LDNGuide

The Best Things We Ate This Week

A running list of the best dishes we’ve eaten recently.
The 20 Layer Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake At Lavo

photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

We eat a lot while researching the various guides and reviews you see on our site. And we want to share that food with you. Digitally, not literally, of course. This guide is where you’ll find all of our favourite things we’ve eaten recently, from memorable main courses, to sensational sides, to all the snacks and whatever else in between.

If you’ve eaten something great recently that you want to share with our team, send us an email at london@theinfatuation.com. Now, onto the dishes.


THE BEST THINGS WE ATE THIS WEEK

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

British

St. James's

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Chelsea tart, caramelised whey

"This Chelsea tart from Fallow was not my first choice of dessert, but in order to preserve the eight hours of sleep I need to barely function, I ignored the coffee mousse. It turned out to be a great decision. The slice came with a shiny bronzed top, which melted ombre-style into light butterscotch brown and then into a biscuit base. It's pretty enough to take to the hairdressers as inspiration for summer highlights—and it tastes as good as it looks. Each spoonful was nutty and sweet, with caramel hits that made it taste like a Werther’s Original. And the tangy cream kept all the sweetness in check.”- Sinéad Cranna, Staff Writer  

photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

The 20 Layer Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake At Lavo

Lavo

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20 Layer Peanut Butter Cake

“She is beauty, she is grace, she is a 30cm-high Man v. Food challenge disguised as dessert. This perfectly layered slice from Lavo was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. With equal layers of rich devil’s chocolate cake and thick, nutty peanut butter mascarpone, each bite was followed with a long ‘mmmmmm’, and it took about 20 minutes to make my way through half of it before asking for a takeaway box. It’s the ideal group dessert to order after a great meal at this huge Italian restaurant in Marylebone, but the truth is I’d come back alone just for one of these gargantuan slices that’s perfect parts sweet, rich, and salty.”- Rianne Shlebak, Staff Writer

Brown butter bun

“A few years ago, my friend and I ate the brown butter tart from the now sadly defunct Flor and had something of a sugar and fat epiphany. So much so that he learned how to bake them, and I continued to eat them. Now, Anna Higham, said baker of brown butter tarts, is back with her own bakery in Islington, and Quince’s signature brown butter buns are a whole new level of enjoyment. More savoury than the tarts, and bread-based (which is an obvious improvement), this encrusted brown bun mixes sugar and salt to such a perfectly umami level that I tore and devoured it in one minute flat.” - Jake Missing, Editorial Lead 

photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

Mochi dessert at Sushi Kanesaka

Sushi Kanesaka

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Daifuku

“The omakase at this Japanese restaurant on Park Lane is the most expensive lunch I’ve ever had. At £300, I went through course after course of perfectly crafted nigiri, savouring mouthfuls of finely sliced squid, eating an exquisite eel temaki at 1pm on a Wednesday. But the thing that stuck with me the most was the dessert. Was it because it was the final course? Possibly, but I think it’s more to do with the bright red strawberry that looked like it could bench press 100kg, topped with the sweet adzuki, and coated in a soft, chewy mochi. I could happily have thrown back another three, and I will never look at Little Moons the same again.”- Rianne Shlebak, Staff Writer

Fried chicken

“It took a degree of self-control not to simply write ‘everything’ when it came to deciding what I enjoyed most at Maureen’s Brixton Kitchen. But it’s the golden, jagged fried chicken that I keep finding myself wistfully thinking about while sitting at my desk, walking home, or laying in bed. Maureen runs her Brixton home like a Jamaican restaurant and I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you what the seasoning or technique was for these addictive drumsticks and thighs. All I know is that they’re in my head for the foreseeable. Glowing, juicy, waiting to be stripped to the bone.” - Jake Missing, Editorial Lead

