10 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Angelica Malin
We’re back with our weekly 5 things you need to eat in London this week guide! It’s been a while, so we’ve made it into a bumper edition. Discover the best new restaurants in London for October 2019 right here:
1. For Grab & Go: Mac & Wild, Shoreditch
What: Mac & Wild’s has recently launched a Grab & Go concept at their Devonshire Square restaurant. Offering Londoners a new alternative to the lunchtime supermarket sandwich, Mac & Wild will offer city slickers an impressive menu filled with indulgent cheese porn worthy toastie treats topped with Haggis and healthy grain bowls to take back to desks or eat on the go.
The Lowdown: Open Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to late afternoon, Mac & Wild will offer both healthy and comforting Mac & Wild Scottish fare. Those wishing to indulge in a lunchtime treat can tuck into Mac & Wild’s Toastie and Sausage Roll menu with specials including a Haggis and Caramelised Onion Toastie oozing with Molten Cheese, the Vegan Haggis Toastie packed full with Pickled Peppers and Herb Pesto as well as foot-long homemade Venison and Black Pudding or Classic Pork and Herb Sausage Rolls.
Where: 9A Devonshire Square, Spitalfields, London EC2M 4YN
2. For Steak: Haymarket Wine House, Haymarket
What: Located amongst the bustle of London’s West End, Haymarket Wine House – a new wine bar and bistro on Haymarket W1 is now open. Located next to Her Majesty’s and the Haymarket Theatres, it is an ideal pre or post theatre destination. Serving a diverse selection of wines from across the globe, alongside a simple French inspired menu this is a place to enjoy good food and wine at any time of day.
The Lowdown: Offering a simple and accessible French inspired menu, the restaurant’s crowning glory is its steak and frites. Perfectly cooked, and using the tenderest cuts of beef their specialty cut is the Butlers’ Steak, also called the Flat Iron or Oyster Blade which is a cut of steak with the grain from the beef shoulder. Priced at a very valuable £10 per head, it is best served with a choice of Béarnaise, Green Peppercorn or signature House Secret Sauce!
Where: Haymarket Wine House, 66 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RF
3. For Middle Eastern Food: Fafa’s, Covent Garden
What: Looking for a new spot in central London? The Middle Eastern street food on another level at Fafa’s – and one of our best new restaurants in London for October 2019. Their Finnish delights are inspired by the flavours of Tel Aviv with pitas filled with the freshest, quality ingredients alongside magnificent mezze and vibrant salads. All-day pitas and house mezze boxes are packed with tabbouleh, sweet and smoky matbucha, fresh tomatoes, kale, chopped chilli and parsley.
The Lowdown: Choose the signature falafel and combine with halloumi, hummus, goat’s cheese and pesto, roasted vegetables and feta; or up your game with grilled shrimp with harissa and tzatziki; Fafa’s burger (patty) with tahini; or slow cooked short rib with harissa and beetroot. Even sides are on-trend, with chips and homemade beetroot ketchup and halloumi strips with harissa for a glorious mix of crunchy, spicy and salty.
Where: Fafa’s 1 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DA
4. For a Foraged Feast: Temper, Soho
What: Temper is a buzzing, vibrant, and stripped back, BBQ restaurant with an open flaming kitchen, music, cocktails and an extensive wine list. Founder, chef Neil Rankin is known for his love of natural, local ingredients and he recently journeyed to the Cornish coast, to forage for a host of wild ingredients, to create a new dish for his restaurant in Soho.
The Lowdown: Facilitated by Ford’s latest off-road performance vehicle, the Ranger Raptor, Neil gathered 7 wild ingredients (including sea beans, rock samphire, bell heather and alexander seeds) plucked from hard-to-reach areas of the Lizard Peninsula, to create a burnt sea dust. The new garnish will now be available to try on the Temper Soho restaurant menu for the next 3-months until January 2nd 2020.
Where: Temper Soho, 25 Broadwick St, Soho, London W1F 0DF
5. For a Brand New Menu: The Summerhouse, Maida Vale
What: Idyllically situated on the beautiful banks of Little Venice, The Summerhouse, renowned for its superlative waterside dining, is taking things up a notch with the arrival of Head Chef Francisco Gonzalez and a new menu packed with fabulous fish dishes, seafood sharing platters, zesty salads and classic grills.
