Chef vs Critic
A restaurateur and a reviewer face off over London’s food scene
Is there one restaurant that really nails the London vibe?
YO You could have been at J. Sheekey (j-sheekey.co.uk) 50 years ago or you could go 50 years from now and you’d find it the same: very European but also very English. It does excellent seafood platters, wonderful oysters and this amazing Dover sole.
FM David Carter’s Smokestak (smokestak.co.uk) in Shoreditch ticks all the boxes and now, in permanent premises, here is an opera about barbecue with a truly funky set. Not to be missed is his brisket, cooked long, low and slow, patiently basted and respectfully rested. Also try the barbecue pigtails and burnt-butter ice-cream.
What’s your favourite fine-diner?
YO Locanda Locatelli (locandalocatelli.com) is a good, solid Italian restaurant in Marylebone. It has been around for years and is run by Giorgio Locatelli, a great chef and cookery writer. He does classic Italian food in a modern environment: a beautifully designed room that’s sleek but not over the top, with warm colours. The pasta is spot-on – the white-truffle egg spaghetti is the best I’ve ever tried.
FM It’s a happy coincidence that the most beautiful dining room in London, the restaurant at The Ritz London (hotel. qantas.com.au/theritzlondon), is also the home of impeccable cooking, stylish service and the strongest pastry kitchen in town. Executive chef John Williams is master of all he surveys. Customers sitting beneath gilded garlands, overlooking Green Park while being served beef Wellington from the trolley, inhabit an expensive idyll. And on Friday and Saturday evenings they can even dance.
Where do you go for afternoon tea?
YO A charming, modest bakery in East London called Violet (violetcakes.com). It’s run by a lovely woman, Claire Ptak, who used to work at Chez Panisse. She makes the most wonderful cakes and sandwiches, down-to-earth whoopie pies, bacon-and-egg rolls and beautiful brownies and cupcakes. I would rather go there for my coffee or tea than to the hotels.
FM Approached by a waiter wearing a pink suit and white gloves in David Shrigley’s Gallery at Sketch (sketch. london) in Mayfair, you might think you’re in a Tenniel illustration from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Finger sandwiches with caviar and quail egg, smoked salmon and cucumber, Battenberg cake, macarons and Malabar marshmallows – the entire afternoon tea is exquisitely English. Classical music from a string ensemble completes the performance.
And what about a traditional Sunday roast?
YO The Culpeper pub (theculpeper.com) in Aldgate does a simple Sunday roast with all the trimmings, plus a great Bloody Mary.
FM The Bull & Last (thebull andlast.co.uk) pub near Hampstead Heath is the project of three quite young, quite posh chaps. Their interest in food’s provenance and in-house butchery feeds seamlessly into Sunday lunch. The roast beef might be North Essex Shorthorn sirloin served with Yorkshire puddings, greens, parsnips and horseradish sauce, just as it should be. There are ales and craft beers, of course, but also drinks such as Chinati Vergano Vermouth with soda.
Where do you get your caffeine fix?
YO The Coffee Jar (83 Parkway, Camden), a hole in the wall run by a woman named Maria. The coffee, including the flat whites, is top quality. I know Australians are very particular about coffee – I think even they would approve.
FM The Black Penny (theblack penny.com) in Covent Garden rewardingly channels the historic function of a place to meet, plot and converse. The dark drink is taken deeply seriously, with cortado and siphon cold-brew offered alongside buttered espresso. You’ll find all the usual alternatives and, if you fancy it, a nip of malt whisky. Also, the Aussie/Kiwi-owned café Kaffeine (kaffeine.co.uk) in Fitzrovia is as proficient and charming as you’d expect.
What about breakfast?
YO The Providores and Tapa Room (theprovidores. co.uk) in Marylebone. Its poached eggs with yoghurt and chilli butter is absolutely amazing. It also has great granola, fruit salad and avocado on toast.
FM When they launched The Wolseley (thewolseley. com), an all-day restaurant in Piccadilly, in 2003, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King felt they inaugurated the fashion for meeting for breakfast outside of a hotel. The style for which they are renowned – which extends to linen, silver and glassware as well as the food – serves to establish and enhance the most important meal of the day. Be sure to book.
And your favourite cocktail bar?
YO The Bar with No Name (69colebrookerow.com) in Islington is a tiny cocktail place, definitely hidden away. It has the most original cocktailmakers at the moment.
FM I’m not keen on the floraand-fauna approach to mixed drinks. A cocktail, for me, is a dry Martini and the best can be found at Dukes Bar in Dukes London (hotel.qantas.com.au/ dukeslondon) and at the upstairs bar – something of a secret – of London’s oldest restaurant, Rules (rules.co.uk). Alessandro Palazzi at Dukes Bar and Mike Cook at Rules comprehend the sort of potency that Dorothy Parker required and admired. Of course, they can also do all the other fancy drinks if you don’t have the wit to order a Martini.
London is famous for its pubs. Any recommendations?
YO The Flask (theflaskhighgate. com) near Hampstead Heath is one of those 17th-century pubs with all the charm. They say it was the haunt of [fugitive] highwayman Dick Turpin so it has a lot of history.
FM The Guinea (theguinea. co.uk). Records indicate that there has been an inn on this site since 1423 when Mayfair was farmland. As you go through to the comfortable, worn-in dining rooms, there’s meat on display. You might opt for the mixed grill or the steak-and-kidney pie that arrives in an Elizabethan-style paper ruff.
Who does great Indian food?
YO Gymkhana (gymkhana london.com) in Mayfair is more expensive than your regular Indian but I love it. There’s one dish, methi keema, that I could have every day. It’s goat mince cooked slowly and served in brioche and it’s absolutely fantastic. For a more down-toearth experience, go to Lahore Kebab House (lahore-kebab house.com) in Whitechapel. It’s big and busy and the Pakistani food is delicious.
FM Hoppers (hopperslondon. com) in Soho has food from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Sethi siblings – who also run Trishna and Gymkhana – do everything with infinite care. Start with the crumpet-y pancakes, or hoppers, maybe topped with a fried egg. You can’t book.
Is there an eatery in a gallery or museum that you absolutely love?
YO The Garden Café in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum (vam.ac.uk) is a top spot – family-friendly, with lots of kids running around.
FM At the Whitechapel Gallery (whitechapelgallery.org), The Whitechapel Refectory café offers interesting food, neatly priced. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the After Hours wine bar allows you to explore the savvy vinous choices they make.
Is there an incredible restaurant in London that no-one knows about?
YO Primeur (primeurn5. co.uk) in Hackney is an old mechanic’s garage converted into a small, airy restaurant. It’s quite hipster-y, with a natural-wine list and seasonal British ingredients, from cheese and fish to corn. I’ve never been disappointed.
FM At tiny Jugemu sushi bar (3 Winnett Street), in the side streets of Soho, chef Yuya Kikuchi treats his clientele but also suits himself. Suddenly, at 8.30pm, he may announce he is closed for a staff party – no balloons or streamers go up. When he’s there and motoring, it’s fabulous. Keep it to yourself.