Scallop tartare

“I expected the scallop tartare at Core By Clare Smyth—a fine dining European restaurant in Notting Hill—to be good, but I didn’t expect it to be some of the best fish I’ve ever had. The presentation alone was enough to turn me into a stage mom—angling the shell and holding the delicate, light fish this way and that to show off its best side, which was all of them. The fish was soft and sweet, and the velvety consommé was split with green oil and tasted a little salty. And I very much wanted to take home the floral wreath it was presented in, along with a recipe. ”- Sinéad Cranna, Staff Writer 

photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

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Bab al-Yemen

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Masoob with cream & honey

“They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I don’t think those people have ever tried masoob. Because at Bab al-Yemen, the masoob—a dessert of mashed bananas, shredded flatbread, cream, and honey—was the most important meal of the day. Thick spoonfuls were filled with sweet, soft banana pulp and carby bread, striking the perfect balance between sweet and salty. It was creamy, comforting, with a nice chew to it, and I’d stop by this Yemeni restaurant in West Brompton for dessert alone.” - RS

photo credit: Jake Missing

Grilled mussel skewers

“Of the many guides researched and written, I’m yet to pitch one for ‘London’s Best Molluscs’. But when that happens (and it will), Kolae’s skewers will be close to the top. Steamed, smothered in a gently spiced and faintly nutty maroon marinade, and grilled (twice), these silky mussels are pretty much unlike any mussel you’ve had before. A squeeze of calamansi brings a touch of acidity and combined with the grilling over a smouldering coconut—that’s where this southern Thai spot in Borough Market gets its name—it makes for a truly magnificent mollusc.” - JM

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

The fritters at Evi's in East Dulwich.

Evi's

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Kolokythokeftedes

"Not only is this a very bad photo of very good fritters, but there were three and I was too greedy to wait to photograph them all before eating. I could smell these fritters before I saw them—wafting towards me in a herbaceous, minty cloud. They were crisp and bronzed on the outside and salty with feta inside, with finely chopped courgette keeping them—sorry in advance—moist. Alternating between these, a salad, and chips was the perfect way to spend a rainy, grey evening at this Greek spot in East Dulwich.” - SC

“The Dover” sole

“There wasn’t a dish at this moody Italian restaurant in Mayfair that wasn’t excellent. Everything from the complimentary bread, to the plate of rich chocolate paste topped with crunchy hazelnuts and praline to finish. But the standout moment—excluding seeing Claudia Winkleman eat popcorn at the bar—was “The Dover” sole. A whole fish, turned up at the corners, and swimming in a shallow pool of butter. Red chilli and chunks of lime made every other bite pleasantly tart.” - RS

Otak-otak prawn toast

“Good-looking dishes come in all shapes and sizes, but Mambow’s take on prawn toast was the most beautiful handful I’ve had in some time. Greens, reds, and fried browns are all present and it tasted even better than it looked. The Malaysian spot in Clapton plays on otak-otak (a prawn, makrut lime leaf, and red curry paste) and mixes it into a cake before frying it in slices. Wrap said slice in a betel leaf and take a bite: leaf, toast, coconut cream, chilli, and all. The combination was soft, spiced, a little sweet, but light from its leafy vehicle.” - JM

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

The koji-marinated chicken schnitzel at Milk Beach in Soho.

Milk Beach Soho

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Koji marinated chicken ‘schnitty’ 

“My Monday was truly Monday-ing when I stumbled into Milk Beach in Soho, tired and wanting to be comforted. Luckily this Australian all-day spot got the memo. This koji-marinated chicken was so juicy that I whipped out my phone to get a glistening money shot. The coating was crispy and each bite was improved by a generous swipe through fermented chilli mayonnaise. The only annoying thing about it is that they call it a ‘schnitty’ and not a schnitzel. But even on a Monday, that wasn’t enough to put me off.” - SC

