This month we dined with Idris Elba, took in a new City Italian and feasted on high-rise maki, a showstopping tomato dish, a savoury afternoon tea, and very messy burgers.
Bob Bob Ricard (Soho) - Porte Noire Champagne and Chicken Pie
When you’re invited to dinner with Idris Elba you’d be a fool to decline. Sadly, we weren’t dining a deux, but with a whole load of folk there to try out the new pairings of Bob Bob Ricard pies and Idris’s Porte Noire Champagne. Go now, while the ‘Press for Idris’ buttons are still in operation.
Farm Shop Wine Bar (Mayfair) - Cheese and charcuterie board
We were back in Mayfair to take a look at the expanded wine bar at Farm Shop. They’ve taken over what was the butchery section upstairs and on a summer’s evening, a platter full of Bath Blue, Duckett’s Caerphilly, Lincolnshire Poacher, Coppa, salami and Bresaola did the trick.
Filthy Buns (King's Cross) - Le Chunion
Not willing to let National Burger Day go by without having a burger, we popped into The Star Of Kings near King's Cross Station. It's where you'll now find Filty Buns (previously in Dalston) and their excellent burgers. It was our first time trying and it definitely lived up to expectations. This features crispy swiss cheese, pink shallots, cheese, onion jam, miso mayo and crispy onions. And yes, it was satisfyingly messy. Fully marks for the jerk-seasoned fries too.
Campanelle (City of London) - Campanelle Carbonara
We took a trip to the City to check out the new restaruant from the people behind Manicomio and uncovered a great (and fantastic looking) new Italian. While this dish might upset the Carbonara Police, we thought this version of carbonara using the pasta that the restaurant was named after was excellent. More on this in our Test Drive next week.
The Connaught (Mayfair) The Martini trolley
When friends from out of town wanted to go to a great London bar, this was the first place we thought of. The theatrics of the martini trolley and the general enthusiasm of all the bar staff here confirmed that our decision was the right one. Still one of London’s great places to drink.
MOI (Soho) Pineapple rib tomato, smoked cream, toasted nori
We’ve been raving about this new Japanese restaurant to all and sundry since our visit. But the most memorable dish wasn’t from the great sushi selection. It was this fabulous tomato dish featuring the amazing pineapple tomatoes from Cambridgeshire’s Flourish Farm.
The Chelsea Bun (Chelsea) - The Chalk Freehouse
Not everyone has been fans of The Chalk Freehouse but personally, we don't think it's anywhere near the one-star review that William Sitwell gave it in The Telegraph. A pretty decent meal there was capped off by this excellent dessert - a baked bun glazed with apple caramel and then dusted with praline, served with boozy fruits and cold custard. One our our favourite recent desserts.
Luna (Shad Thames) Welsh rarebit
The good news about this dish at new wine bar Luna is that the kitchen have done all the hard work for you - taking hours to distil down Guinness and Worcestershire sauce into a syrup that’s the backbone of this great Welsh rarebit.
Shanghai Me (Mayfair) - Crispy crab maki
This new addition to Mayfair, replacing Galvin at Windows has some signature dishes that are dencet but at farily eye-watering prices. But more memorable for us (along with the excellent Chinese fortune cookie dessert) was their take on a crispy crab maki. This alone would make us go back and try more of the menu, but at the very least, we'd definitely recommend a visit to check out their sky-high bar.
Fortnum & Mason (Piccadilly) Portland crab tart
If you thought afternoon tea was all about scones and clotted cream, think again. A visit to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum’s had us trying their savoury afternoon tea for a change. We’re still thinking about how good this teeny crab pastry was.
Pick & Cheese (Camden) - Whipped rosary goat's cheese doughnut
We were big fans of the cheese conveyor belt when we first encountered it in Covent Garden, and this Camden version is, while smaller, every bit as good. Make sure to hold back from overdosing on cheese to ensure you can finish off this this well-pitched sweet version.
Brasserie Constance (Fulham) - Coronation Chicken pate en croute
When a restaurant is named after the woman who created coronation chicken, you'd expect their signature take on it to be impressive, and that was very much the case here. If, like us, you can't pass up pate en croute when you see it on the menu, you'll be very pleased with this version.
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