishes such as meat fruit (c. 1500), which mimics a mandarin while delivering a rich filling of chicken liver parfait. Other dishes have evolved over the years: the grand salad known as salamagundy (c.1723) is now a clever, beautifully presented collation of smoked confit chicken, salsify, marrowbone, pickled walnut and horseradish cream; frumenty (c. 1390), traditionally a thick porridge, here involves two plump, perfectly roasted scallops atop a smoky, umami-rich seaweed broth with a handful of old-variety wheat grains at the bottom of the bowl. Main courses, while beautifully executed, are less unusual, although they still champion all things British – from Cornish lamb ('absolutely on point') with sweet-and-sour pressed cucumber to cod (brined then roasted) alongside a tangy cockle ketchup. The kitchen dazzles again at dessert, where morsels of those spit-roast, caramelised pineapples are served with booze-soaked brioche in a wonderfully indulgent version of tipsy cake. Alternatively, elderflower and goat’s cheese come together in a very classy, witty sambocade 'cheesecake' (c. 1390) – ‘a dish that I would cross town to try again,’ observed one reader. The wine list is an interesting read with a potted history of each country, region and area covered. It will take you on a journey as far as your credit cards will allow, but there are more modest offerings, to which the sommeliers will happily steer you, if asked.
‘We have been regular customers for a while, and it seems to be getting better each time,’ noted a reader who plunged into the ‘exceptional’ seven-course tasting menu at this grown-up metropolitan brasserie… Read more
‘We have been regular customers for a while, and it seems to be getting better each time,’ noted a reader who plunged into the ‘exceptional’ seven-course tasting menu at this grown-up metropolitan brasserie close to Newcastle’s Quayside. The gastronomic star turn on that occasion was a dish of crispy oyster with apple and dill purée (served with a beetroot ‘jammy dodger’), but bigger plates were also perfectly executed (think lightly roasted halibut teamed up with fried chicken and mushroom ketchup). Others have also lapped up equally enjoyable, ‘thoughtfully decorated’ dishes from the more modest set menu – perhaps rare-breed pork with carrots, carrot-top pesto and fried sourdough crumb followed by dark chocolate and orange pavé with chocolate aero and orange sorbet. Named after the two Victorian architects who designed the building, this is a spacious, good-looking venue with some of its original rough brick walls intact, plus white tiling, low-hanging lights and partitioned banquette seating. Service gets a resounding thumbs-up (‘knowledgeable, friendly and the right sort of attentive’), and the carefully chosen, global wine list promises sound drinking from £24. ‘Go there – you won't be disappointed.’
* The restaurant now offers fixed-price tasting menus rather than a selection of small plates.*
This site previously played host to sibling eatery the Little Chartroom and a few design tweaks set the two apart, with high tables a… Read more
* The restaurant now offers fixed-price tasting menus rather than a selection of small plates.*
This site previously played host to sibling eatery the Little Chartroom and a few design tweaks set the two apart, with high tables and slightly ill-judged backless stools wringing a few more covers from the bright, compact room. Truly, the food is what sets Eleanore on its own path. Expect a frequently changing menu that refines and develops dishes from the chefs’ earlier outings, with Asian-inspired ingredients and techniques combining with local, seasonal additions. Its structure rewards sharing, and between three, 'one of each, please' is a likely request. In addition to obligatory Loch Fyne oysters, smaller plates may include a bowl of cured sea trout that takes a stellar core ingredient and treats it with delicacy, embellishing the faintly briny, meltingly tender flesh with a fresh, fruity shiso dressing. Those flatbreads, long a staple on the Prom, also make a return. In this instance, the deliciously charred, doughy breads contrast magnificently with one of two spreadables: a luxurious, smooth mackerel pâté, punctuated with a sweet celery pickle, or a romesco and 'nduja spread, brimming with spice and rich, roasted pepper. Mains veer between classical and creative – a cod option tends toward the latter. Wrapped in daikon, the fillet nestles alongside an intense prawn mousse that would sit happily in a siu mai dumpling, with a fish broth of staggering, savoury depth and umami richness rounding out the dish. It is a hugely ambitious, complex and delicious piece of cooking. Service is friendly, swift and knowledgeable throughout, with drinks guidance hitting the mark. Wines come from a concise list of around 50 bottles starting at £29, taking in predominantly Old World producers and offering around a dozen options by the glass.
It’s the whole cod’s head, drenched in sriracha butter, that brings us face to face with the truth: the pursuit of sustainability is going to change the way chefs cook and we eat. Leading the charge are Jack Croft and … Read more
It’s the whole cod’s head, drenched in sriracha butter, that brings us face to face with the truth: the pursuit of sustainability is going to change the way chefs cook and we eat. Leading the charge are Jack Croft and Will Murray, two young chefs who honed their skills at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal before opening Fallow, originally a pop-up, now a fixture in St James’s. ‘Creative cooking, sustainable thinking’ goes the strapline, and that’s certainly what we get. The menu is broad, incorporating small and large plates, sides, snacks, steaks (45-day dry-aged dairy cow) and Sunday roasts (fallow deer, for example). The £38 lunch is a good deal, though sides and supplements soon bump up the bill. Two snacks to start: piping hot, liquid-centred cauliflower cheese croquetas with black garlic mayo, and fried corn ribs dusted with kombu seasoning, best enjoyed with a drink. Mushroom parfait, sounds pricey at £18, but with hefty slices of sourdough toast it’s generous and as rich as any chicken liver parfait. Impressively, the mushrooms are grown in-house. Presentation throughout is rustic, bordering on eccentric. To wit, that cod’s head, concealing plentiful beautiful moist flesh. Credit to Fallow for the focus on nose-to-tail eating, even if the lamb’s tongue with caper sauce proves divisive. Desserts are interesting and mostly impressive, such as sourdough soft-serve and a wobbly caramelised whey tart which just wanted finer pastry. Fallow is progressive but approachable: the glass-walled dining room with bar and open kitchen is boisterous and packed with folk of all ages. The casual vibe belies the ambition of the wine cellar, which offers few bottles under £50 and some 'grands noms' for those with the means.
