Eating BIG in London

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Getting Down in London Town

London was never at the top of my hit list until suddenly it was when we visited in September. Me and Erica joined my aunt and uncle on a trip revolving mostly around food and drinks. We hit up a ton of spots so instead of going on about all the things I loved about London I’ll just say it was a fun city that seemingly anyone can find some sort of entertainment in. We ended up spending seven days and barely scratched the surface for “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” - Samuel Johnson (1777). When it came time to fly back I was already plotting a return trip. Of course it was the food that I really fell in love with - that and all of the exploring one can do thru the food in one of the world’s most diverse cities. It's a wonderful mix of old and new. I could’ve spent the entire time eating nothing but South Asian food and I would’ve been happy as it’s the best place to eat Indian food outside of India and the same goes for Pakistani food outside of Pakistan. But I didn’t want to miss out on so many other international offerings so I tried to squeeze in as many different places in as I could.

Pics from London (click all pics to enhance)

London is usually one of the first places that Americans visit when they begin to travel abroad. But for whatever reason England was the 31st country I visited. That reason may very well be I’ve never thought much of English food - I mean it’s not all bad and there’s plenty of dishes to like such as fish and chips and scotch eggs but it’s far from the worlds most exciting cuisine. I feel like there’s two types of groups when it comes to judging the food scene in London - the first of which is the group of people that haven’t been there in a long time and the other is the group of people that have been there recently. Simply put if you visited London some ten years or so ago you likely did not eat as well as somebody who went last week. Of course your mileage may vary depending on your knowledge of the city’s food scene but there’s plenty of useful info out there and after just one trip I’m ready to put London among the world’s best food cities due to the big time diversity mixed with a high number of eating options plus a high quality of cooking from spot to spot. It feels like NYC mixed with Paris. 

Pics from London
___________________________________________________

Terry's Cafe

We landed in London around 7am which set the tone for my first order of business - an English Breakfast. Like all food origin stories the history of the “Fry Up” is a bit murky but the idea that it came about in the working-class communities of the Industrial Revolution is very believable. I did a little bit of research on where to find a good one and ended up choosing Terry's Cafe near Borough Market. Not only did their English Breakfast plate look perfect but so did the space itself. It has the feel of an old school London spot with old pictures of the queen lining the walls and red and white checkered tablecloths but hidden it is not - Terry's attracts a nice mix of tourists and locals alike most of whom are there for the signature English breakfast. ‘The Works’ includes Cumberland Sausage, Fried Egg, Bacon, Bubble & Squeak (mix of mashed potato and cabbage), Black Pudding, Baked Beans, Grilled Tomatoes, Mushrooms (£15). I always enjoy an English Breakfast but it’s not something I eat often. I had planned to try another spot but I didn’t feel the need, but definitely on my next visit to London.

English Breakfast at Terry's Cafe
___________________________________________________

Dishoom (Covent Garden) 

After checking into our AirBNB we got ready for our first of the many reservations I made. Lunch at nearby Dishoom seemed like the perfect pick for our first meal of the trip with my aunt and uncle who landed a couple hours after we did. Dishoom is one of London’s most well known restaurants or brands for that matter. It’s an ode the Irani cafés of Bombay circa the 1960’s. It was founded in 2010 by partners and co-founders Shamil and Kavi Thakrar who built a restaurant empire that today has 10 locations in the U.K including seven in London. They also co-authored one of my favorite cookbooks so going here was a must for me as it should be for any first time visitor to London. 

Bacon and Egg Naan at Dishoom

I actually ate at the Covent Garden location twice including a solo visit for breakfast on the backend of our trip. A good friend of mine swears by the bacon and egg naan which is one of many tempting options on their breakfast menu so I gave that a try and it was indeed delicious. High quality ingredients throughout including handmade naan freshly baked to order in the tandoor and smeared with a lil’ bit of cream cheese, and tomato-chilli jam plus cilantro, smoked streaky bacon and an egg if you want one. Lunch was equally as satisfying with their famous black daal being every bit as good as it was said to be. Pic While the daal lived up to the hype I was a little let down by the Gunpowder Potatoes which I thought would’ve been better if they fried them until golden and crispy. The spice on them was nice but the potatoes were a bit boring. A basket of lamb samosas was a great call by my uncle off the appetizers list. As I’ve mentioned on here before I prefer samosas with the thin skin that shatters when bitten into which Dishoom stuffs with a delicious blend of minced lamb with onion and spices. They come three to an order with a lip licking trio of sauces on the side. 

Lamb Samosa / Black Daal at Dishoom

Lastly we tried the Covent Garden locations signature dish which is a cool aspect of the Dishoom brand - each location has one dish you can’t get at any of the other locations. The Prawn Piatha is described on the menu as a “most celebratory dish, befitting for auspicious occasions” and it’s made with “succulent prawns marinated overnight in ginger, garlic and lime juice, lightly charred by the grill and nestled in a fiery-sweet-tangy tomato masala.” Served with an onion salad for and Roomali Roti for mopping. This was outstanding and I can’t wait to go back. Note: After lunch at Dishoom we took the less than one minute walk over to Oriole which was a top notch cocktail bar worth checking out.