Banoffee cheesecake

“I had one of my favourite lunches ever at Scott’s Richmond last year, partly due to the stunning room with a picturesque view of the river, but mostly because of the faultless fish dishes. My experience at the original Mayfair seafood restaurant wasn’t quite as magical, up until they brought over this whole banoffee cheesecake. The menu said it’s a sharing dessert. But this thing was big enough for a five-person family. The thick, malty base was topped with a tall layer of thick, dense cream and three big chunks of caramelised banana. It was an intimidatingly good-looking dessert that cut like a cloud and tasted like a fluffy, caramel-y, biscuity mess.” - RS

Egg chilli cheese

“Outside of bacon, egg, and sausage, the UK’s breakfast sandwich repertoire is fairly limited. Things feel a little stagnant but The Dusty Knuckle bakery in Harringay is trying to change that. I’m not exaggerating when I say I could eat two of these sandwiches back-to-back. Three if I was nursing a particularly spiteful hangover. Everyone knows that DK’s focaccia is one of the best breads in the game and combined with a fried egg (fudgy), gooey cheese (a cheddar-ish blend), chopped chilli (green), spring onion (crunchy), and coriander (divisive), it makes for the perfect breakfast sandwich.” - JM

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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Wave

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Sticky toffee pancakes

“I had a physical reaction to the arrival of my pancakes at Wave, a vegan cafe in Hackney. The tall, teetering stack warrants cartoon-levels of eye-widening. The thick sticky toffee sauce pooled in the bowl. The gluten-free pancakes were light and fluffy, the sauce rich and treacle-like, and the hefty dollops of whipped coconut yoghurt balanced out the sweetness perfectly. On a chilly January morning, this indulgent tower felt like a good way to kick off the year.”- SC 

Ube choux

“There’s a working theory between myself and a few friends that most meals peak at the starters. Excitement, hunger, and anticipation are all quivering, so a morsel of great cooking gets heaps of praise. Donia was an exception to this rule. There were highlights during every course at the Filipino spot in Soho, but pudding was outstanding. Choux pastry isn’t an easy thing to do and this bun, with a satisfyingly crunchy outer shell, was excellent. Even better was this tennis ball-sized beauty’s filling: lilac ube ice cream. It was creamy with a hint of coconut, and every spoonful demanded one more, until the only thing left to do was scrape and lick.” - JM

photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

A beef shin lasagne topped with parmesan.

Tom's Pasta

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Beef shin lasagne 

“The only snowy scene I’m interested in this year is the one on top of the lasagne at Tom’s Pasta. This hefty slab came topped with a generous showering of parmesan and, like the first snow of Christmas, I was immediately excited upon seeing it. The sauce was on the thicker side and the shredded pieces of flavourful beef shin felt like a decadent take on the usual minced meat. The pasta was perfectly cooked too, so each layer was distinct and didn’t meld into a mushy mess. Eating this on a cold evening at the Italian spot in Hackney felt like an appropriately wholesome way to round off the year”- SC 


photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

A bowl of Savva's chicken pasta

Tashas

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Savva’s chicken pasta

“I don’t know who Savva is, but I do know this was an excellent chicken and mushroom pasta. The hefty bowl of rigatoni at Tasha’s, a South African spot in Battersea, was the perfect—if slightly, sedating—lunch on a cold December afternoon. It was filled with garlic-heavy cream sauce, thick slices of earthy mushrooms that added a nice peppery touch, and slices of tender grilled chicken. Big enough to share, but good enough that I could happily eat it alone. And then order another one for dinner.” - RS


photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

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The Abingdon

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Sticky toffee pudding

“When puffer jacket weather begins, sticky toffee pudding is the answer. The piping hot cake from this fancy Kensington gastropub came in a shallow pool of dark, sticky, caramel-y sauce—there was enough to have some with each bite and not too much that it was overpowering. Topped with a small scoop of refreshing vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect end to a day that should’ve been spent in bed.” - RS


photo credit: Jake Missing

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Hainan House

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House-poached poussin

“After a couple of visits to Hainan House I have a sneaking suspicion that this quiet little Chinese spot in Angel is going to become a personal favourite. The house-poached poussin was something I could eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meat was improbably moist and it came in a gently flavoured pool of gingery broth, and a pile of pickled pineapple. With a bowl of nutty mushroom fried rice on the side, it was a perfect plate.” - JM


photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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The Tamil Crown