Excellent-value French bistro on Cambridge's lively Mill Road
You can eat your way round the world, it seems, on Mill Road, such is the diversity of independent restaurants, food shops, bars and cafés along this lively street. Flying the flag for – or at least inspired by &ndash… Read more
You can eat your way round the world, it seems, on Mill Road, such is the diversity of independent restaurants, food shops, bars and cafés along this lively street. Flying the flag for – or at least inspired by – the French bistro is Fancett’s. It’s a warm-hearted spot for excellent, unfussy food and the sort of value for money that has kept people beating a path to its unassuming door ever since Dan Fancett opened the place in 2021.
A set menu is tweaked daily and served in its simplest form at lunch (two choices per course) and with a few more options at dinner. It fits the bistro vibe, though the repertoire strays deliciously beyond predictability. Open a summer lunch with mackerel tartare accompanied by oyster mayo and a briny scattering of sea vegetables balanced by sweet pops of grape and bright pickled cucumber. Pork cutlet – beautifully, tenderly cooked – comes with charred broccoli, the chilli nudge of ‘nduja butter and a smoky romesco sauce in a plate of satisfying layers of flavour.
There might also be battered pollack with vivid-green crushed peas and homemade tartare sauce – or come in the evening when the ambition is upped and you might find (for a small supplement) a fillet of wild bass on a pile of saffron orzo with crab, fennel and samphire. Finish perhaps with cherry clafoutis – we’re in bistro territory, remember – or apricot frangipane tart.
Restaurant manager Theo Armyras is an engaging enthusiast of all things drinkable; he steered us towards a delicious Spanish rosado from Rioja’s family-owned Bodegas Perica (at £10 a glass). Selections by the 500ml carafe keep proceedings true to bistro-dom, but there’s plenty to explore, from minerally Chablis Premier Cru, Thomas Labille ‘Montmains’ 2020 to big hitters from Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley.
Originally inspired by colonial India’s Days of the Raj polo clubs, this thoroughbred from the JKS group (Trishna, Brigadiers, Hoppers etc) is a classy Mayfair package spread over two levels connected by a mirrored staircase… Read more
Originally inspired by colonial India’s Days of the Raj polo clubs, this thoroughbred from the JKS group (Trishna, Brigadiers, Hoppers etc) is a classy Mayfair package spread over two levels connected by a mirrored staircase. Most of the action takes place in the ground-floor dining room and bar, with its richly upholstered leather seating, whirring ceiling fans, old prints and stag’s heads – not forgetting hunting trophies from the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The menu shines the spotlight on grills, game and chops, all given a thrilling contemporary spin to match the gussied-up surroundings – from Goan-style salmon tikka with tomato chutney to guinea fowl pepper fry served with a Malabar paratha or tandoori lamb chops unexpectedly pointed up with walnut chutney. Elsewhere, pork cheek vindaloo and a wild muntjac biryani sound inviting, while fans of rogan josh and chicken butter masala also have plenty to cheer about. For something more esoteric, home in on the assortment of ‘nashta’ small plates, perhaps minced kid goat methi keema with pao bread or duck-egg bhurji scrambled with lobster and served alongside a Malabar paratha. Desserts (meetha) continue the mashed-up crossover theme, as in a take on tiramisu involving rasgulla (a syrupy, sponge-like Asian classic) or a Basmati rice pudding (kheer) spiced with cardamom and accompanied by mango sorbet. The standalone bar dispenses cocktails and reinvented punches, alongside nibbles of Amritsari shrimps or Punjabi samosas with sweet/sour tamarind-spiked 'saunth' chutney. Otherwise, specially brewed 4th Rifles Pale Ale and a compendium of thoughtfully selected wines (including some English sparklers) suit the food admirably.
Jeremy Chan has settled into his new surroundings in a tucked-away corner of the huge brutalist building that is 180 Strand. The entrance is discreet and the dining room dominated by an open kitchen that runs down one long side, w… Read more
Jeremy Chan has settled into his new surroundings in a tucked-away corner of the huge brutalist building that is 180 Strand. The entrance is discreet and the dining room dominated by an open kitchen that runs down one long side, while the decoration is nothing more than earthy colours, some golden wood (including the well-spaced tables) and the ambient dusk of a hip restaurant. Without design, fireworks or ornamentation, it is what it is: a space devoted to the service of food. The previous location in St James’s Market was known for its Nigerian-inspired cooking – Ikoyi is the name of a well-to-do Lagos suburb. The kitchen still takes its cue from West African cuisine, but this is merely the jumping-off point for a repertoire of precise, produce-led westernised dishes with prices very much in line with the international clientele. From the three-hour-long tasting menu at dinner, a veal sweetbread with pea purée, pork cheek and black garlic was the undoubted standout, closely followed by dry-aged turbot with a frothy crab bisque and umami-rich egusi (melon seed) miso – though the tiny accompanying honey-glazed brioche filled with veg added nothing to the dish and was not well thought through (it was so sticky, we had to ask for wipes). What tantalises is how Chan blends each flavour with the one preceding it, and the one about to come. His careful use of chilli, a subtle hint of heat that lingers gently on the palate, infuses snacks and early courses, building to a crescendo with the final beef offering where two dabs of purée (agrodolce and curried courgette) pack a real punch. Look a little deeper, however, and some flaws are evident: that beef (dry-aged Belted Galloway) proved surprisingly chewy, and the accompanying jollof rice – the classic West African one-pot dish that is a regular fixture on the menu – was made slightly too sweet and creamy with a lobster custard. And while a palate-cleansing timur pepper and rosé sorbet was utterly delicious, desserts are clearly not the kitchen’s forte. Service, however, is faultless. Wines are chosen with spice in mind – we drank an excellent South African Gabriëlskloof Elodie Swartland Chenin Blanc 2022.