Prawn Piatha at Dishoom
___________________________________________________

Oshpaz Dumplings

Rarely were we not eating and or drinking on this trip, whether by choice or chance. After drinks at Oriole we had planned to hold off until our dinner reservation a couple hours later but those plans were put on hold after we strolled thru a food hall on the way back to the apartment. Mercato Metropolitano is a massive market, the type that’s pretty much the norm in London. It wasn’t on my radar but Oshpaz was and they had a stall there so I figured we'd knock it off the list as dumplings are always a fantastic snack. Oshpaz serves up Uzbek style street food in the form of Manti dumplings and hand-pulled noodles called Lagman. Manti can refer to a number of different styles of dumplings including Turkish and Armenian versions which are on the smaller side but in Central Asia they tend to be much larger in size and typically filled with lamb or beef. We got a three pack since it was just me and my uncle and they were fantastic. I loved the flavor combo of the beef with the onion and cumin plus chili oil poured on top and both the carrots and the sour cream on the side also worked well.

Manti at Oshpaz Dumplings
___________________________________________________

Noble Rot Soho

I reserved a slot at Noble Rot Soho for our first dinner in London as it seemed like the perfect spot for the four of us. Noble Rot isn’t just a restaurant but also a premier London based wine magazine and with the three people I was with all loving wine and their Soho restaurant just a short walk from our spot it seemed like the perfect fit and it was. Noble Rot has the feel of a Paris wine bar with its tight and snug dining room filled with table after table of people having a good time. As I was told by the wine expert husband of my cousin, the wine list here is considered one of the best anywhere as it features lots of bottles you won’t find elsewhere and many of them are available by the glass which is also very rare. But in all honesty, me? I was here for the food. The menu at Noble Rot is ever changing based on what’s fresh and in season but there’s at least one item that never gets taken off of the menu at their SOHO location - Roast Chicken, Morels & Vin Jaune, Riz au Pilaf. But first we started with the most perfect one bite specimens described on the menu as ‘Choux Bun, Chicken Liver Parfait, Tokaji Jelly & Walnut’ and after that the Vesuvio Tomato and Octopus Panzanella Salad.

choux bun, chicken liver parfait, takaji jelly, walnut

vesuvio tomato and octopus panzanella salad 

squid ink tagliatelle with mussels and amalfi lemon

Both of the apps were outstanding and my wife liked her squid ink tagliatelle with mussels but the roast chicken lived up to its legendary status. Simply put the chicken over in Europe in places like London and Paris is far superior to the stuff we get in the States. Some of the most memorable meals of my life have revolved around chicken based dishes in these places but I rarely get the chicken back home unless it’s an old school spot known for their fried chicken or my beloved Chef Tally’s Jamaican Jerk Shack in South Florida. I never get chicken at chef driven spots like Noble Rot unless I’m in Europe. The chicken itself was excellent but the sauce itself would’ve made a roided up Perdue chicken taste great. Vin jaune sauce is a French sauce made with vin jaune, a rare, oxidative wine from the Jura region of eastern France. It’s often used in cooking, particularly in the Franche-Comté region and it’s a key ingredient in coq au vin jaune. Even the rice was just perfect. Fantastic meal.

Roast Chicken, Morels and Vin Jaune, Riz au Pilaf at Noble Rot Soho
___________________________________________________

Ben's Traditional Fish and Chips

After dinner at Noble Rot we walked around and had some drinks before deciding we wanted to try the fish and chips from this spot not far from our resting pad. Ben’s Fish and Chips isn’t worth going out of the way for but it certainly serves a purpose as evidenced by the crowd of both tourists and locals who started to line up just a half hour before they were due to close. The fried cod was served up crisp and piping hot but the chips were a tad bit soggy. Pretty good overall but far from great.

Fish and Chips at Ben's Traditional Fish and Chips 
___________________________________________________

Koya Soho

Udon continues to close the gap between itself and ramen and although it’s still a large gap it’s also never been closer - udon continues to rise in popularity. I still prefer ramen due to it being more diverse as far as prep but a hot bowl of udon with thick and chewy noodles hits the spot just as much. Koya Soho is an udon specialist that caught my eye, specifically when it came to their English breakfast udon. They lay a thick slice of English bacon alongside a gooey tamago egg with shiitake mushrooms and it all works really well with the soothing but mild miso broth and slightly chewy noodles. I guess this place is known to regularly have lines but it was empty when it opened for breakfast though it started to fill up by the time I was done. They also have two other locations.

English Breakfast Udon ay Koya Soho
___________________________________________________

Borough Market

We spent most of our first full day in London scouring the Borough Market for different things to eat. With this being my first time in London a trip to the city's most historic market was near the top of my list as far as things to do. There’s said to be over 100 vendors in the actual market itself but the entire surrounding area is full of bars and restaurants and on the weekend 1000’s of people - it was even more busy than I could have imagined. With this being one of the biggest tourist draws in town there's a couple spots that regularly have long lines of tourists but I had zero interest in the seafood paella or the chocolate covered strawberries. First stop was actually on a whim at a seafood stall called Shellseekers that was selling locally caught scallops and bacon served in the shell. Not bad at all.

Scallops at Shellseekers
___________________________________________________

Juma Kitchen 

This Iraqi stall was at the top of my list of spots in the market that I wanted to try so I made sure to check it out before we visited some of the restaurants surrounding the market. I arrived to a crowd of people many of whom were waiting on delicious looking kebabs hovering over live charcoal. Nine times out of ten I’m ordering the kebabs but I was there specifically for their Iraqi style dumplings. Not just that but we had a few sitdown spots to hit up after this so only got one kubba haleb and one potato chap. The kubba haleb or kubbat halab is an Iraqi snack named after the Syrian city of Halab.  They’re football-shaped balls stuffed with ground beef or lamb filling and the shell is made from a mixture of rice and potatoes. They're seasoned with Middle Eastern spices like cumin and cinnamon. Similar to an arancini but with more pronounced Middle Eastern flavor. The potato chap is a different type of kubba made with mashed potatoes and stuffed with ground beef, similar to a Papa Rellana. 

