8 Things You Need To Eat In London This WeekBy amelia richards
Wondering what to eat in London this week? We’ve got you covered with our round-up of the best new openings, refreshed menus, pop-ups and bars across the capital. Enjoy!
1. For a New Opening: Soutine
What: The latest outpost of the Corbin & King dynasty has opened in St John’s Wood.
The Lowdown: The team behind the Wolseley, Fischer’s, Colbert and Brasserie Zédel have opened their eighth London restaurant (they also have a Wolseley Café in Bicester Village) to rapturous applause from pundits. Soutine is pretty similar to Colbert in that the concept has a casual neighbourhood vibe, a simple but delicious menu and has both an informal café/bar area, as well as a more formal restaurant at the rear. We had the artichoke and the mackerel to start, followed by ‘Spinach Pelmeni’ (a cross between ravioli and dumplings, lightly fried to a crisp) and the Lemon Sole ‘Veronique’, all of which was top drawer.
Where: 60 St John’s Wood High St, St John’s Wood, London NW8 7SH
2. For a Vegan Pizza Joint: Humble Pizza
What: Humble Pizza have opened up on King’s Road to offer their plant-based take on the world’s most popular food, and we are very much on board.
The Lowdown: Veggie pizzas, soups & salads, with gluten-free options including an ever-so-trendy ‘cauliflower pizza base’ option. Vegetarians and vegans rejoice; the all-day eatery in the heart of Chelsea is open noon ’til night, is painted a very instagram-friendly shade of millennial pink and is already becoming the place to see and be seen in south London; all of which makes it, without a doubt, one of the best places to eat in London this week.
Where: 342 King’s Road, London, SW3 5UR
3. For a Turkish Feast: Yeni
What: Istanbul restaurant offering up interesting and refined Turkish cuisine.
The Lowdown: Straight out of Istanbul and into London, this new addition to the Soho scene serves up authentic, flavourful Anatolian cuisine from chef Civen Er. The menu is awash with the usual suspects – dates, feta, barberries, molasses – but Er throws a few new flavours our way too. Öcce fritters anyone? How’s about a Çig Kofte Fillet Tartare? Yeni’s menu is a party for the palate and offers a really novel eating experience if you’re up for trying something new. They offer a £16 lunch menu Monday-Friday too.
Where: 55 Beak St, Soho, London W1F 9SH
4. For a New Wine Bar: The Wine Parlour
What: A brand new bottle shop and an exciting addition to the Brixton’s ever-evolving food and drink scene.
The Lowdown: The Wine Parlour Brixton Village offers its customers wine to try on-site, take home or enjoy in the neighbouring BYO restaurants of the market. Encouraging a ‘try before you buy’ culture, the bottle shop’s focus is on sustainable wines and lesser known grapes from small family-run vineyards, many of which source exclusively to The Wine Parlour. Both New World and Old World will be represented, with bottles from Greece, Germany, Australia, California and Australia, among many others. Craft beers and spirits are also available to purchase.
Where: 89 Brixton Village, London, SW9 8PR
5. For a New Brunch Menu: Dominique Ansel
What: Chef Dominique Ansel has put his twist on a number of brunch classics and you can now devour them all day, erryday at his London bakery.
The Lowdown: New dishes, including Basque Shakshuka, Florentine Breton Crêpes and Smoked Trout Salad, have been created using high-quality, carefully-sourced British ingredients, from the spring asparagus from Wye Valley Farm in Herefordshire to the Breckland Brown free-range eggs from chickens reared at Highfield Farm in Norfolk. The menu is served at Ansel’s Belgravia bakery-café between 8am – 7pm (and from 9am on Sundays) and – weather permitting – can be enjoyed outside on the garden terrace. It’s definitely one of the nicest spots to eat at in London when the sun’s out.
Where: 17-21 Elizabeth St, Belgravia, London SW1W 9RP
6. For Gourmet Fish Buns: MOLO
What:Fine-dining meets street food with MOLO, a new street food brand focusing on gourmet fish buns. Launching at Netil Market on Saturday 18th May, MOLO will blend different seafood flavours and fine dining techniques to create the ultimate seafood buns.
The Lowdown: Co-founded by the previous development chef of Novikov Group, MOLO sees Mediterranean and Asian flavours packed into rich brioche buns. The result? Proper gourmet fish buns.
The menu will feature three signature buns (King Crab is our fave, followed by Salmon) and a vegan option made with a rice & nori patty, with a shredded carrot and Chinese cabbage salad dressing, and garlic tofu aioli in a poppy seed brioche bun, all with chips and dips available alongside. They will also be serving up a rotating weekly special which will take the form of either octopus, soft shell crab or cod
Where: Unit F Netil Market, 12-23 Westgate Street, London, E8 3RL
7. For a Seasonal Menu: Flesh & Buns
What: Flesh & Buns are doing Asparagus Season in style.
The Lowdown: In honour of the short annual window of culinary appreciation for the humble asparagus, Flesh & Buns Fitzrovia are serving up four dishes with the veggie taking centre-stage. Take your pick from Grilled Asparagus with Huancaina Cheese Sauce, Asparagus Tempura, Green Asparagus Ceviche with Red Onion, Sweet Potato, Lotus Chips and Truffle Amarillo Tigers Milk or Asparagus Gnocchi with Mentaiko, Cream and Kizami Nori. Or have ’em all. We’ll only judge you positively!
Where: 32 Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LR
8. For a Sustainable Take-Out: Dabba Drop
What: A new, sustainable, home-delivery service in East London.
The Lowdown: DabbaDrop’s mission is to change the way Britain does Indian takeaway. A tall order, we hear you say, but the guys at DabbaDrop have got this! DabbaDrop is all about helping you unpack the magical beauty of real Indian food which, contrary to popular opinion, overwhelmingly vegetarian and feeds both your body and your mind with a rainbow of fresh vegetables, herbs and spices. No added sugar, no mystery meat, no overly oily sauces, and no more single-use plastic! They also deliver by bike, so bonus points there. If you’re looking for something new to eat in London – without having to leave the house – then DabbaDrop is well worth a try.
Where: Friday nights only, select East London locations. More details on their website here.