5 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Alicia Grimshaw
The evenings are getting lighter, the weather is getting warmer, and Londoners are flocking to the nearest beer garden in their droves. Spring is officially here. Let’s welcome the season with open arms and delicious grub. Here’s what you need to eat in London this week:
What: Pizza fans, unite. After years of trading in East London in their green Piaggio Ape Van, Pizza Pilgrims have opened their new gaff on Shoreditch High Street. As always – bringing something unique to each location – new elements exclusive to Shoreditch include BYOB as well as chocolate calzonification.
Why: Pizza Pilgrims Shoreditch is their first BYOB site, giving everyone the freedom to bring along whatever booze they like, from Special Brew to Barolo. Known for pushing culinary boundaries in the world of pizzas with the likes of their famous deep-fried pizza fritta, the Shoreditch Pizza Pilgrims menu also showcases new pizza innovations. New and exclusive to the Shoreditch site, bring in your favourite chocolate bar and have it ‘calzonified’ – encased in dough and baked. We say, a Boost calzone is hard to beat. You can literally bring in anything; from Mini Eggs to Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups and Diam bars, the possibilities are endless. Alongside these news calzonified creations (and their well-loved pizzas), new menu items also available are crust dippers, prosciutto pops and tiramisu served in take-away cardboard espresso cups.
Where: Pizza Pilgrims Shoreditch, 136 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JE
2. For a New Dish: Gourmet Burger Kitchen
What: Inspired by the country that gave us Pokémon, anime and sumo wrestling, GBK pays tribute to the stealthiest of warriors with its new special, The Chicken Ninja. Goodbye beef, and hello breaded chicken. This burger has it all.
Why: Packed with a shed ton of Asian flavour GBK’s chicken ninja features Panko chicken, katsu curry sauce, Tokyo slaw and miso ketchup all sandwiched between a charcoal bun – chopsticks optional. Paired perfectly with GBK’s latest Matcha green tea and vanilla ice-cream milkshake for a seriously tasty combination.
Where: Locations here
3. For Another New Opening: Sparrow
What: Terry Blake and Yohini Nandakumar are to open their first restaurant, Sparrow, in Lewisham on the Tuesday (28th March). The husband and wife team first met whilst working at St John’s in Smithfields and the new opening will be a homage to the food they love.
Why: Seasonality will be at the heart of Sparrow’s menu, and while the focus will be on British meat and vegetables and European cooking techniques, dishes will borrow flavours from around the world. The regularly changing menu will feature sharing plates such as courgette trifolati and roasted spring onion bruschetta; glazed ham slices, served with home baked sourdough and rhubarb relish; roast pork belly, spiked with harissa; and malt duck, served with chilli jam. Desserts will include salted chocolate caramel tart; condensed milk ice cream affrogato; and nutmeg custard tart.
Where: 2 Rennell Street, Lewisham, London SE13 7HD
4. For a New Style of Dining: Kikuchi
What: Kikuchi has launched a new omakase-style of dining at its Fiztrovia digs. It’s a destination dining spot, embracing the best of Japanese cuisine, using the freshest ingredients. No Omakase menu is the same; they reflect the skill and artistic craft of the chef.
Why: Kikuchi, now in its 19th year, will remove the element of choice, eliminating ‘ordinary’ and ‘predictable’ from your usual dining experience, and instead injecting it with anticipation and mystery. Omakase is a traditional Japanese menu style where the customer’s culinary journey is in the hands of the chef. Upon arrival, catch a glimpse of the sushi counter before taking a seat in the intimate 16-cover dining space. There are two sittings available for dinner at 18:00 and 20:30 Monday through Saturday. Chef Patron Masayuki Kikuchi will deliver elegant, premium dishes of sushi, sashimi, hot dishes (such as grilled fish, tempura or meat focused plates), and soups, which change on a regular basis.
Where: 14 Hanway St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1UD
5. For a New Dinner Menu: 45 Jermyn St.
What: The glamorous 45 Jermyn St. has launched a brand new set dinner menu, for the bargain price of £35 for three courses. The menu is available in the evenings from 5:30pm, Monday – Saturday, and the deal also includes a cocktail of your choice.
Why: Starters include; wild garlic soup with Jersey Royals and seaweed; smoked salmon with soda bread; and baby beets and Roquefort with pickled walnuts. For main course, choose between glazed pork fillet served with baby vegetables and ham broth; pan fried cod with fennel and brown shrimps; or quinoa and pomegranate salad with aubergine rolls. And for the final sweet hurrah, dig into to either Limey Coupe – lime curd with vanilla ice cream; chilled chocolate fondant with praline ice cream, or apple and rhubarb pie.
Where: 45 Jermyn St., St. James’s, London, SW1Y 6DN