Iraqi Dumplings at Juma Kitchen 
___________________________________________________

Agora

I made sure that we arrived at Agora a little before their 12p opening time so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line. This hip and happening Greek restaurant just outside of Borough Market is an ode to the markets of Athens. It’s a casual spot (walk ins only) serving up a small menu of spreads, salads, skewers, flatbreads and meats from a wood fire rotisserie.  We sat at the open air counter looking into the busy street filled with market goers and enjoyed a handful of fresh and delicious dishes including a fantastic spicy feta dip served with wood oven pita, a wonderful charred squid with mashed fava and an extremely fresh herb salad plus a bunch of smoky wood grilled skewers incl. mushroom and onion, whole sardine, pork souvlaki and sumac sprinkled lamb kebabs. Each was as excellent as the next but the traditional souvlaki was my favorite of the bunch. Overall this was a five star spot.

spicy feta, roasted peppers, pickled red chili, pita 

charred squid, fava, herb salad

mushroom + onion skewer

whole sardine and za'atar

lamb and sumac kebab

pork souvlaki and oregano at Agora
___________________________________________________

Rambutan

While the market itself is pretty interesting the most interesting places to eat are at the restaurants surrounding the market. Places like Rambutan which describes its food as “Sri Lankan diaspora cooking.” The menu focuses in on the Tamil region of Northern Sri Lanka and changes regularly. You’re greeted by a small open air and open fire kitchen as soon as you step inside. The menu is small enough to where you can try the majority of it should you have a group of four or more. We started with an order of gundu dosa with coriander sambol. Unlike the more well known thin and crispy dosa, gundu dosa are small balls made in a specialized pan. They make for great dipping snacks and paired perfectly with a super flavorful cilantro dipping sauce.  A hot butter squid bun was basically a fried squid sandwich served with a katta mayo and it was outstanding. Charcoal grilled pork neck is one of those things I’ll almost always order at a spot like Rambutan as its semi chewy texture and rich flavor mix well with the flavor from the live fire. The grilled pork neck at Rambutan came with a fiery side of pickled green chile sambol that drew the line between spicy and uncomfortably hot. Last but not least the Devon Crab Curry  with hot butter and savoy cabbage Kottu Roti was incredible. Eat as much Sri Lankan food as you can in London. It’s all so f'ing incredible.

gundo dosa with corianor sambol

hot butter squid bin with katta mayo

grilled pork neck with pickled green chili sambol

devon crab curry, hot butter, savoy cabbage roti at Rambutan
___________________________________________________

Casa do Frango

This was one of the first places I added to my Google Maps guide which I started making a handful of years ago. Casa do Frango regularly makes the rounds on social media for their Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken which they grill over an open fire. I love me some peri peri so I had to check it out. The space at the London Bridge location is beautiful but the chicken wasn’t quite as good as I had hoped. Don't get me wrong it was pretty good just not the best I’ve had. The sauce was on point but I wish there was more smoke flavor. We also got an order of Peri Peri Prawns I was hoping would transport us back to Cape Town but not quite. Again the food here is pretty good but I was expecting a bit more.

Peri Peri Chicken (and prawns) at Casa do Frango 
___________________________________________________

Manteca

After all we ate at Borough Market we still had reservations for a dinner later in the night. The vibrant Manteca was my pick as it looked good and I saw a few chefs I trust on social media follow them on Instagram. Plus the seasonal Italian-ish menu was speaking to me. That said the menu changed by the time we arrived. So I was left with a bit of scrambling to do as far as what to get but it all worked out as every dish we had from here was a hit. Manteca is owned and ran by the same guy as Agora.

flourish farm tomato salad 

ziti with ragu genovese

pink fir potatoes with salumi brown butter

whole roasted dover sole

stone fruit and almond cake with vanilla gelato at Manteca
___________________________________________________

Ye Ye Noodle & Dumpling

Thought we were done for the day? Nope not when one of the top spots on my list was just a short walk away. I always seek out the best noodles and dumplings wherever it is I’m traveling as they’re both a regular part of my diet and also because Chinese food is probably the worlds most well traveled cuisine. You can find good Chinese food across the globe and the Sheng Jian Bao at Ye Ye Noodle & Dumpling caught my eye. Sheng Jian Bao is a cousin of Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) but they’re fried instead of steamed. I first tried the Shanghai specialty at a street stand in Hong Kong and I’ve been hooked on them ever since even though I’ve never had a good one in the U.S though I have had good versions in Canada. The Sheng Jian Bao at Ye Ye were expertly prepared and pretty much on par with the versions I had in Vancouver and Toronto but as expected not quite to the level of those in Hong Kong. We also got a bowl of beef with dry noodles which was equally satisfying.

Sheng Jian Bao

Dry Beef Noodle at Ye Ye Noodle & Dumpling 
___________________________________________________

Kolamba Soho

We took advantage of a sunny Sunday morning to go spend a few minutes being tourists at Buckingham Palace but first we stopped for Sri Lankan brunch at Kolamba Soho. It’s a family run spot but like most of the other restaurants we went to in London it has a well designed insta friendly setting. The brunch caught my eye with hoppers which are one of Sri Lanka’s signature dishes. Hoppers are thin, bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk. They’re named for the pan that gives them their form. An egg is often added just as they’re starting to cook which results in an egg hopper which will finally come served with a spicy sambol sauce. It’s another one of those dishes that’s hard to find back home so I made sure to seek it out in London. An order of the hot butter cuttlefish was the meals big surprise as it’s just described on the menu as “batter fried cuttlefish with a spicy chili glaze” but with incredible depths of texture and flavor. We also tried their dhal made with red lentils and coconut milk paired with a piece of Pol Roti (coconut flatbread).