Deep in the Soho hinterland, where the restaurant competition is hotter than anywhere else in the country, this self-styled 'gastrobar' is a contemporary Greek venue from the team behind an Athens spot with the sobering name of Fu… Read more
Deep in the Soho hinterland, where the restaurant competition is hotter than anywhere else in the country, this self-styled 'gastrobar' is a contemporary Greek venue from the team behind an Athens spot with the sobering name of Funky Gourmet. With burnished wood and naked brick providing decorative contrast, plus a mix of tables and bar-stool seating, the place looks as voguish as can be – an inspired setting for food that interprets classic Greek dishes sensitively, with the charcoal grill to the fore. If you think you know tzatziki, think again. Here it achieves an unexpected textural silkiness, its cucumber slices sitting on top, with toasty, salty, herb-flecked pitta to enclose it. The taramasalata is piped through a star-shaped nozzle, with a confit egg yolk, pomegranate seeds, chives and bottarga to garnish, while a wedge of spanakopita is served delicately on its side, like a custard slice. It is one of the achievements of the kitchen that it can produce memorable impact from what may sound like prosaic ideas: spicy chicken with tomato salsa and smoked yoghurt offers perfectly tender thigh meat deftly grilled to a light char, the yoghurt offering a useful nip of lactic acidity. Sides ring true too: chargrilled broccoli and softly curdy Galomizithra cheese act as perfect foils to each other. If there is a heel of Achilles to negotiate, it is that Greek cooking in the UK still hasn't fully migrated from the local taverna to the vanguard battalions, along with the food of the western Med – although this is a good place to begin a revision. Greek wines, on the other hand, are increasingly mixing it with Europe's leading-edge vineyards; come here for aromatic whites, stirring, spicy reds, and golden Samos Muscat. Given that most of the food works beautifully for sharing, it seems odd that seating still seems geared to couples and singles.
So tuned in to local tastes are restaurateurs Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell, they have three eateries within a mile or so of each other. First came Primeur (Newington Green, 2014), then Westerns Laundry (Drayto… Read more
So tuned in to local tastes are restaurateurs Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell, they have three eateries within a mile or so of each other. First came Primeur (Newington Green, 2014), then Westerns Laundry (Drayton Park, 2017) and, in 2019, Jolene. It’s a lovely spot, especially when the glass doors are opened out onto the pavement facing the Green. Textured plaster walls, a zinc bar, candles and dried flowers create a simple but stylish look, while a warm greeting comes with an invitation to look at the menu written commendably legibly on a blackboard. On a hot day, when we visited, everyone was ordering the ajo blanco, a chilled cucumber and almond soup, garnished with tender broad beans, peas and courgettes, although classic French artichoke vinaigrette, and an Italian-style nectarine, tomato and pecorino salad also suited the weather. Pasta dominates, however. A tangle of tagliarini, firm to the tooth, comes with asparagus, new season's girolles and raw egg, while orzo is partnered by cuttlefish and clams. In colder months, you might find duck tortelloni or tagliatelle with pork ragù. Price-wise, the only £20+ dishes are a couple of main courses such as skate with brown butter and capers or roast chicken with pink fir potatoes and aïoli. Dessert is a choice between something cakey from the bakery counter (a financier, say) or caramelised bread and butter pudding with custard from the blackboard menu. Service is pally but professional. An A4 page of wines features interesting bottles from excellent producers (Alice Bouvot’s Muscat from Jura, for example) but expect to spend a minimum of £45 a bottle. If you enjoy the bread (we liked the focaccia) you can pick up a loaf here or at the group’s London-based Jolene bakeries.
*The restaurant has reverted to its original 'tasting menu' format rather than serving a selection of small plates.*
Scenic views and grand entrances do not (necessarily) a great restaurant make. What is arguably C… Read more
*The restaurant has reverted to its original 'tasting menu' format rather than serving a selection of small plates.*
Scenic views and grand entrances do not (necessarily) a great restaurant make. What is arguably Colchester’s finest place to eat is down an inconspicuous alley in a plain brick building in the lea of a multi-storey car park. Don’t be put off, because the sequence of small, creative plates served in this sleek, unique space (formerly Grain) is memorable. Warm homemade sourdough, a mini loaf sliced in two, comes promptly, with raw Bungay butter. A delicate cucumber gazpacho, vividly fresh, is poured around a puck of crabmeat mixed lightly with mayo. There’s a bolstering hint – just a hint – of chilli, and suggestion of sharpness from pickled cucumber. Peas come tangled with their shoots, broad beans and a summery pea/mint purée, plus a little garlicky yoghurt bringing some balancing tang. Chicken thigh Kyiv delivers that irresistible combination of crunch and melting garlic butter, while a purée of lovage (ever the friend of chicken) offers up its inimitable celery/parsley pep. The richness of a Pump Street chocolate mousse is tamed by tart blackcurrant (the leaf infused into ice cream, the fruit poached or made into dehydrated 'fruit leathers'), but at other times of the year you might be tempted by whipped rice pudding with rhubarb and yuzu. It’s good to see a nod to Essex wines, with the New Hall Vineyard offering their Chardonnay, Bacchus and Pinot Noir rosé for around £30.
An animated local institution, this simple set of rooms has been a bright light in Shepherd Market since 2014. The two-tiered interior (linked by a narrow staircase) has a rustic, thrown-together look with clumping wood furniture,… Read more
An animated local institution, this simple set of rooms has been a bright light in Shepherd Market since 2014. The two-tiered interior (linked by a narrow staircase) has a rustic, thrown-together look with clumping wood furniture, while diversion from basic comfort levels comes in the form of a regularly changing menu that plays obsessively off the seasons. The unfussy, purposeful cooking is all about first-class ingredients and big, bold flavours – the tone set immediately with starters of grilled fennel, pickles and mustard vinaigrette, silky cod’s roe with radishes and crackers, and a tangle of fresh peas and pea shoots atop soft, rich Graceburn cheese spread thickly on toast. The flavour of the wood grill is introduced judiciously, applying the sparest of preparations to a Belted Galloway wing rib (advertised for two but more than enough for three), nicely charred, deliciously fatty, seriously pink inside, smeared with a melting tarragon and green peppercorn butter and served with new potatoes and a watercress salad. A punchy side of grilled cauliflower and XO sauce provides the perfect accompaniment. Look out, too, for the whole grilled lemon sole and the pork chop served with salsa verde, pickled raisins and chicory. Finish with 'queen bee' parfait, boozy strawberries and pistachio. Plus points for the engaged staff, the pavement tables shaded by an awning and large umbrellas, and the modest but modern wine list, which starts at a remarkable (given the location) £5 a glass, £15 a carafe and £30 a bottle, with plenty of options below the £45 mark.