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Masala lamb shank roast

“There aren’t many places I’d go for an 11am Sunday roast. But The Tamil Crown, a south Indian spot from the same people as The Tamil Prince, was worth rolling out of bed for. The fall-apart, masala-spiced lamb shank was soft and flavourful—a dry chicken breast could never—and it came surrounded by exciting sides. I’d eat a plateful of the gobi 65 (fried, spicy cauliflower bites) and coconutty vegetable avial any day of the week. The yorkshire was a little dry, but nothing a good dousing of rich, moreish spicy lamb gravy couldn’t fix.” - SC


photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

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Qima Cafe

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Mushroom truffle croissant 

“On a Sunday morning, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than a bakery. But the mushroom truffle croissant at this Yemeni spot in Fitzrovia was so excellent that you’ll probably find me here every day of the week from now on. The béchamel-filled pastry had the perfect balance between creamy, peppery sauce and earthy, meaty mushrooms. I had planned to sit and savour this for at least 30 minutes, but it was gone in less than five.” - RS


photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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Kokum

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Sticky pork ribs

“Any of the dishes I ate at Kokum, an Indian restaurant in East Dulwich, could easily have qualified as the best thing I ate this week. These sticky pork ribs edged it because I could have happily eaten a big bowl and called it a night. They came with a sweet, slightly spicy glaze that coated every juicy piece of meat—and a large portion of my face and jeans by the time I’d finished. The scallions added some nice freshness and a welcome crunch.” - SC


Platter of the day

“As I waited to be seated at this Lebanese-Palestinian spot in Holborn, the diner who was sitting at my table before me, told me to order the platter of the day in a “trust me” kind of way. And so, I ordered the platter of the day. There was a huge helping of excellently nutty hummus, tangy baba ghanouj, two skewers of golden, tender chicken, a crispy falafel with the fluffiest insides, and citrussy, rice-stuffed vine leaves. It was one of the best lunches I’ve had all year and every component separately was so good that I couldn’t choose my favourite between them.”- RS


photo credit: Jake Missing

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Dosa Street

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Masala dosa

“Nothing hits quite like eating an arm-sized dosa while watching Sky Sports News on an 80-inch projector—and whoever designed Trader Wembley knows that. The glassy food court is easy to wander past given its resemblance to somewhere in central London where happiness and good food goes to die, but that isn’t the case here. There are South Indian, Sri Lankan, and Indo-Chinese concessions upstairs but, on my first visit, I settled on a paper masala dosa from South Indian spot Dosa Street. It was suitably crisp and chewy, filled with warmly spiced potato curry, coconut chutney, and gluggable sambar.” - JM


White bean dip

“When a dip is the best thing you’ve eaten all week, you know it’s a good dip. The one at Tendril, a mostly plant-based spot with Asian and Middle Eastern dishes in Mayfair, made me question my long-term commitment to hummus. The homewrecker in question was made of white beans which had been blended into a paste smooth enough to plaster with. It came drizzled with chilli oil which was a much-needed addition to the mild nutty flavour of the beans. Warm pitta was my first vehicle of choice, but it was delicious scooped with charred spring onions, or spooning it straight into my greedy mouth.”- SC


Sticky toffee pudding

“I nearly chose to share the sticky toffee pudding at The Devonshire, a new, vaguely Guy Ritchie-esque pub in Soho, and that would have been a fatal mistake. It came in the sort of small cube-shape that would usually make me very unhappy. But it was the perfect amount when each bite was drenched in syrupy, rich sauce. This caramel has been taken right to the limit and was dark brown in colour and intensely rich and treacly. The pudding itself was light and—apologies in advance—moist. My only complaint is that it came without ice cream or cream. But in all honesty, I was so greedily eating it I only realised halfway through.”- SC


photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

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Queen Of Sheba

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Laham madfoon and ratab bread