Brunch at Kolamba Soho
___________________________________________________

The Devonshire Soho

If you're in the U.K on a Sunday you have to do a Sunday Roast. Its tradition goes back to Medieval England during Henry VII's rule. Though there’s a ton of variations as far as the origin story but it’s very similar from spot to spot as far as the main ingredient goes - roast beef. Yorkshire pudding is also pretty much standard but the sides can vary from place to place. I decided I would wake up at 4a two weeks ahead of our trip so that I could reserve a slot at one of London’s most popular spots. 

The Grill at The Devonshire

The Devonshire Soho was one of the absolute busiest restaurants I’ve ever set foot in and literally everyone there for Sunday Roast which is the only thing they serve (along with a few appetizer options) during lunch hours on Sundays. Some local restaurant vets took over an old three story pub and turned it into one of London’s most popular restaurants and although it was jam packed with people it was a smoothly ran ship for the most part. The food here is British to the core but it’s far from slop. They’re doing their best to put the British food of yesteryear in the rearview mirror and they’re succeeding with simple but succulent high quality dishes like a fresh crab salad and Iberico pork ribs. 

Sunday Roast at The Devonshire

I picked this spot for Sunday Roast because I saw a post on Instagram showing off the wood fire cooking rig as well as the pub downstairs where they sell more pints of Guinness than anywhere else in the U.K. The wood roasted prime rib of beef is served with an array of sides including Yorkshire Pudding, crispy potatoes, peas with bacon, carrots, cabbage, and house baked roll. I thought the beef had a slightly gamier flavor than the cattle back home but it was sliced at a perfect medium rare and had a nice kiss of smoke to go with it. I had to try one of the popular sticky toffee puddings too and it was also on point. All in all I feel like we got exactly what we wanted from a Sunday roast.

Roast Beef at The Devonshire
___________________________________________________

Din Tai Fung

After Sunday Roast (along with Saturdays food crawl) I was seriously stuffed and took the rest of the afternoon off from food. But by the time dinner rolled around I was ready for some snacks in the form of soup dumplings at Xiao Long Bao powerhouse Din Tai Fung. The Taiwan born chain has 119 outlets in 15 countries including three London locations, two of which were within walking distance from our spot. We got a few orders of their world famous soup dumplings including the pork and the pork mixed with crab. Usually I prefer the latter but the former were better at this location which wasn’t quite as good as I remember the Seattle location to be but it still hit the spot. I’d never tried their popular pork chop which was pretty good paired with noodles. I hope they come to Chicago soon.

Noodles and Dumplings at Din Tai Fung
___________________________________________________

Common Breads

I read about the Ka’ak sandwiches at Common Breads and decided to take the train over to try them one morning. This newish Lebanese bakery specializes in Ka’ak which is a multicultural type of sesame coated bread that some say is the predecessor to the bagel. Lebanese Ka’ak is a popular street food in Beirut and Common Breads stuffs it with a variety of ingredients creating sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, both cold and warm. Although it was early I wanted to try the lamb shawarma Ka’ak with pickles and hummus and it was wonderful. Their fresh baked bread is just perfect. 

Lamb Shawarma Ka'ak at Common Breads 
___________________________________________________

St. John Restaurant

We were both lucky and unlucky with the iconic St. John Restaurant headed by legendary London Chef Fergus Henderson. The week we were in town was their 30th anniversary and they were rolling back the prices to 1994 on many items. Thus the dining room was booked weeks ahead so I couldn’t get a reservation. Usually they have some spots for walk-ins but bc their 30th anniversary was being celebrated they were fully booked. That said they also have a bar which is the area you walk into before entering the main dining room, where the fresh baked bread is sold. We were able to nab a table as its first come first serve and although the menu at the bar isn’t exactly the same as the restaurant there’s plenty of overlap in the dishes and they even had a couple of then listed at ‘94 prices. St. John is often credited with moving London’s dining scene forward with their nose to tail plus offal approach but they serve up much more than just hearts, blood cakes, and kidneys. 

Menu and Bread at St. John 

The original location of St. John is a bakery, bar, and a seasonal restaurant with a daily changing menu. They have a one off bakery and a separate wine bar on top of this one but I wanted to make sure we dined at the OG location - an old smokehouse where bacon was made. We started with an order of the bread and butter which was just heavenly if that’s your type of thing. I was very much looking forward to what’s become St. John’s signature dish of sorts - roast bone marrow with toast. Lucky for me it’s almost always on the bar menu as it’s a great bar snack. It’s also one of those dishes that doesn’t differ much from spot to spot except for how it’s cut. St. John serves long fully intact bones as opposed to slicing them in half be it horizontally or diagonally. The toast is the other thing that differs by spot and as I described up above the bread is divine. We may have gone a little overboard as we also tried the brown crab meat spread onto toast, another longtime menu item. 

