5 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Alicia Grimshaw
This article contains sexy pictures of salt beef sarnies, pretty tacos and hearty pasta dishes. And if that won’t make you read it, we don’t know what will. Here’s what’s hot in London this week. Go on, have a scroll:
What: Following a successful two years exploring tastes from the Middle East and India, Foley’s in Fitzrovia has launched a new Asian inspired menu, for the first time ever. New Head Chef Sakorn Somboon has worked on refining bold Asian dishes, reinvented into a European style with the new menu made up of an eclectic mix of diverse sharing plates.
Why: The menu has been carefully divided into five sections focusing on ‘Bits and Bobs’, ‘Raw Bar’, ‘Salads’, ‘Meat and Fish’ and ‘Veg’. Highlight dishes include: rock shrimp tempura with nori spice and kimchi mayo; soy cured tuna sashimi with shredded daikon, chilli salsa and truffle ponzu; chicken sake, a take on traditional Indonesian grilled corn fed chicken served with satay sauce, crispy shallot and ajar pickle; and octopus with sweet potato miso, lemon dashi foam and chilli oil.
Where: 23 Foley St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6DU
What: Simon Whiteside (the chef and co-founder of Hook in Camden, Taiwanese pop-up Mr Ji and Bia Mara) has just opened his first solo restaurant, Roe at Pop Brixton.
Why: The ever-changing menu offers both small and larger plates drawing on Simon’s Irish heritage. Smaller dishes highlights include; ink and Guinness soda bread with seaweed butter and accompanied with either mackerel pate, whipped smoked cod’s roe or house smoked salmon with horseradish; grey mullet Poitin ceviche with cucumber and lime; cuttlefish and ink arancini with pecorino foam; and monkfish carpaccio with a roasted cauliflower puree and pickled shitake. Bigger options feature the likes of; ray wing with Jerusalem artichoke and wild mushrooms; confit sea trout accompanied with sea greens, an oyster and sorrel emulsion; spiced ling with fermented lentils, roast onion squash and chard, plus a daily whole fish special.
Where: Unit S38, Pop Brixton, 29 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8PQ
Photo Credit: Justin DeSouza
3. For a New Opening: Market Halls Victoria
What: Market Halls has transformed the abandoned arcaded bays of Victoria’s Terminus Place into a sustainable new destination, showcasing a diverse and eclectic offering of food and drink across three floors with eleven kitchens, a coffee shop, and three bars championing independent British-made beers, spirits and soft drinks.
Why: Market Halls brings together some of the most-loved restaurants from across the capital including BaoziInn, specialising in regional Northern Chinese cuisine with Sichuan and Hunan influences; towering salt beef sandwiches and homemade chicken soup by Monty’s Deli; Bunshop, from Jon Rotheram and Tom Harris, the chef duo behind Hackney’s hugely popular Marksman pub; and traditional handmade pasta at Nonna Tonda.
Where: 191 Victoria Street, Victoria London SW1E 5NE
4. For a New Tasting Menu: som saa
What: som saa has created a new special tasting menu of dishes entitled ‘Tem Toh’. And the restaurant is now taking reservations for parties of any size. Tem Toh, which translates to ‘full table’, is a carefully balanced menu showcasing a considered range of dishes from across Thailand’s regions.
Why: Dishes features on the menu include gai golae ping – grilled chicken skewers with southern coconut curry marinade and ajut relish; pad pak – stir fried pak choi with asian mushrooms and morning glory; yum som-o – pink pomelo salad with cornish crab and a red ‘nahm jim’; and lon dao jiao, coconut cream relish of yellow beans and minced pork with vegetables and herbs to dip.
Where: 43A Commercial St, London E1 6BD
Photo Credit: Ben Broomfield
5. For a New Head Chef: Polpetto
What: There’s been a shake up at Polpetto, Soho. The restaurant has appointed a new head chef, Anthea Stephenson (formerly of the River Café), who has designed an entirely new menu of vibrant dishes, suited for convivial sharing and feasting.
Why: The seasonally changing menu includes dishes such as: thinly sliced ox tongue, salsa verde and pine nuts; red mullet carpaccio, shaved fennel and chilli; and roast pumpkin, toasted wet walnuts, sheep ricotta and grumulo. Larger sharing dishes include: hand cut chestnut tagliatelle, girolle mushroom and thyme; Venetian rib chop, marrow, borlotti and cicoria, and dolci such as: saffron panna cotta; warm chocolate tart, sea salt and mascarpone.