“It’s hard to pick just one thing from my meal at this Yemeni spot in Paddington. So rather than make that difficult decision, I’m just going to pick two. Starting with the laham madfoon, which translates to buried lamb. This tender lamb shank dish came apart with a gentle nudge, the meat inside was purple and soft, and encouraged all use of cutlery to be abandoned. Which leads me nicely to the other highlight of the meal: the ratab bread. A buttery, layered flatbread that’s as chewy as it is comforting. Yes, it was lathered in ghee, and yes, it tasted better for it. They were both so good that I refuse to choose a favourite.”- RS


Pumpkin scapece with roast hazelnuts & ricotta salata

“On a perfect autumn day, pretty much any food can fit. Bright sun and crisp air suit a buttery gratin just as much as a crunching salad, and Saltine had both. The new Highbury spot is an elegant neighbourhood restaurant that could seamlessly host a gallery opening just as well as an Islington newborn’s first bite of croquette. And its food, kind of seasonal, European bits and bobs, is also pretty artful. This salad, which mixed surprisingly flavourful pumpkin with a few classics (bitter radicchio, walnuts, and shaved ricotta salata) was fantastic. Colourful, nutty, and delicious—I’m going to try and recreate it at home.” - JM


photo credit: Jake Missing

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Bébé Bob

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Landes chicken for two

“I’ll admit, I went to Bébé Bob with all the open-mindedness of a Kent-dwelling Daily Mail reader, but this shiny new Soho rotisserie restaurant knows its way around a bird. A Landes chicken is one of those posh French yellow ones—the kind that had a big garden and listened to Radio 4 in the morning. And it turns out it tastes all the better for it. The skin on this chicken was cooked to a sensational crisp and the meat so, so tender. It came with a glistening chicken jus, the colour of a conker and the flavour of every good roast rolled into one. It’s hard to go wrong with rotisserie chicken, but this one really was a cut above.” - JM


photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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Pollini at Ladbroke Hall

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Lasagna

“It’s not often that a dish I’m so disappointed by on first impression ends up being the best thing I’ve eaten that week. I ordered the lasagna at Ladbroke Hall, an Italian restaurant in Notting Hill, but when it arrived, the waiter told me gleefully, “So as you can see, it’s not a lasagna.” Instead two small parcels of thin pasta were wrapped around each other like a yin yang symbol—one green, spinach-flavoured, and filled with béchamel, and one a nutty brown colour filled with rich ragu. It was a perfect bite, even if it wasn’t a traditional lasagna.” - SC


photo credit: Rianne Shlebak

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Myung Ga

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Tteokbokki with extra ramyun

“There’s something objectively more exciting about things that are cooked in front of you. It’s what started the carbonara cheese wheel craze a couple of years ago, and the reason I’ll whip my phone out in panic anytime a server begins pouring sauce on something. Whatever the reason, it made the already-excellent tteokbokki at Myung Ga, a Korean restaurant in Soho, that little bit more exciting. The rice cakes were thrown in a pot on a tabletop grill, along with ramyun noodles and a watery spicy sauce. After 15 minutes it turned into a creamy, bubbling, fish cake and vegetable-filled pot of ramen. It was spicy, sweet, and garlicky, and while it was enough to feed three, I’d happily return and eat the whole thing alone.”- RS


photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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OkonomiHeads

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Beef okonomiyaki 

“When my mood is low, I like to get low with my dining choices. And by that I mean sink into a basement somewhere. But at OkonomiHeads, a Japanese spot in Hackney, I descended a staircase and—plot twist—burst out into brilliant light. The dining room is covered in uplifting yellows and aggressive pinks, and it’s impossible not to feel your spirits lift. I ate my crispy, layered okonomiyaki—with syrupy umami sauce on top, thin slices of tender beef, and fluttering, tissue paper-like bonito flakes—with a serene piano soundtrack and low-level chatter in the background. It was a struggle to rise to street level again, and not linger here for the evening.” - SC