bread & butter

roasted bone marrow with toast

brown crab meat on toast

Believe it or not my favorite dishes here were of the non meat variety. A plate of roast shallots with goats curd and mint was one of the most eye opening dishes of the trip. We were instructed to squeeze the shallot over the bread and spread the cheese onto the bread and sprinkle it with the mint and it all clicked in such a wonderful way. Mussels with white cabbage was the other 1994 priced dish and it was refreshing albeit not what I was expecting. The whole crab with mayonnaise was one of the more simple yet sensational dishes I’ve had as it was nothing more than a cooked locally caught crab with a house mayo. What wasn’t so simple was cracking and digging up the meat but when all was said and done it was an absolutely delicious dish. We got the Damson Pavlova for dessert and it might’ve been my favorite dish of the meal, the dessert of the trip. Damson is a small fruit with dark blue skin and a strong, sour flavor. They’re similar to plums and have large stone but aren't eaten raw due to the tartness of the flesh. Nearly every best of London list is going to include St. John and it can be hard to live up to such hype but this was some of the best “bar food” I’ve ever had.

roast shallot, goats curd, mint

mussels and white cabbage

whole crab and mayonnaise

damson pavlova at St. John
___________________________________________________

Beigel Bake

After lunch at St. John we decided to jump in an Uber and go over to Brick Lane. The eclectic London neighborhood is known for its street art and vintage clothing shops plus a bunch of curry shops found up and down the block. It’s also where you’ll find Beigel Bake - the 24 hour Jewish bakery known for their salt beef. Despite being rather full from lunch I couldn’t resist trying a bagel with the regionally popular salt beef. The bagel was pretty bad as it reminded me of an Old Bay supermarket bought bagel but the salt beef was very good. I got it with everything which is mustard and pickles. The salt beef was similar to pastrami but slightly different in the flavor and texture departments. Since 1974.

Salt Beef bagel at Beigel Bake
___________________________________________________

Graam Bangla

When walking up and down Brick Lane you’ll be greeted by guys standing in front of their curry shops trying to get you to come in. They were mostly empty at the time we were there so I passed on a full blown meal but stopped at a spot on my map for a snack. Graam Bangla is a popular Bangladeshi cafeteria where homesick Bengalis go for comfort food. Most of the food options are lined up in the display case and the whole place has a very intoxicating smell. There’s pictures of a visit from King Charles lining the wall but other than that and a few posters of Bangladesh it’s a bare bones spot. Since I was full I got a small snack in the form of Borta. In this informing read in Whetstone Magazine Borta are described as “a mash, usually made with vegetables, seafood, gourds and even meat, mixed with onions, sometimes garlic, and anointed with mustard oil.” This was a completely new to me dish so I asked the semi aggressive staff which Borta was most popular and ended up with a lentil, a potato, and a very hot pumpkin paste. They also insisted I get a plate of rice to go with it. The balls were dry at first but loosened up with the fragrant rice and super spicy pumpkin paste.

Borta at Graam Bangla
___________________________________________________

Tibet Kitchen 

After strolling thru an old manufacturing building housing the U.K’s largest selection of vintage shops we walked past a street food stand serving momo. I’m a big fan of Tibetan dumplings so a stop at Tibet Kitchen was in order. I prefer my momo made with beef as it goes better with the typical spices like cumin so I got a six pack of that fried and said yes to all the toppings which really took these up a notch. I’ve never had a bad batch of momo and that streak continued at Tibet Kitchen. 

Momo Dumplings at Tibet Kitchen 
___________________________________________________

The Tamil Prince

Following a bottle of champagne at a locals pub we ordered an Uber to take us to the Tamil Prince. The Desi Pub in London’s residential Barnsbury neighborhood is ran by by Tamil chef Prince Durairaj who along with his team transformed an old cozy corner London pub into one of the city’s most popular south Asian restaurants. Durairaj and company are putting out some bomb ass Southern Indian pub food including the best damn fried okra I’ve ever had. The Masala Dosa was an absolute flavor bomb with incredible texture and some fantastic sauces to go with it. The crisp and buttery ghee roti was equally satisfying as was an order of King prawn with curry leaf varuv. The chicken lollipops with sweet chili chutney was also the best version of this dish I’ve tried. Tawa grilled sea bream was all sorts of flaky and flavorful while the robata lamb chops were eye opening - I knew I was going to have the best lamb chops I’ve had in London but I wasn’t sure where they would come from but that was answered with these. We got an order of Gulab Jamun to finish off the most perfect London meal. You’ll want to book this one ahead of time as it stays packed with a nice mix of locals and tourists like me willing to take the ride outside of the typical areas that most tend to never leave.

okra fries

prince's masala dosa

buttery, flaky roti and dal makhani

king prawn and curry leaf varuval

chicken lollipop with sweet chili chutney

robata lamb chops

tawa grilled sea bream

gulab jumun at The Tamil Prince
___________________________________________________

Speedboat Bar

I had a couple of Thai obsessed Chef Luke Ferrells spots on my list. We didn’t get to try his ode to Southern Thai Curry in Plaza Khao Geng as it was closed for a private party but I did take a solo trip to his Bangkok style bar. Ferrell teamed up with a well established hospitality group to open Speedboat Bar in London’s Chinatown. It’s a rowdy two story spot where customers pour themselves beer from tall 3 litre towers like you’ll see at rambunctious bars in Bangkok. I like what they did with the design and really liked the smells coming from the kitchen upon entry. Unfortunately it was just me and all I had room for was one dish which ended up being the Seafood Suki - a dish I fondly remember at Elvis Suki in Bangkok's Chinatown neighborhood. Suki is a variant of hot pot but it’s also served as a stir fry mixing cellophane noodles with Suki sauce plus a protein in a flaming hot wok. The stir fried version at Speedboat was pretty up to snuff from what I remember. Not quite as good as in Bangkok but a delicious representation nonetheless. I wish I could’ve come back and tried more.

