What the experts recommend
The Straight and Narrow 45 Narrow Street, London E14 (020-3745 8345) This is “the neighbourhood restaurant you want around the corner”, says Jay Rayner in The Observer. The reasonably priced one that “will leave you feeling someone gave a damn about you having a good time”. But to really enjoy it, you do need to be of the view, as I am, that “food and music are meant to go together”. On the evening of our visit, the wonderful piano player was so lively, he had me singing Dancing Queen over my meatballs. I’m told that some nights, the place erupts into a group singalong. The food is pure pleasure too. We enjoyed some lovely “British tapas” starters – a great Scotch egg; mackerel pâté; and “peppery and satisfying” veal meatballs. Mains of lamb rump and hake were excellent, and desserts were “exceptionally good”: salted caramel tart, a marmalade ice cream and a peach melba bavarois with raspberry sorbet that “demands a round of applause before you demolish the lot. Oh, but it’s pretty.” Meal for two, with drinks, from about £70.
Oktopus Hardman Yard, 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool (07565-299879) “Perfection is so overrated,” says Marina O’loughlin in The Guardian. I’ve never once had a poor meal at any Gordon Ramsay outpost, for instance. But nor have I ever left “in shivering anticipation of a return visit”. By contrast, there are restaurants that are a long way from perfect, but which have such heart, and such thrilling promise, I’d go back for more in a heartbeat. Oktopus, a friendly, buzzy restaurant hidden away in a handsome courtyard in Liverpool, is just such a place. The “irresistible” snacks alone are worth coming for: sweet, fresh “popcorn” mussels topped with a “cuminclove-cinnamon-fragrant” ketchup based on ras-el-hanout spice mix; fine sourdough with whipped beer butter; peppercorn-laced saucisson. The more ambitious dishes are great, too, not least a fat Barnsley chop with smoky grilled courgettes; and devilled mackerel with dill-spiked yoghurt. “There is, contrarily, no octopus.” The issues this place needs to iron out include timings, oddly inconsistent portion sizes and the “NOISY” acoustics. “I’ve no doubt it will just get better and better, but in the meantime, it’s imperfectly perfect.” About £25 a head, plus drinks and service.
Where to eat in Istanbul
I travel to Istanbul four or five times a year to “stay with friends and get immersed in family cooking”, says chef Sabrina Ghayour in the FT. My first tip to visitors would be to explore the Karaköy district, with its cobbled streets and fashionable bars and restaurants. Fasuli offers typical Black Sea dishes: fasulye (bean stew), sardine pilaf, and stuffed cabbage rolls. Güllüoglu is simply the “best baklava shop in Turkey”. For committed carnivores, a trip to Beyti is a must; it does “doner kebabs like you have never seen”. And Adana il Siniri is so good that it pulls in visitors from the city of Adana, the true home of kebabs. The café opposite the Hagia Sophia does superb lahmacun (flatbread), while nearby restaurant Sultanahmet Koftecisi is a great choice for a simple but filling meal (it serves just two types of kofta). For buying spices, go to Namli, a deli in the Egyptian market that will vacuum-pack your purchases for you to take home. Or for a nice afternoon tea, try Pera Palace Hotel, and visit its Atatürk Museum Room while you’re at it.