5 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Alicia Grimshaw
We hate to say it, but summer is coming to an end. Let’s welcome autumn with open arms and empty stomaches, because yet again, London is dishing up some new dishes you need to try. Sandwiches, seafood platters, pasta feasts, and more – here’s what you should be eating in the capital this week:
1. For a New Trader: Sub Cult x Boxpark Shoreditch
What: Sandwich royalty has arrived at Boxpark Shoreditch. Purveyors of the finest sub sarnies in the capital, Sub Cult has moved into their new E1 home, whipping up fresh, made to order sandwiches using their freshly baked bagel-brioche hybrid buns, stuffed full of indulgent flavour combinations.
Why: The Rodeo Sub is made up of rare roast beef and truffle mayo, topped off with Grana Padano and shallot jam and their Sub Marine contains slow-cooked pulled pork shoulder, seared scallops, blackened calamari and pork crackling, finished with a dollop of parsley mayo. Veggies and vegans are also catered for with their Sub Terranean featuring grilled mushrooms, truffle mayo and Stilton, as well as their weekly vegan special, the Sub Conscious.
Where: 2-10 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6GY
2. For a New Menu: Smoke & Salt
What: Each season brings exciting new menus at Smoke & Salt (every two months in fact) and staying true to their ethos of ‘Modern Dining – Ancient Technique’, the guys at Smoke & Salt have created something that celebrates the flavours of autumn, and with it, the joys of pickling, fermenting, barbequing and more.
Why: Their seven course seasonal menu includes dishes such as: salt-baked carrots with buttermilk, sage, and carrot raisins; partridge with pickled blackcurrant; and fermented honey cake with honey and blackberries. Alongside the seasonal menu is a new A La Carte Menu which features dishes such as mushroom “Gnocchi” with yam, cobnut pesto and girolle, and steam buns filled with curried goat and pickled pumpkin.
Where: 49 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8PQ
What: Following Baby Bao’s success in Brighton, the Taiwanese bun concept has rocked up in London as a pop-up in Haymarket. Visit for fluffy bao, Korean fried chicken wings, and cocktails.
Why: The oriental menu, spearheaded by Chef Adrian Geddes, centres on the loaded pillowy buns, with signatures including roast pork belly bao with hoisin, peanuts, cucumber, and scallion; the cod tempura bao with pickled fennel, tartare sauce and nori; and the veggie friendly mushroom bao with sweet n’ sour, miso mayo, crispy shallots, scallion and pickled carrot. Don’t forgetting the sides, up for grabs are the duck chips with kimchi, smoked garlic mayo, pineapple, peanuts and sriracha, and Gochujang mac n’ cheese.
Where: 66 Haymarket, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4RW
4. For a Re-Opening: Wright Brothers Soho
What: Refurbished, revitalised, and back with what they do best (seafood, and lots of it), Wright Brothers in Soho is reopening the doors to their Soho restaurant on Thursday (4th October). Alongside the new decor, the food menu has undergone a makeover, and now features new special seafood feasts and platters.
Why: Head Chef David Jones has created a new menu which focuses on sharing and small plates with dishes including: pan fried red mullet with an Asian slaw; teriyaki cod collar with BBQ hispi cabbage; Cameron roja ceviche with crispy prawn heads; and pork scratchings with smoked cod roe. Wright Brothers classics remain on the menu, such as their famous seafood platters and oysters, and larger plates on offer include the confit pork belly with seared scallop and kimchi cabbage.
Where: 13 Kingly Street and G7/ G8 Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW
What: Two old friends from the South of Italy have joined together to launch Il Sud, an unfussy Italian restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia, serving fresh and tasty dishes from their home regions.
Why: Enjoy the last of the season’s courgette flowers with Il Sud’s Fiori di Zucca – deep fried flowers filled with ricotta cheese, spicy N’duja sausage and rocket pesto. Their short but enticing set menu is ideal for working lunches and features fresh seafood dishes such as pan-fried seabass served with mixed vegetables, and homemade pappardelle laced with slow-cooked wild boar ragù.
Where: Il Sud, 21 Berners Street, London, W1T 3L