Yassa

“Recency bias is very much a thing but whether I’d eaten at Chishuru yesterday or not, I suspect it would have found its way onto this guide. The West African restaurant’s Fitzrovia location is new but its thrilling cooking is not. The yassa was an astoundingly tender charcoal-grilled guinea fowl relaxing in a bath of caramelised onion and lemon sauce, served with rice and plantain. Sweet, smoky, and a little sour from some pickled onions on top. There’s no doubt it’s the dish of the week—the other days never had a chance. Let’s reconvene on Monday.” - JM


photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

This spot is Permanently Closed.

Doughnut soft serve 

“I love doughnuts. And I love soft serve. And I’m not sure why the two haven’t been combined more often. Because this creation from Morny Bakehouse, a bakery in Leyton, feels as natural as Uggs in December. The fluffy sugary doughnut was sliced in the middle, filled with vanilla and cinnamon soft serve, and covered in corn flake pieces. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, the ice cream melts faster than I could eat it. And yes, I will 100% be getting it again. That melted ice cream soaked right into the doughnut, which meant every bite was like a custard-heavy bread and butter pudding.” - RS


Beef soup noodles

“Most trips to the doctor don’t come easily to me, but I had no qualms about hopping on the 21 to Dr.Noodle in New Cross. The beef noodle soup at this little handmade Chinese noodle specialist is my kind of prescription. There was plenty of bite in the noodles, the broth had a deep umami flavour, and there was a maternal generosity with beef and herbs. A fragrant bowl of soup like this needs plenty of fresh foliage and this one has got it. And a couple of spoons of the doctor’s chilli oil livened things up even further to the point that a film of Sichuan peppercorn oil happily coated my throat. Local to me Dr. Noodle is not but, then again, I’ve always been told that a good GP is worth seeking out.” - JM


photo credit: Sinéad Cranna

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Mukkebi

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Haemul pajeon

“A quick lunch at Mukkebi, a Korean spot in Finsbury Park, became a feast where mix and match cherry blossom bowls and speckled plates covered every inch of the table. But it was the deep orange pajeon, fanned out to look like rays of the sun, that I kept coming back to. Each triangular slice of this fluffy pancake-like dish should be dredged through the sticky, sweet chilli sauce. The thin fingers of spring onion were charred and crisp, and spread throughout in just the right ratio—not crammed into every mouthful, but not so few to leave you wanting.” - SC


Roasted king prawns 

“Detroit-style is one of my favourites when it comes to pizza. There’s nothing quite like the thick bases, rich marinara, and crispy, cheesy edges of a good Detroit pie. And Ria’s—a quaint cafe and wine bar in Notting Hill with a built-in neighbourhood feel—hit all the right spots. The pizzas can be ordered by the £6 slice, but I was more tempted to go for the ‘mix and match’ option, with four different slices in one pizza. Despite the airy, crispy base they all had in common, the roasted king prawn was the winner. Prawns, marinated in fiery salsa macha, were placed on top of a slice topped with slow-cooked marinara and a creamy parmesan drizzle. Trust us, prawn is the new pineapple.”- RS


Jamón tortilla

“The sun has decided to reappear, like a diva making us hold our breath for an encore, which made my lunch at Broken Eggs—a Spanish restaurant in Fitzrovia—feel particularly fitting. The airy spot is straight out of a Kinfolk shoot. The tortilla was a similar butterscotch shade as the walls and had an oozy, gooey centre, a crispy top, and enough structure to hold in the fillings—smoky jamón and soft, buttery potatoes. I wish I lived closer so I could get a slice of Spanish sunshine, tortilla, and a glass of sangria on the regular. ” - SC

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