LDNGuide
Where To Order From When You Want Leftovers For Tomorrow
There’s something satisfyingly primitive about seeking out leftovers in your own home. You emerge from your cave in dire need of sustenance. You hunch foraging in your fridge, sniffing and inspecting containers like a fox in sliders. Eventually, you end up leaning somewhere, anywhere, with one hand rhythmically forking cold noodles, as the other absentmindedly scratches your midriff. Before eventually repeating, again and again, until someone calls you “a hideous pig experiment gone wrong” for eating all the leftovers. You are Ray Mears and something that David Attenborough would talk about rolled into one, and these are the restaurants you should next be foraging from.
North
We’re not going to lie to you, eating leftovers from Gökyüzü is very nice. But it does mean you have to find the self-restraint to not inhale their manti, mixed meze, pide, and falafel in one sitting. You can do it. We believe in you. Want to stock your fridge with something other than tonic water and Babybel? Order a selection of their cold meze.
Eating toast for breakfast? Boring. Eating butter chicken for breakfast? You’re a maverick, a creative, a savant of snacking. Namaaste Kitchen are delivering their excellent Indian dishes from Camden, including king prawn biryani and their signature lamb chops. The menu is huge and full of winners, but you’re definitely going to want to get involved in the zardaloo kofte from the house specials section.
You don’t have time to do any cooking today. After all you’ve got three naps on your agenda, and that puzzle isn’t going to finish itself. Quartieri in Kilburn delivers the kind of big Naples-style pizzas that should keep you going for a couple meals, especially if you make the executive decision to get that calzone. Our top pick is La Diavola, a spicy salami number that comes covered in fresh basil.
Green Lanes spot Autograf has a dish on their menu simply called ‘plate size schnitzel’. If that doesn’t say ‘hello leftovers’ to you, then nothing will. This classic Polish spot are also delivering a range of dumplings, red borscht with ravioli, potato pancakes, and a big mixed platter of some of their most popular dishes. Get some of the bread for peak dipping potential too.
Your lounge is starting to look like a Tracey Emin installation. And honestly, if someone asked you when you last showered you’d plead the fifth. Time to throw an 18-inch pizza into the mix and get your shit together. Yard Sale are delivering serious sustenance in the form of huge margheritas and big-deal toppings like wild broccoli marinated in chilli oil, fennel sausage, and truffle oil. Heads up, there are a whole bunch of vegan options too.
A big portion of cacio e pepe and some rump tagliata? Don’t mind if we do. Morso in St John’s Wood have started delivering their Italian classics, and whether you’re in the mood for beef carpaccio or some classic tagliatelle al ragu, you’ll find something on the menu for you. We’ve also got our eye on their arancini and parmesan fries.
South
Out of all the things that come off of FM Mangal’s ocakbasi grill in Camberwell, it’s hard to pick a favourite. The adana kebab is juicy and perfectly spiced. The aubergine and peppers, just the right amount of smoky. And the flatbread - the flatbread that’s soaked in meat juices, rubbed with a-never-not-exciting secret rub, and grilled over coals - is something we’d isolate with forever. Which is why you’ll be ordering a lot here, for today, tomorrow, and again in the near future.
There’s one problem with Mr. Bao’s menu, and that problem is that it’s extremely unlikely you can fit it all into one stomach (but lord knows have we tried). Everything available to order at this Taiwanese spot in Peckham is the kind of thing you turn back to later that night, or first thing the next day, with no second thoughts. Shiitake mushroom bao for breakfast? Absolutely. With a side of fried chicken for elevenses? Fuck yes.
The menu at Lahore is so extensive that Tolstoy might nod off before he gets to the aloo gobi. We’d advice against that though, as you’ll want to order lamb chops, pakoras, tandoori prawns, biriyani, curries, daal, and more from its Tooting location.
Kaosarn is a yes, yes, yes restaurant. Yes to spring rolls, yes to tod mon pla (spicy fish cakes), yes to larb, yes to papaya salad, yes to curries, yes to... look, you get the picture. Basically, there’s little that you won’t want to order from this homely Thai restaurant in Brixton Village. But equally, there’s little you won’t want to stuff yourself with. So try and save some for later, yeah?
If you know your way around a kitchen, then you’ll know that pizza is like rice. In that if you’re planning to make (or in this case order some), then you always want to go over the top for today, tomorrow, and the next day. And no, that doesn’t mean we think you should egg fry your margherita or nduja pizza from Theo’s in Camberwell, it means we think you should be eating both, cold, the next day, along with leftover aubergine parmigiana and tiramisu too.
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Though Coal Rooms has shut its doors for the time being, the Peckham Rye spot has reinvented itself as the endearingly named Fat Boy BBQ. Open from Thursday to Sunday, there is quite literally nothing on this menu that we don’t want to eat. And if you’re questioning whether short rib, hot wings, or mac and cheese keep well the next day. Well, all we can say is come back to us at around midday on Saturday.
East
Lucky & Joy is one of those restaurants that leaves its menus on the table along with a pen, and says “go on, we dare you not to over order”. Happily, we never haven’t. And nor have we ever regretted it. That’s because this Chinese spot in Clapton is damn good. So good that we think about the sesame noodles day and night, and the turnip cake, or the sweet potato wontons, aren’t far behind. Open from Wednesday to Saturday, you can check their menu and ordering details via Instagram.