Compellingly creative Indian cuisine in tasteful surroundings
The Sanskrit word ‘kutir’ means ‘a small cottage in the middle of nowhere’; in fact, Kutir (the restaurant) occupies a luxe Chelsea townhouse not a million miles from Buckingham Palace – although insp… Read more
The Sanskrit word ‘kutir’ means ‘a small cottage in the middle of nowhere’; in fact, Kutir (the restaurant) occupies a luxe Chelsea townhouse not a million miles from Buckingham Palace – although inspiration comes from India's wildlife lodges ('away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life'). There's no doubting that chef Rohit Ghai's cooking is transportive, with its compellingly creative take on Indian cuisine including ‘expedition’ tasting menus (with optional wine pairings) that can ‘surprise and delight’.
Pressing the doorbell to gain entry adds to the sense of exclusivity, as does the smart decor which references India's stunning natural world. The atmosphere is ‘perfect for special occasions’, helped by staff who can be guaranteed to deliver ‘great service’; there’s also a delightful terrace for summer dining. Traditional ideas get decidedly modern treatment, as in a duck starter that is fruitily embellished with cranberry, kumquat, pickle and chutney, while the tandoor yields such esoteric, smoky delights as paneer tikka with sorrel, lime murabba, tomato salsa and crispy rice or a quail naan with truffle, masala scrambled egg, mince and oil.
Seafood also shows up well when it comes to main courses including wild jumbo prawns with coconut and curry leaf or pan-seared sea bass with jaggery and yoghurt rice. Guinea fowl arrives in a biryani, while desserts might feature a take on crème brûlée involving heritage carrots, reduced milk and orange. The globetrotting wine list has slim pickings below £40, although there’s a decent choice by the glass or carafe. Otherwise, drink Indian lager, IPA or something from the innovative list of Indian-inspired cocktails.
Run along similar lines to its elder sibling in Marylebone, the Bloomsbury outpost of Patricia Michelson’s brilliant cheese-focused emporium stands out because it takes bookings throughout the week. Inside, it’s tiny a… Read more
Run along similar lines to its elder sibling in Marylebone, the Bloomsbury outpost of Patricia Michelson’s brilliant cheese-focused emporium stands out because it takes bookings throughout the week. Inside, it’s tiny and pared-back, with a curved counter, close-packed tables and a mini cheese room – plus a larger space downstairs. The set-up runs from breakfast onwards, with lunch and supper as the standouts: fabulously ripe cheeses and artisan charcuterie are the mainstays, but strong seasonal flavours abound – from pumpkin fritters and venison carpaccio with pickled chanterelles to shallot tarte tatin and cod with sauce bordelaise and Puy lentils. For afters, how about plum frangipane tart? A short European wine list is bolstered by aperitifs and beers.
Patricia Michelson started selling cheese in 1992 with a consignment of Beaufort Chalet d'Alpage; today, her esteemed Marylebone emporium/deli is a turophile’s treasure-trove with some 200 specimens in its temperat… Read more
Patricia Michelson started selling cheese in 1992 with a consignment of Beaufort Chalet d'Alpage; today, her esteemed Marylebone emporium/deli is a turophile’s treasure-trove with some 200 specimens in its temperature-controlled cheese room. But there’s more. Head to the adjoining café ‘at No 6’ for bespoke cheese selections prettily arranged on wooden boards, plus a roll call of daytime treats ranging from breakfast croissants, eggs and suchlike to headlining lunches – artisan charcuterie, pâté en croûte with prunes, wild boar tagliatelle, twice-baked Gruyère soufflé and myriad home-baked sweet things. Drink coffee from Le Piantagioni or something from the European wine list. It’s normally walk-ins only, but on Fridays they open late and take bookings.
* The restaurant is closing for the forseeable future after chef-patron Ben Murphy's last service on 31 October 2024.*
It's easy to understand the immediate appeal of this elegant restaurant. The two quirkily laid-out dining room… Read more
* The restaurant is closing for the forseeable future after chef-patron Ben Murphy's last service on 31 October 2024.*
It's easy to understand the immediate appeal of this elegant restaurant. The two quirkily laid-out dining rooms are formal yet intimate, decorated in pale grey and offset by white-clothed tables, brown leather chairs, dark wood flooring and striking abstract art. No wonder readers declare it 'a lovely place to revisit'.
There’s also a touch of whimsy when it comes to ordering your food. A games board offers multiple choices: by removing pieces you reveal each named dish; just re-cover those items you don’t wish to have. As for the cooking, expect the same level of studied craft that earned Ben Murphy (now chef-patron) the award of National Chef of the Year 2022 from the Craft Guild of Chefs. We were pleased to note he has reined in most of his over-playful tendencies (food served on a miniature shopping trolley at a previous visit), and his output now feels more measured and confident without compromising his natural creative streak.
Everything was on point at inspection, which kicked off with a trio of delightful miniature snacks, excellent sourdough with two flavoured butters (seaweed and red piquillo) and a cheeky twist on a British breakfast classic, featuring an egg with its top shaved off, filled with a custard of foie gras and truffle. After that, a terrific sequence of interesting tastes and textures spanned everything from a citrussy ceviche of stone bass with julienne of raw Granny Smith and radish, finished off with a kalamansi and coconut emulsion, to tender Ibérico pork shoulder served with rapidly charred salad leaves and artichoke, plus meat jus and perfect Pont Neuf potatoes. To conclude, it was hard to trump a glazed globe of dark chocolate and chestnut mousse paired with a milk sorbet and mandarin coulis.
The ambience is convivial, helped along by conscientious and discreet service, while the enterprising global wine list (including some lesser-known names from Japan) also features some exceptional Champagnes and sparklers. Prices open at £40 and there are almost 30 options by the glass (from £9).