Seafood Suki at Speedboat Bar
___________________________________________________

Fortitude Bakehouse

London has a great baking scene judging by all the spots I anted to try - although I didn’t get to check out as many as I had hoped to do - yet another reason to plan a trip back. But I was able to walk over to Fortitude which is extremely popular for a few things including their luscious crème filled beignets. They put them out at 11a each day and a line will start forming at least 5-10 minutes before that though they seem to stay busy no matter the time of the day. The flavor on the beignets changes on a daily basis with my visit falling on rose water day. I also made sure to get a sausage roll and Erica requested the cinnamon roll so I added one of those and also a cheese twirl at the suggestion of the friendly girl taking my order. I brought it all back to our Airbnb where we enjoyed it for breakfast. 

Pastries at Fortitude Bakehouse
___________________________________________________

Chishuru

London's food scene is arguably the most diverse in the world - NYC can also make a case but that’s it. With that being said I wanted to take full advantage of the bounty of international offerings including a modern West African tasting menu at Chishuru. It popped onto the local scene when self trained chef and founder Joké Bakarea won a cooking contest giving her the chance to run a pop-up where she introduced her Nigerian inspired dishes to London and hasn’t looked back. After moving around to a few different locations they crowd sourced enough money to open in the Fitzrovia neighborhood where she and her team introduced a tasting menu and with it she became the UK’s first black female chef to be given a Michelin star. We visited for lunch and I enjoyed the 4 course tasting which just might be the most well spiced Michelin tasting menu you can find in Europe or anywhere for that matter, there was some real heat to a few of these dishes which I very much appreciated.

Sinasir - Fermented rice cake with heirloom cherry tomatoes, clementine & chilli dressing, bronze fennel fronds

Akara - Bean fritter stuffed with okra & candied chillies, fermented rhubarb & chilli sauce

Charcoal Grilled Duck Hearts with a tamarind glaze (special added on)

The £45pp lunch tasting comes with two appetizers, a dessert plus one of three entrees. We also added a couple side sets of pickles, grilled veggie, and Jollof rice (£7). I chose the charcoal grilled guinafowl for my main course, it was calling my name. As far as the apps we all liked the flavorful and extra spicy fermented rice cake much more than the bean fritter which felt like it was missing something, perhaps a protein like some fried fish or dried shrimp. We also got an order of charcoal grilled duck hearts with tamarind glaze which was a special for the day. It was ok. I don’t love hearts as they always taste a tad too gamey as was the case with these. However my charcoal grilled guineafowl was very good. I couldn’t get enough of the peanut sauce on the side. Others didn’t like the dessert which they said was too bitter from the uztazi in the sherbet, a bitter shrub traditional in Nigerian cooking. But I thought it was good when mixed with the macerated strawberries and cream.

Jollof rice, spiced courgette, heritage carrots, plantain

Yassa - Charcoal grilled guineafowl breast, caramelized onion & lemon sauce, yaji peanut spice

Strawberries & Cream - Utazi sorbet, macerated strawberries, plantain & brown sugar cream, peanut crumb
___________________________________________________

Jamaica Patty Co.

Though we didn’t do as much exploring by foot as we usually do in big cities like London we still got around to a few things including a walk to the National Gallery, Big Ben, and the Graffiti tunnel in one swoop. After all of that I was hungry again and made a quick stop at Jamaica Patty Co. for a top notch beef patty. The national snack of Jamaica is one of my favorite snacks and I’ll always grab one from a spot specializing in them like this. I got a spicy beef and I’ll be damned of it wasn’t one the best patties I’ve had. It was probably the biggest one too as it was packed with very well spiced beef.

Beef Patty at Jamaica Patty Co.
___________________________________________________

Old Chang Kee

Old Chang Kee specializes in Singaporean style curry puffs a few doors down from the previous stop. I saw these on Instagram and wanted to try one so this was my chance. I got Beef Rendang over the more traditional chicken just because I’ve never had a Singapore Curry Puff with Rendang before. It had all the flavors you associate with Beef Rendang - it was rich, slightly spicy, and subtly sweet. 

Curry Puff at Old Chang Kee
___________________________________________________

Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream

Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream has three locations including one just around the corner from our previous stop. The Filipino owned ice cream store has taken Chinatown by storm with their bilog ice cream sandwiches made with pan de sal and a litany of Filipino ice cream flavors ranging from calamansi to black buko. Of course they have ube (purple yam) too which has become one of my favorite flavors of ice cream so an ice cream sandwich with that was the call and what a call it was. This was the best ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had. I didn’t see how they got the cold ice cream into the warm bread which gets a liberal sprinkling of powdered sugar but it was a glorious dessert that I’m lucky isn’t anywhere near me because if it was I’d be here damn near daily. What an absolute treat these are.

Ube Ice Cream Sandwich at Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream 
___________________________________________________

Namak Mandi

I had a 3 hour window where we didn’t have much going on so I jumped on the train and rode to the tube to Tooting Bek. The South London Borough has a collection of Pakistani restaurants lined up and down the strip. I was there for something very specific - the Chapli Kebab at Namak Mandi but I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to try it as I arrived to a packed house and a small dining room to boot. I put my name down but wasn’t sure they would even remember me but eventually in just the nick of time I was asked if I wanted to sit on the elevated carpeted stage where locals were sitting on the floor eating big disks of fried to order Chapli kebab paired with comically large naan bread. Time was ticking on my chance to try the popular Peshwari street food in London so I removed my shoes and quickly put my order in. I watched as the guy working the open air kitchen would grab a fistful of beef from a large Home Depot like container and massage it into a disc like shape (chapli means flat in Pashto) before sliding it into the fryer. The beef is mixed with chunks of tomato, onion, green chili plus whatever secret seasonings they use and is served with a yogurt sauce and ketchup and fresh vegetable slices including raw onion. I’m not sure how much each Chapli kebab weighed but it was huge. It was also too good to leave any of it uneaten thus I barely touched the naan. F'ing incredible.