If you live in or around Leytonstone, then you’re sorted. You’re fine. You have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to leftovers. Because you have Singburi. This homely restaurant in E11 is arguably London’s finest spot for Thai food, and its changing specials board (found here) is like the 10 to 12 commandments of what you should be eating this weekend.
As always, Yard Sale are delivering serious sustenance in the form of huge margheritas and big-deal toppings like wild broccoli marinated in chilli oil, fennel sausage, and truffle oil. Heads up, there are a whole bunch of vegan options too.
A momo is a Nepalese dumpling that’s either steamed or fried, and filled with meat, veg, cheese, or a mixture of all three, and served plain or with a curry, or chilli sauce. Now if that doesn’t make you want your house to be known as house of momo, momo, momo, and also those momos over there, then we don’t know what will. Not only is this Dalston spot tasty, but it’s excellent value too (10 momos are just over £10), and you can order from here
Saravana Bhavan is the biggest South Indian chain in the world, and their entirely vegetarian menu is pretty hefty too. Available to order from their East Ham branch, the menu here could legitimately fill your fridge for weeks, let alone a night or two. There’s an extensive choice of dosas, parottas, rotis, naans, curries, and more, as well as a handy kid’s menu too.
Few things make us happier than opening the fridge to find a few takeaway boxes filled with hummus, cacik, imam bayildi (stuffed aubergines), cold beyti kebab, some salads, and flatbread ready to warmed in the oven for good measure. That’s often the situation when we order from Adana 01 in Newington Green.
West
We love seeing our friends. And when we say friends, we mean the anonymous delivery driver that knocks at our door and runs away. We also love eating big pizzas with a side of rigatoni alla norma, with some garlic focaccia thrown in for good measure. Saporitalia are delivering all of the above from Notting Hill, and yes there is tiramisu too.
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Some prawn chao mian today. A little sweet and sour pork tomorrow. A big portion of sauteed duck rice noodles now, some yeung chow fried rice and kung po chicken later. Basically, the game plan is entirely up to you, but New Culture Revolution has a huge menu full of great Chinese classics. This cheap and cheerful spot is delivering in and around Chelsea and we’d recommend getting a round of their dumplings too.
When we found out that homely Italian spot La Mia Mamma are delivering their survival kits across London from Chelsea, we had a reaction that can only be described as One Direction fan meets Harry Styles circa 2012. For £65 you get 1/2kg of pasta dough, dried dough, 2 handmade sauces, flour, aubergine parmigiana, pizza dough, charcuterie, meatballs, mini arancini, croquettes, cannoli, ricotta, handmade stracciatella di burrata, and a bottle of wine. Even we’d struggle to consume all that in one sitting, and there’s an even bigger, bumper kit if you’re looking to feed the whole family for a week.
Japanese and Italian hybrid? Don’t mind if we do. Maida Vale’s Tokyo Pizza is serving up just that with its wagyu beef-topped pizzas, yuzu and enoki mushroom-dressed salads, and mochi garlic bread with ponzu dip. The more you read, the more you want to try, and that should guide your approach to ordering.
We’re definitely not above eating spring rolls at 10am whilst dressed in a towel. And trust us, you shouldn’t be either. Esarn Kheaw are delivering some of the best Thai food in London, including their khanom jeep, tom yum soup, signature laab, and big stir fry and curry portions too. Be warned that this Shepherd’s Bush spot is pretty spicy, but there’s also some milder classics like pad thai on the menu.
Central
If you asked us whether we miss our social lives or Murger Hanhan’s biang biang noodles more, we know which one we’d pick and it would be the one with all the chilli sauce. The good news is that you can get everything from the tofu skewers and huge soups, to their classic pork murger delivered to your door if you live in or around Mayfair. If you’re also after something sweet, there’s mixed mochi ice cream too.
There’s something quite majestic about pizzas being measured in length. You don’t see a 50cm lasagne on a menu, or a 17-metre kebab, but you do see a 20-inch pizza on Homeslice’s menu, and it’s even more exciting at 10am the following morning. If you’re within two miles of their Marylebone branch, then you order these giant beauties, including the wagyu beef special, from here.
When we hear ‘serves four’, our stomach hears ‘tasty, tasty leftovers’. Nonna Tonda, a handmade pasta spot in Victoria, are delivering everything you need to make excellent pasta dishes at home. Their batched sauces, garnishes, parmesan, and fresh pasta come in servings for two, four, or six people so go ahead and double up your order to keep you covered for a couple days.
If you told us last year that we’d someday eat Yauatcha’s high-end dim sum while wearing our Pokémon slippers, we would have either laughed in your face or backed away very slowly. But that’s exactly what you can do now that this glam Chinese spot in Soho are delivering. Their ‘Taste Of Yauatcha’ menu will keep you going for a whole day, if not two.
L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele is a legendary Neapolitan pizza place that’s delivering from their Baker Street restaurant. Super-thin and sloppy pizzas aside, the menu has plenty of lovely beige bits - arancini, frittatina, babas, tiramisu, and more - to fill you well and allow a few slices to be saved for tomorrow.