The Lowdown: Starters include tuna tataki with boiled quail’s egg, spring onions and ponzu sauce; poached octopus, gratin dauphinoise, lambs lettuce and jalapeño mayo whilst fruits de mer platters come laden with rock oysters, Mediterranean king prawns and Canadian lobster. Fish mains feature the likes of whole baked seabass to share with green beans, almond butter and sautéed new potatoes; salmon fillet with saffron mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and caviar and a traditional IPA battered haddock with chunky chips, minted mushy peas and tartare sauce.
Where: Opposite 60 Blomfield Road, London W9 2PA
6. For Chocolate Lovers: The Petersham, Richmond
What: The Petersham in Richmond is celebrating Chocolate Week (14-20th October) with an exclusive Chocolate Menu, available for the whole month of October. Chocolate-lovers rejoice, as Head Chef Jean-Didier has created three special dishes available on the restaurant’s à la carte menu which showcase the finest artisanal chocolate in every course – yes, every course.
The Lowdown: This epic menu features three special courses that celebrate the versatility of cocoa as an ingredient in both sweet and savoury dishes. Diners can opt for innovative creations like seared scallops with a mushroom and white chocolate veloutè or smoked venison with white chocolate soil, Jerusalem artichoke puree, and a red wine jus. Whatever you do though, just sure you leave room for the showstopping Black Candle dessert – an unforgettable combination of vanilla cake, chocolate and hazelnut mousse, marshmallow cream and charcoal ice cream. The chocolate menu is available as part of their a la carte offering for lunch or dinner until 31st October.
Where: The Petersham, Nightingale Lane, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6UZ
7. For a Seafood Platter: FishWorks, Various Locations
What: FishWorks’ grilled seafood platter celebrates the wonders of the ocean with a selection of fresh fish and seafood. The dish features a sautéed scallop cooked with white wine and garlic butter, topped with breadcrumbs and Pernod, a fillet of sea bass, sea bream and chilli ginger prawns.
The Lowdown: Delivered every morning from Brixham market in Devon, FishWorks serves up fresh and sustainable fish and seafood in London. With both a restaurant area and in-house fishmongers across their sites, you can tuck into a towering fruits de mer or have your choice of fish expertly filleted to enjoy at home. FishWorks also prides itself on a fantastic range of small-batch wines hand-picked by Sommelier Tim McLaughlin-Green that pair perfectly with fish.
Where: FishWorks 7-9 Swallow St, London W1B 4DE; FishWorks 89 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW; FishWorks 2-4 Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JY
8. For a Champagne Lobster Roll: Burger & Lobster, Throughout London
What: Mono-product pioneers, Burger & Lobster, is combining two of the world’s most scrumptious ingredients; champagne and lobster, as part of its new Autumn menu launch.
The Lowdown: An indulgent twist on Burger & Lobster’s most popular menu item, the lobster roll original, this decadent dish will be served warm with a luxurious Champagne butter sauce. Ravishing. Made with fresh Atlantic lobster, sustainably sourced from the coasts of Nova Scotia, the new supper staple tastes like the opening aria from an award-winning production of La Bohème, viewed from the Royal Box. Other items on the autumn menu include a Lobster Mac & Cheese, Chorizo Muscles and a Lobster Caesar Salad. Scandal.
Where: All Burger & Lobster branches across London
9. For Italian Cuisine: Capricci, Southbank
What: Capricci is an authentic Italian restaurant and wine bar located on the buzzing Southbank, with Head Chef Federico Casali elevating regional Italian cooking with their daily changing all-day dining menu, which champions their “from the shelves to the kitchen” philosophy and celebrates small artisanal producers. They’ve created a new lunch menu with daily pasta specials so that no two lunches are the same.
The Lowdown: All specials are just £10 and are served Monday-Sunday from 12pm-3pm. Each day a different type of pasta takes centre stage. For example, on Monday you may get a mezze maniche amatriciana; on Tuesday, tonnarellli cacio & pepe; and on Wednesday paccheri with Italian sausage ragù. Other highlights include a gnocci alla Sorrentina and a pappardelle with raddichio and gorgonzola.
Where: NEO Bankside Unit C South, 72 Holland Street, SE1 9NX, London
10. For a Seasonal Italian Feast: il Pampero
What: Authentic Italian neighbourhood restaurant, il Pampero has recently refreshed its menu to highlight some of Executive Chef Claudio Covino’s favourite seasonal ingredients.
The Lowdown: Live until January 2020, the autumn menu at il Pampero will feature new dishes including pumpkin soup with gorgonzola fondue, turbot fillet en papillote with clams and porcini mushrooms, and rice pudding with poached pear, alongside Italian classics such as Cacio e Pepe and Burrata with Datterino tomatoes.
Where: il Pampero, 20 Chesham Place, SW1X 8HQ