Chapli Kebab at Namak Mandi
___________________________________________________

Som Saa

Not going to lie, I was turned onto quite a few London restaurants via social media food “influencers”. Sometimes you just know you’re going to like something as soon as you see it and that was the case with the whole fried fish at this hip and happening Thai spot. Som Saa serves regional Thai dishes in an old fabric factory in East London. Despite us arriving later on in the night the dinner service on a Wednesday was bumping - it’s a lively restaurant. The regularly changing menu is small but sufficient and the wine list is legit. We got the papaya salad to start and I knew right away this place was the real deal upon my first bite which was filled with spicy funk. We had a great meal here and the whole fried sea bass was indeed the group favorite. The fish was fried nice and crisp but the reason Thailand has the best whole fried fish is the incredible sauces they put on them. The sea bass at Som Saa was covered in extremely fresh herbs and a sensational sauce. The only miss of the meal was a pork neck curry which I learned isn’t as good when slow cooked as it as when grilled over charcoal.

som tum - papaya salad

issan style mushroom laab with thai herbs and roasted rice powder

green curry of flourish farm courgette, pea aubergines and thai basil


stir fry of aged pork neck with summer squash, wild ginger and flourish farm holy basil

isaan style deep fried seabass with isaan herbs and roasted rice powder
___________________________________________________

Paul Rothe & Son

You might not have noticed but almost every restaurant in this post thus far is less than five years old. The food scene in London seemingly exploded overnight. But the city itself is far from new. There’s some super old school spots and Paul Rothe & Son was one that caught my eye. It’s one of London’s oldest delicatessens going all the way back to 1900. Londoners from all walks of life stop in throughout the day for a sandwich made their way. You tell the kind people behind the counter what you want and they make the sandwich to your liking. I was tempted by the Coronation Chicken which is a curried chicken salad said to have first been served at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II but I don’t love raisins mixed with chicken so I went with their most popular offering - the pastrami. I took my sandwich over to a nearby church and joined a couple of other guys on the staircase. 

Pastrami Sandwich at Paul Rothe & Son
___________________________________________________

BiBi

Lunch at BiBi was the most anticipated meal of the trip for me. I had heard from a food writing friend that it was the best meal of their London trip and then I read about it and saw a few things online all of which shot it up to the top my list. I made reservations not too long after we got our plane tickets, before we got our lodging. BiBi is led by Chef Chet Sharma. It’s a high end restaurant serving dishes inspired by ingredients and memories from the Indian subcontinent. Much of the chefs inspiration for BiBi comes from his grandma hence the name (bibi is Urdu for “lady of the house”). The interior of the restaurant is narrow and said to be reminiscent of old glamour train travel with tiled floors, low-lit lamps and delicate paisley-printed wallpaper. There’s two tasting menus for lunch including the shorter ‘set lunch’ and the longer “Chefs Selection Lunch” which comes with eight courses for £75pp. Every meal starts with Sharma’s elevated take on classic British Quavers chips: delicate crisps of bubbled poppadom are flavored with Wookey Hole Cheddar and served with a multi layered green chutney and mango dip. Chips and dip It might not sound like much but this dish set the tone for one of the best tasting meals I’ve ever had as there wasn’t a single miss, all of the dishes were big hits.

wookey hole cheese papad

sweet corn and truffle kurkure

(not pictured: assamese mushroom chai)

devon scallop nimbu pani

cornish bluefin tuna rassam (served with milagi podi idli)

I read that Chet Sarma was a scientist before becoming a chef and that seemed evident in every dish, you could tell there was an obsessiveness to each one of them. Meanwhile the service matched the food as far as quality - it was exquisite. Each dish came with an excellent explanation such as the history behind the Galouti Kebab which owes its origins to an Indian monarch who lost all his teeth from smoking too much opium and ordered his cook to come up with a kebab soft enough for him to eat. Not only was every dish a delight on the eyes but each and every bite brought real joy with Chef Chet Sarma’s signature Lahori Chicken being the most vivid dish of a memorable bunch. Charcoal grilled chicken breast is cooked over live fire on a sigree grill to a perfection that would have any and every French chef blushing. I can’t believe I’m saying this but yes a piece of typically boring chicken breast, served up with a flavor packed bowl of basmati rice cooked in chicken broth and a delicious rendition of dal tadka, was likely the single best thing I ate in London. I repeat: do not miss this spot.

ex-dairy goat galouti kebab

sharmaji's lahori chicken 

fig & almond

amuse bouche candies at BiBi
___________________________________________________

Master Wei Xi'an

Master Wei Xian has some of the best Biang Biang Noodles according to English writer and Chinese cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop. Biang Biang Noodles are a regional specialty of Shaanxi - the northwestern Chinese province whose ancient capital, Xi’an, was a starting point for the Silk Road. I love these thick and broad and often handmade noodles even though they’re hard to come by in Chicago. The version served at Master Wei was as good as any I’ve had from a textural standpoint and as tasty as any I can remember. Master Wei is ran by Guirong Wei who was born in Xi’an - she and her Biang Biang noodles were recently featured in an episode of ‘Chefs Table’ on Netflix.