Quite a caricature of a French bistro, complete with bentwood chairs, gingham tablecloths and workaday glassware, this neighbourhood favourite ensures that diners’ expectations are focused mistily across the Channel even bef… Read more
Quite a caricature of a French bistro, complete with bentwood chairs, gingham tablecloths and workaday glassware, this neighbourhood favourite ensures that diners’ expectations are focused mistily across the Channel even before they sit down. The menu also delivers, from soupe de poissons to steak frites, but stay with the theme to get the best from it: salty samphire with roasted garlic prawns or crispy confit duck with soft-textured Puy lentils, say. The house dessert – a 'petit citron' posset – is worth holding out for, and readers have raved about the warm pot au chocolat. Drink French wines by the carafe and stick to the weekly set menu (or the daily deals) to keep things reasonably affordable.
Innovative ‘bistronomy’ with a terrific natural wine list
From the moment we walked in on a cold January day, we were greeted with warm smiles and immediately felt at ease with the casual vibe that emanates from this neighbourhood gem – a tribute to New York DJ Larry Levan. In… Read more
From the moment we walked in on a cold January day, we were greeted with warm smiles and immediately felt at ease with the casual vibe that emanates from this neighbourhood gem – a tribute to New York DJ Larry Levan. Inside, the dining space is fitted out with deep-blue walls, mahogany-topped tables, concrete flooring, dark blue banquettes and an open-plan kitchen. And, of course, there's a cool soundtrack.
As for the cooking, expect Austrian chef Philip Limpl's ‘bistronomy’-inspired sharing plates of seasonal, contemporary food. We kicked things off with a hillock of chickpea fries topped with Comté cheese plus some saffron aïoli on the side, followed by beef tartare innovatively paired with persimmon and green peppercorns. Smoked chalk stream trout, which arrived with crushed potatoes, charred tenderstem broccoli and verjus, was light and tasty – another success. To conclude, a chocolate and sticky caramel torte worked surprisingly well with a wild mushroom ice cream (made from fungal ‘scrappings’ to avoid waste).
If you have a fondness for natural wines, then you've come to the right place: there's a wine bar and shop next door, while the comprehensive inventory of organic, low-intervention and biodynamic bottles from across Europe starts from £32. The Jura (a region that often gets overlooked) receives special attention – look for the ‘vin jaune’ jewel, Château-Chalon 1993.
‘An unassuming restaurant in an unassuming location,' noted one reader. Katie Exton is now the sole proprietor, with Graham Brown (who has worked at Lorne since opening) promoted to head chef – although you won't notic… Read more
‘An unassuming restaurant in an unassuming location,' noted one reader. Katie Exton is now the sole proprietor, with Graham Brown (who has worked at Lorne since opening) promoted to head chef – although you won't notice any change when you walk into the dining room. Simply furnished with Scandi-style, pale wood furnishings, orange leather booths, potted plants and colourful modern art on white walls, it feels calm and relaxing. As for the food, flavours are fresh and distinct. A recent lunch kicked off with a tartare of sea bream partnered with diced kohlrabi, cucumber, salty dashi jelly and a topping of crunchy beer batter, ahead of thinly sliced veal rump teamed with fondant potatoes, courgettes, goat's curd and Parmesan. To finish, a chocolate crémeux, partnered with milk ice cream, cocoa nibs and a coating of warm chocolate foam ‘looked like a splodge but tasted of heaven’. Warm, smiley service goes out of its way to make sure everyone has a pleasurable time. The wine list (from £28) is one of the more interesting and moderately priced in town, featuring new discoveries as well as more established labels. Katie Exton is a highly regarded sommelier, so seeking advice from her can bring rewards. 'Such a lovely place, it's difficult not to stay here all day,' concluded one happy diner.
Originally conceived by the owners of the Clove Club, this ‘Britalian’ restaurant is almost as well-known for its bar as its restaurant –so it was with some reluctance that we bypassed the Negroni-based fun … Read more
Originally conceived by the owners of the Clove Club, this ‘Britalian’ restaurant is almost as well-known for its bar as its restaurant –so it was with some reluctance that we bypassed the Negroni-based fun in favour of the dining room. Until we clapped eyes on the space itself, that is: a stunning covered garden worthy of a Roman palazzo. Seating is divided between an attractive cosmopolitan room and a terrace complete with a fireplace, cobbles and foliage (you can specify where you sit when you reserve). For the Luca-on-a-budget experience, try the bar, where lunch is currently £32 for two courses. Otherwise, those with cash to splash can knock themselves out with four courses, Italian-style, and a bottle or two from the impressive Italian list – specialist subject Barolo (sub-£50 bottles are few). Vitello tonnato may now be ubiquitous in London but we’ll never tire of it when it's as satisfying as this. The veal is more well done than is fashionable – a good thing – but is tender and flavoursome beneath a generous spoon of tonnato mayonnaise and a frisky celery, artichoke and lemon salad. Terrific stuff. Fresh pasta is a standout: mezzi paccheri with a pork sausage ragù gains depth from anchovy and freshness from mint, while green and yellow variegated ribbons of tagliatelle with rabbit, lardo and green olives are comforting and luxurious in equal measure. Secondi at inspection include Hebridean lamb with caponata, Hereford beef fillet and short rib, and a dish of John Dory with mussels, mousserons, Jersey Royals and a frothy lemon verbena sauce. Tiramisu, like your nonna might make, is a bravely unfancy finish; vanilla panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb is a nicely executed pairing, if lacking the ‘Luca’ signature that characterises the restaurant's best dishes. Overall, a confident operation. Credit, in particular, for setting a tone as conducive to business as it is to pleasure.
Once the Lipton's tea factory, Lyle's in Shoreditch is a classic restaurant reclamation of the present day, having been conjured into a white, light-filled, refectory-like space with bare tables and a menu of rustic contemporary c… Read more
Once the Lipton's tea factory, Lyle's in Shoreditch is a classic restaurant reclamation of the present day, having been conjured into a white, light-filled, refectory-like space with bare tables and a menu of rustic contemporary cooking. The meat cuts may not look at all familiar – neck of suckling kid with yoghurt and ramsons – or may be less recognisable designations for familiar cuts such as mangalitsa pork belly with preserved gooseberries and hispi cabbage. Greenery from shoreline and hedgerow turns up all over the show, sorrel with the Shetland beef, sea kale and seaweed with razor clams, but the accent throughout is on emphatic flavours and seasonings. A raw scallop may be a gentle enough starter proposition, but team it with pink grapefruit and smoked roe and the taste buds are put on notice. Desserts are simple creamy things – brown-butter ice cream with ricotta and blood orange – or perhaps chocolate and hazelnut millefeuille. Tasting menus come in vegan and pescatarian versions. Herbaceous cocktails might precede a dive into an imaginative range of wines by the small glass – a skin-contact Casa Balaguer, Salicornio Moscatel, for example.
