5 Festive Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Angelica Malin
Looking for some delicious Christmas food to eat in London? We’re mixing things up from turkey and stuffing, to discover some, ahem, unusual festive eats in the capital. Dive in:
1. For a Remix: Mince Pie Naan Bread
What: Cinnamon Bazaar’s Mince Pie Naan
The Lowdown: Famous chef Vivek Singh’s Mince Pie Naan puts a quirky modern Indian twist on the festive classic. Forget dry pastry, and instead enjoy a buttery naan bread stuffed with Cinnamon Bazaar’s homemade mincemeat: a secret dried fruit and nut blend which has been matured for six months in a heady mix of dark rum, brandy, red wine and Vivek’s house-made garam masala spice blend. For an added dose of festive indulgence, top with a scoop of homemade cinnamon ice cream. Exclusively available at innovative and modern Indian restaurant Cinnamon Bazaar, part of Vivek Singh’s The Cinnamon Collection.
Price: The dessert is priced at £7 with ice cream, £6 without.
When: From 25th November until 25th December
Where: Cinnamon Bazaar, 28 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7JS
2. For a Festive Feast: P.F. Chang’s Asian Table
What: P.F. Chang’s Asian Table Festive Menu
The Lowdown: Fusing the bold flavours of Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine, the festive menus will combine signature favorites with a selection of seasonal specials offering an alternative to the traditional Christmas spread. The menus feature starters of handmade lobster and shrimp spring rolls with sweet claw and knuckle meat, lemon and chili; Gua Bao Buns, filled with pulled beef short rib and served with pickled cabbage. For mains, highlights include a heaped bowl of rich Mongolian beef, served with spring onions and grilled lamb chops marinated for 24 hours in soy, lemongrass and sesame oil. Desserts from P.F. Chang’s Pastry lab include the ‘Christmas Meltdown’ a white chocolate snowman filled with honeycomb, cocoa nibs, popping candy, chocolate soil, hazelnuts and meringue.
Price: Christmas set menus are priced at £30 or £40 per person with the latter including a glass of prosecco or soft drink on arrival
When: From 8th December-31st January 2019
Where: 10 Great Newport Street, London, WC2H 7JA
3. For Something That’s Not Turkey: Mr Ji
What: A new Taiwanese-inspired fried chicken restaurant in Soho
The Lowdown: Samuel Haim has opened the doors to Mr Ji, his first permanent home, bringing his take on Taiwanese night market chicken to Soho following a successful pop-up in Camden. Inspired by his visits to the bustling capital city of Taipei, Mr Ji only uses 100% free-range chicken throughout the whole menu with the focus being on Taiwan’s signature crispy fried chicken often found in their night markets. Their hero dish, the Big Ji, is a huge butterflied chicken breast, brined, coated in gluten-free sweet potato flour and deep-fried.
Where: Mr Ji, 72 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, W1D 4UN
Price: Dishes range from £3-£12. Their signature Big Ji is £8.50.
4. For a Christmas Pizza: Bellillo
What: Neapolitan Christmas Pizza
The Lowdown: Bellillo is a Neapolitan pizzeria bringing the delicious flavours of Naples direct to London. Made to fresh to order, the pizzas at Bellillo are all cooked in a traditional wood-fired pizza oven and topped with superior ingredients from across the length and breadth of Italy. Pizzas currently on the 20-strong seasonal menu include well-loved favourites such as margherita, as well as their namesake the Bellillo.
Launching the first week of December is the Tradizione which captures the flavours of a Neapolitan Christmas on a wonderfully thin, chewy pizza base. It will be topped with Pan fried cod fillet, Artisan’s Fior Di Latte cheese (Campania region) , Caiazzo Black Olives (Slow Food Presidium – Campania region), Neapolitan Endives (Campania region) and Organic E.V.O. Oil D.O.P. (Salerno – Campania region).
Where: Bellillo, 255 Munster Road, SW6 6BW
5. For a Festive Meat Feast: Engawa
What: Engawa’s 13 course Kobe beef Christmas menu
The Lowdown: Executive Chef Akira Shimizu has created an extravagant thirteen-course Christmas celebration of Kobe beef available from 21st – 24th December. It begins with a raspberry & yuzu champagne cocktail upon arrival and includes delicate starters such as grilled, thinly sliced Kobe sirloin with Tamaru-Ya wasabi and thin noodles in stock with tender sliced beef. Seasonal sushi-style plates with superior flavour follow, including Kobe beef thigh, foie gras, Kobe beef stock, teriyaki sauce; Kobe sirloin with sea urchin, cheese and truffle cream sauce; the ultimate melt-in-the-mouth Kobe beef burger; and 20-day aged Kobe beef with Nori seaweed. Gloriously extravagant and not a sprout in sight, the Kobe beef tasting menu at Engawa makes for an unforgettably indulgent and memorable festive feast.
Where: Engawa, 2 Ham Yard, London, W1D 7DT
Price: £235
6. For an Alternative Christmas Party: Hedonist Sundays
What: Hedonist Sundays – Hovarda’s newly launched day party
The Lowdown: Hedonist Sundays at Hovarda embodies the restaurants’ name sake, a free-spirited host who will go to any lengths to have a good time. This up-tempo party features a mezze feast and bottomless cocktails, set to the beat of the Aegean coastline. The menu features dishes such as: avocado with lentil caviar, seaweed and lemon oil, tuna tartare with tomato, cucumber and wasabi, Mücver – courgette fritters with roasted garlic yoghurt and fried squid with squid ink mayo and lemon. You can also expect a rotating line up of DJs from 6:30pm, perfect for dancing off the bottomless dishes.
When: The next Hedonist Sundays party at Hovarda is on 8th December from 4-6pm. Bookings can be made here.
Where: 36 – 40 Rupert St, London W1D 6DW
7. For Ultimate Indulgence: Heliot Steak House
What: Heliot Steak House’s Indulgent Christmas Special – Roast Turkey and Lobster Tail
The Lowdown: This Christmas, expect a luxurious twist on the traditional Christmas dinner – in true Heliot style. Classic roast turkey will be accompanied by a whole lobster tail dosed with garlic butter, and all the trimmings, including tarragon and apricot stuffing, pigs in blankets, green beans, cranberry sauce and roasting juices.
Price: £20 including champagne and Christmas dessert.
When: Until 22nd December 2019
Where: Heliot Steak House, Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn St, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7JH