Biang Biang Noodles at Master Wei Xi'an
___________________________________________________

Chet's

After my aunt and uncle left for Paris we spent one more night in London at The Hoxton in Shepherds Bush in the city’s west end. It was a great change of pace from the Soho area where we had previously stayed. There’s an LA influenced restaurant in the Hoxton called Chet’s and the menu is like that of a Thai - American diner. I got LA Chef Kris Yenbamroong’s ode to NYC’s bodega breakfast sandwich - fluffy eggs, sai uah sausage, cheese on a Kaiser roll with a side of umami ketchup.

Bodega Breakfast Sandwich at Chet's
___________________________________________________

Strakers Restaurant

Erica wanted to stroll around Notting Hill which was a good call as I really liked the area and it was a nice Fall day when we were there so lots of people were out and about. She wanted to stop at Strakers for lunch which was also a good call. Chef Thomas Straker has a big fanbase from his social media account where he started giving cooking demos during the pandemic. Strakers is his first restaurant and it’s got a great neighborhood vibe and some delicious bistro-ish dishes to go with it. They’re very much known for their flatbread which you can get a couple of different ways. We got the classic mussels with chili butter and it was lovely. We also loved a basket of the fried zucchini which came with the lightest and most crispiest batter enhanced with tons of shredded Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. The vanilla custard set with plums and almond tuile was also a hit.

Lunch at Strakers
___________________________________________________

Cockney's Pie & Mash Shop

I saw this old school Pie and Mash shop around the corner from the previous stop and couldn't resist trying England’s other national dish. Cockney’s is young by London pie shop standards having been established in 1994 but not much has changed inside since then so it’s got the prototypical feel of an old eel and pie shop. Pie and mash is a traditional working-class food said to have originated in the Docks of London. It’s often accompanied with jellied eels and has been labeled "a Cockney classic" referring to the nickname given to the people of London. It typically consists of a minced beef pie, mashed potato, and a parsley sauce known as liquor. Pie and mash shops have been in London since the 19th century and are still common in East and South London. So how was it? Better than I thought it would be. That green sauce isn’t all that appealing but it was pretty darn good when mixed with the minced pie and the mashed potatoes, plus they had bottles of chili oil at each table. I could see myself downing a couple of these on a depressingly cold and gloomy London day.

Pie and Mash at Cockney's Pie & Mash Shop
___________________________________________________

The Pelican

After strolling around Notting Hill for a little bit we stopped at The Pelican for some drinks and a snack. This popular gastro pub came recommended by the bartender at Strakers and it was love upon first sight. The Pelican is a chef driven pub and restaurant in a beautiful Victorian boozer. They have a bunch of seating both inside and out plus a wooden fire pit and a beautiful bar to boot. I drank a few pints and Erica had a couple  glasses of wine and we snacked on the most delicious bar special, a dish they call Winchester Fries. I’m not exactly sure what these were as our server had the thickest Irish accent but I did hear something about a chickpea coating and freshly grated cheese. Not sure if they were potatoes or what but they were absolutely delicious. Everything else coming from the kitchen looked and smelled great so I’m planning on coming back the next time I’m in town.

Winchester Fries The Pelican
___________________________________________________

The Crown & Sceptre

The Crown & Sceptre is an off the beaten path pub in the backstreets of Shepherds Bush. It’s a large and sunny space with plenty of big screen tv’s though there were no big games when we were in London so it was fairly empty save for a few regulars. The kitchen here is helmed by a Thai chef and it smelled fantastic so even though I wasn't all that hungry I had to try the stir fried morning glory which is my favorite vegetable dish of them all. It hits the spot in ways most vegetable dishes do not. The quality of the Thai food in London was a very pleasant surprise. All of it was excellent. 

Stir Fired Morning Glory at The Crown & Sceptre
___________________________________________________

The Warwick Arms

I chose this English Pub for our last dinner in London in part bc it was pretty close to our hotel but also because it was on my list due to them being known for having some really good Indian food mixed with traditional pub classics like fish and chips. Warwick Arms is a typical Victorian pub with some wonderful Indian food and a fantastic batch of fish and chips. We shared an expertly battered piece of cod with hot and fresh chips served alongside a pot of perfectly spiced dal tadka with garlic naan for dipping and it was all just perfect. London should ditch the mushy peas traditionally served with fish and chips and replace it with a little cup of dal tadka. It all worked so well together.

Fish and chips with Dal Taadka at Warwick Arms
___________________________________________________

Sudanese Falafel

I scoured the historic Shepherds Bush Market in search of my last meal in London but there wasn’t much open around 8a when I was walking through there. Shepherds Bush Market is known for having a few really good falafel options and luckily for me one of them was just opening for the day. The Sudanese Falafel stand was manned by a friendly guy originally from Sudan where falafel is big. I asked for a sandwich and told him I want everything on it and it was loaded up with a ton of stuff including feta cheese and anchovies. I said yes to liking it spicy and he put a bright orange chili sauce on top. This was one of the best falafel sandwiches I’ve ever had and a steal of a deal at four pounds. I was sad I had to leave for the airport without getting to try the other falafel spots but I knew I would be back to one of the world’s best food cities soon, just not soon enough. I absolutely loved London.

Falafel Sandwich at Sudanese Falafel
___________________________________________________

Click HERE for my always expanding google map of food options in London

See ya next time @chibbqking
___________________________________________________