Cool Shoreditch Italian with impressive artisan credentials
Frequent queues stretching out of the door are testament to the daily popularity of this trendy modern Italian, which is marked by an ornamental boar's head suspended above the entrance. Manteca is that sort of place, a Shoreditch… Read more
Frequent queues stretching out of the door are testament to the daily popularity of this trendy modern Italian, which is marked by an ornamental boar's head suspended above the entrance. Manteca is that sort of place, a Shoreditch resource named boldly after a variety of fat – lard, to be precise. Ground floor seats offers views into the open kitchen, while downstairs refrigerated cabinets of home-cured charcuterie whet the appetite (salumi and prosciutto are tip-top and not to be missed). An infectious buzz animates the whole restaurant, augmented by piped tunes that some may find passably funky.
The kitchen is deadly serious about sourcing from the best suppliers, menus often change several times a day, and the chefs have the autonomy to put new dishes together on the fly. The result is a much less formulaic repertoire than is often the Italian case. A plate of line-caught sea bass crudo dressed with green strawberries was a seasonal treat on our most recent visit, while a dramatic swoop of rich, silky duck liver parfait was served with black date jam and a pile of craggy chargrilled bread. Hand-rolled pasta stars in fazzoletti with duck-fat pangrattato or tonnarelli with brown crab cacio e pepe, ahead of mains from the wood-fired oven – perhaps John Dory, plaice or a premium cut of longhorn beef. Finish with a doorstop helping of almond cake with stone-fruit and vanilla gelato.
A minimal-waste approach sees some of the beef fat turning up in the fudge with coffee, while the copiously unusable bits of globe artichoke might eventually find their way into the house cynar liqueur. Service is temperamentally patchy – mostly hail-fellow, occasionally glum. However, eminently kind pricing earns the places bonus points, especially as Italian wines on tap start at £5.50 a glass. Adventurous imbibers, meanwhile, should home in the sections of the list entitled ‘down the rabbit hole’.
Neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar that delivers on all fronts
Enveloped in the restaurant quarter of Baldwin Street, a few metres from one of the river crossings, Marmo has been making waves with cooking that takes Italy as its base, but glides into effortless orbit from there. Shared tables… Read more
Enveloped in the restaurant quarter of Baldwin Street, a few metres from one of the river crossings, Marmo has been making waves with cooking that takes Italy as its base, but glides into effortless orbit from there. Shared tables and window perches are the drill, and the menu is a single-section document that begins with appetisers and progresses to mains without the joins showing. To start, we were wildly enthused by a single fried gnocco filled with cheese and topped with a melting diaphanous film of lardo – a salty, fatty treat.
Good sourcing of local raw materials is the foundation stone, producing dishes that major on flavour impact rather than twee presentation. A heap of roasted artichoke, radicchio and clementine looked a bit of a jumble, but at the bottom was a slick of delightful hazelnut butter that unified the lot. Meat delivered superlative, properly hung venison haunch in a light stock with celeriac purée and pickled quince in a harmonious support act, while the must-have dessert is a rectangular brick of milky chocolate mousse topped with just-set, cocoa-powdered Chantilly.
Wines by the glass prompt the diner to try out some interesting combinations. Jean-Philippe Fichet's Bourgogne Aligoté made short work of the theoretically tricky artichoke, while the half-fermented fizzing Garnacha at which we baulked initially had its buff tannic muscle flexed by the venison. The full bottle list is impressive, though prices may sit a little uneasily with the hearty informality of the place. On Friday and Saturday evenings, Marmo's new apero bar is open for nibbles and pre-/post-prandial libations.
When Sam and Samantha Clark opened Moro in 1997, it was an instant hit, seducing Londoners with its effervescent vibe and earthy Moorish cuisine. More than 25 years later, its pulling power and pizzazz are undiminished, although t… Read more
When Sam and Samantha Clark opened Moro in 1997, it was an instant hit, seducing Londoners with its effervescent vibe and earthy Moorish cuisine. More than 25 years later, its pulling power and pizzazz are undiminished, although this pioneering 90s game-changer is now considered a mainstream classic. Moro has always put on a high-decibel show, whether you're people-watching from one of the pavement tables or soaking up the chatter and clatter of the dining room with its noisy open kitchen, zinc-topped bar and booming acoustics. The trade-off, of course, is the food. Heady spicing and sultry aromatic flavours weave their spell across a procession of seasonal ingredients-driven dishes. Wood-roasting and chargrilling are the star turns – from roast pork belly accompanied by peas, potatoes and anise with churrasco sauce to grilled sea bass with courgette salad (two ways), mint and chilli. Starters of pan-fried sweetbreads with preserved lemon and asparagus have plenty of oomph, while meat-free options might run to fresh morels with cherry tomatoes, white beans and sweet herbs. To conclude, few can resist the ever-present yoghurt cake with pistachios and pomegranate, but don’t discount the equally sought-after Malaga ice cream – or even a simple bowl of cherries in season. The fascinating all-Iberian wine list is stuffed with regional delights from £32.
After a six-year stint in Hackney, Johnnie Crowe and his two sidekicks have flown their original nest and moved on to bigger and better premises within an impressive Victorian building next door to Shoreditch Town Hall. Nest 2.0 (… Read more
After a six-year stint in Hackney, Johnnie Crowe and his two sidekicks have flown their original nest and moved on to bigger and better premises within an impressive Victorian building next door to Shoreditch Town Hall. Nest 2.0 (as they like to call it) is a 24-seater space with an open kitchen run along the same lines as before. The owners’ smart solution to waste and sustainability is to divide the year into ‘seasons’, with one core ingredient taking centre stage for the duration. It’s not only a neat way of managing consumption but also gives regulars even more reasons for return visits. Nest’s opening season focuses on ‘game’ (‘beef’ and ‘seafood’ will be making an appearance in due course), so expect a tasting menu in the evening (still priced at £65) with a dedicated ‘one-region’ wine pairing (£55) – in this case from Austria. As for the food, three little dishes open the show: grouse tea, a game liver parfait with beetroot meringue, and a game terrine with pickled walnut tart. Soda bread with cultured butter comes next, before a fish-themed detour (BBQ trout with English white wine sauce, say); after that, proceedings move towards the centrepiece clincher – roast grouse with pressed potato and watercress. To conclude? Something simple, such as Bakewell tart. In the spirit of keeping things fresh and new, the taster now gives way to a short carte at lunchtime (think Rockefeller oysters followed by fried partridge with fermented chilli mayo). One final adjunct to the package is the Nest Cellar – a cosy, walk-in only bar offering low-intervention wines, cocktails, UK craft beers and ‘natural’ ciders alongside snacky small plates and nibbles.
Stepping into unprepossessing Oren on a dark night, one is immediately assailed by delicious cooking smells and the sound of music playing. It’s tempting to walk straight out – if only to walk straight back in again to… Read more
Stepping into unprepossessing Oren on a dark night, one is immediately assailed by delicious cooking smells and the sound of music playing. It’s tempting to walk straight out – if only to walk straight back in again to experience the sensory overload anew. Welcome to Dalston (though one might equally be in Brooklyn or Berlin). The name above the door is that of Israeli chef Oded Oren whose food proves as bracing as the ambience. You could stick a pin in the menu and be sure of eating well. At a test meal, we alighted on seven dishes between two, from a selection of vegetables, fish, meat and desserts. Monkfish liver pâté with agrodolce date ketchup lived up to its reputation as the ‘foie gras of the sea’ being both rich yet impossibly moreish. Eight-hour braised cabbage, blackened from the grill, was in its own way, no less intense; date – hello again – brings pleasant sweetness. Then two stuffed pittas, one with chicken thigh, livers and duck hearts (the Jerusalem mixed grill), another with ling anointed with lamb fat, tahini and chilli. Great ingredients given a street-food edge. A warm assembly of chargrilled courgettes, peas and monk's beard demonstrates Oren’s judicious, never gratuitous, use of his charcoal grill. A short list of low-intervention wines and a choice of cocktails for around a tenner (no West End prices here) keep this hip little indie nicely buzzing.
This bustling, shiny white café and deli is where it all started for chef/writer Yotam Ottolenghi. Locals pile in for breakfast but there are temptations aplenty right through the day. ‘They champion such brilliant an… Read more
This bustling, shiny white café and deli is where it all started for chef/writer Yotam Ottolenghi. Locals pile in for breakfast but there are temptations aplenty right through the day. ‘They champion such brilliant and unusual flavours,’ notes a fan – from the breads, quiches and vibrant Middle Eastern/fusion salads arrayed on the counter to earthy, spice-infused hot dishes such as grilled lamb kofta with onion squash borani, Aleppo chilli oil and herbs. Tempting displays of cakes and tarts in the window attract passers-by, while the list of low-intervention wines is exemplary. Bookings for dinner only.
Intimate and informal, with small, closely packed, square wooden tables ranged along either side of the dining room, this cool, modern Italian offers a short, daily changing menu of fresh stuffed pasta dressed in moreish sauces. T… Read more
Intimate and informal, with small, closely packed, square wooden tables ranged along either side of the dining room, this cool, modern Italian offers a short, daily changing menu of fresh stuffed pasta dressed in moreish sauces. The chefs in the open kitchen conjure magic from simple ingredients, say the ox cheek ragù that's used to fill casoncelli parcels (served on a bed of celeriac purée, garnished with bresaola and Parmesan). Antipasti includes fantastic sourdough focaccia and a salad of Italian tomatoes, ricotta, balsamic vinegar and deeply flavoured grass-green virgin olive oil. Dessert might be a perfectly wobbly panna cotta of pistachio and more of that wonderful olive oil; otherwise, opt for a generous slab of Italian cheese with homemade flatbread and mustard fruits. Though not quite as popular as big brother Pasta Loco, booking is advisable, especially if you want to take advantage of the extraordinarily good-value fixed-price lunch. The dozen or so reds and whites on the carefully chosen wine list showcase Italian vintages, although France, the New World and even Essex get a brief look in.
Planque – or should that be ‘plonk’ – in Haggerston describes itself as a ‘wine drinkers’ club house’ though it’s as unlike the claret-soaked clubs of St James’s as it’s … Read more
Planque – or should that be ‘plonk’ – in Haggerston describes itself as a ‘wine drinkers’ club house’ though it’s as unlike the claret-soaked clubs of St James’s as it’s possible to be. Think polished concrete not polished mahogany; mid-century minimalism not turn-of-the-century archaism. While Planque has members paying £880 a year, its French-accented restaurant is open to all. Aussie-born chef Sebastian Myers is the kind of chef other London chefs talk about in reverential tones and we see why. His cooking is restrained yet always surprising. Cured bream is not so unusual but this one’s sliced into thick, sashimi-like slices with a pool of fruity habanero chilli oil. ‘Courgette tart’ is actually four pastry puffs, with a sweet courgette base note lifted by goat's curd and an anchovy fillet apiece. Cuttlefish and risina bean ragoût has the minute beans centre stage, the cuttlefish in a supporting role. A larger dish of guinea fowl borrows an endive and orange garnish from the classic duck dish; if it's good with breast, it's even better with the fatty, juicy thigh. For dessert, gariguette strawberries and brown butter financier come with a mystery ice cream that makes us marvel (blackcurrant stalk, apparently). The wine list speaks to the 'new gen' drinker, those more interested in grower Champagne and cult names from Jura and Beaujolais than in claret (in fact, they have no Bordeaux and only a few Burgundies). Bottles start at £40+ but this is one place you might want to splurge. Service is a little stand-offish; less so, if you're willing and able to talk wine.
It may be inspired by a street-food joint in a defunct movie theatre in Bangkok, but this hot-ticket Thai canteen is pure London – located on the mezzanine of the JKS-backed Arcade Food Hall off New Oxford Street. Inside it&… Read more
It may be inspired by a street-food joint in a defunct movie theatre in Bangkok, but this hot-ticket Thai canteen is pure London – located on the mezzanine of the JKS-backed Arcade Food Hall off New Oxford Street. Inside it’s loud, brash and busy, with an obligatory open kitchen, counter seating, strip lights and upbeat sounds plus close-packed tables covered in cute laminate prints. Service is swift and there’s no hanging around – expect to be moved on if your allotted time is up. ‘Khao gaeng’ roughly translates as ‘curry over rice’ and that’s why most people are here: we liked the muu hong (braised pork belly, soft and aromatic with spices and dark soy) – although the beef shoulder massaman curry and a seasonal sour seafood riff also look promising. Stir-fries hit the mark too, judging by our outstanding sea bream, sitting in a deeply flavoursome spicy sauce heady with kaffir lime leaves, chillies and ‘jungle herbs’. Some new season’s jasmine rice (in a bijou enamel pot) makes the perfect foil for both dishes. To begin, try khao yam (puffed rice with crunchy, tangy vegetable salad, served on paper with 'budu' fermented fish sauce to pour over it, DIY-style). To finish, the ‘young coconut pudding’ presented in a pink bowl with refreshing lychee and coloured tapioca pearls comes highly recommended. The specials board is also worth consulting and big groups can dip into the Deep South sharing menu. For refreshment, Thai-themed cocktails, chasers and iced teas are more inviting than beer and wine.
Shoehorned in amid the bustle to the north of Oxford Street, Portland has clocked up nearly a decade already. Its quiet commitment to innovative contemporary cooking may not have made the greatest of waves, but in the opinion of o… Read more
Shoehorned in amid the bustle to the north of Oxford Street, Portland has clocked up nearly a decade already. Its quiet commitment to innovative contemporary cooking may not have made the greatest of waves, but in the opinion of one who enthusiastically returns, it is a haven of 'outstanding quality and consistency'. It feels like a true neighbourhood restaurant, modestly proportioned, with an open kitchen at the back and high seating at the window overlooking the pub opposite. Unclothed tables set an informal tone, the better to showcase the fireworks of executive chef Chris Bassett's exploratory style. Little appetisers might incorporate beef tartare with fermented ramsons and seaweed for a taste of what's to come – namely a range of assertive, colourful, ingredient-led dishes. Vivid green nettle agnolotti feature smoked ricotta, bottarga and Parmesan for true umami lift-off. A bouillabaisse of shellfish comes with rouille, saffron potatoes and apple, before perhaps brioche-crusted pollack and asparagus in truffled hazelnut soubise or mature hogget in Provençal array, with smoked aubergine, courgette, datterini tomatoes and wild garlic. Nor do desserts repine into sticky toffee safety; instead, expect the likes of strawberry and pine-nut dacquoise with tonka beans and elderflower. Wines by the glass (from £8) are truly commendable for their imaginative reach, opening with a Kentish sparkler and motoring through a peppery Sicilian rosato to a clutch of forthright, complex reds. Portland has a partnership arrangement with Château d'Yquem, no less, and three of its vintages – currently the splendid 2011, 2006 and 1994 – are available by the small glass.
A little creative reconfiguration of its ground-floor space has worked well at this old Soho player. Where once a revolving door scuttled you into a large lobby, there is now a more direct route in, with crimson banquettes against… Read more
A little creative reconfiguration of its ground-floor space has worked well at this old Soho player. Where once a revolving door scuttled you into a large lobby, there is now a more direct route in, with crimson banquettes against cafe-curtained windows and smart linen-clad tables setting the scene. A good deal of its business is pre-theatre, so the evening session proceeds in measured waves, but service is attuned to timing without the need for anyone to feel hustled. Jeremy Lee has always worked at the popular end of the Anglo-French spectrum. A warm cuttlefish salad comes with finely shaved fennel, celery and a tangle of caramelised onions for sweet, earthy depth, while simple seasonal veg starters such as beetroot with a soft-boiled egg, or asparagus vinaigrette, get their early-doors chance to shine. Pie of the day is an amply satisfying behemoth, perhaps harbouring chicken, guinea fowl and lardons within its suet crust, the chips crisp and plentiful. Other meats might take in lamb shank or onglet, while mackerel with gooseberries and horseradish has been promoted to the grandeur of a full main course. Finish with île flottante in its carapace of honey-coloured caramel, or densely textured lemon tart with good crème fraîche. A handful of wines by the glass head up a list that hits its stride in the classic French regions.
Seasonal Scottish produce meets modern French cuisine
A well-respected aristocrat on Leith’s regenerated waterfront since 2001, Martin Wishart’s flagship has weathered the storms of fortune and continues to please locals and visitors alike. It helps that the ‘lovely… Read more
A well-respected aristocrat on Leith’s regenerated waterfront since 2001, Martin Wishart’s flagship has weathered the storms of fortune and continues to please locals and visitors alike. It helps that the ‘lovely’ dining room is a gently civilised, reassuring space with light wood panels, black leather chairs, discreet lighting and immaculately laid tables.
Wishart has refined his vision of modern French cuisine over the years, although his loyalty to Scottish seasonal produce remains as strong as ever. Dornoch lamb is roasted and served with goat’s cheese gnocchi and baby gem, while mallard from the Borders could arrive with creamed cabbage, braised salsify, pomme florentine and Armagnac jus. Seafood from Scottish waters is a perennial winner: a ‘genuinely inspired’ dish of Gigha halibut paired with kohlrabi rémoulade, compressed cucumber and a luxe caviar sauce was the highlight for one diner, but the haul could also include sea bream (rendered as a ceviche), John Dory or cod (steamed and served with pomme parisienne, baby leeks and hollandaise sauce). This is well-rounded, assured contemporary cooking without pyrotechnics or showboating.
The kitchen also shows its class when it comes to dessert – a Valrhona chocolate fondant needs nothing more than a black cherry sorbet and some crème fraîche, while a composition of honey mousse with lavender and apricot curd strikes a more modern note. If there is a bugbear, it has to do with the service which readers report lacks its usual panache and courtesy. Thankfully, all is well in the drinks department: a tip-top wine list takes oenophiles on a world tour, pitching rare treats from lesser-known countries alongside French regional classics; half bottles are in good supply, as are superior selections by the glass.
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