DIVERSE DELICIOUSNESS
Eat your way around the neighbourhoods of London for a great culinary — and cultural — experience, writesAlexia Santamaria
When someone asks, “Where should I eat when I go to London?” it’s almost impossible to give an easy, or direct, answer. Unlike big cities in New Zealand where you can name 10 to 15 great and universally popular restaurants, London is a lot more complicated; that’s what happens when you have double our population living in one place.
A fun way to explore London’s culinary delights is to consider the nationalities who have made this thriving metropolis their home over the years and eat your way around the neighbourhoods. Here are just a few of the areas you might like to visit to understand how Britain evolved from pork pies, potatoes and peas to thalis, tabbouleh and tempura.
Indian street food out west
It’s not exactly central (15 minutes by train from Paddington Station followed by a 15-minute walk to The Broadway) but if you really want a taste of Little India in the UK, check out Southall, where brightly coloured sari and jewellery shops line the pavements and the smell of spices, tandoori and luscious homestyle curries waft out of restaurants.
My favourite thing to do is check out the street food vendors — samosas, different types of chaat, sweets, mango lassi and masala corn (corn kernels mixed with melted butter and a magical mix of Indian spices) are best eaten freshly made from a busy stall.
If you feel like sitting inside there are plenty of restaurant options too. Don’t worry if you want to stay central, there is plenty of amazing Indian food everywhere in London as a google of any “top Indian food in London” list will show.
Lovely Lebanese on Edgeware
There are many incredible places to eat all kinds of Middle Eastern food in London — think anything in the Ottolenghi family — but a trip up Edgeware Rd is still a fabulous experience for New Zealanders as we’re a bit starved of decent Lebanese food where we come from.
When war was raging in Lebanon, many families fled to London and this part of town became an enclave for Middle Eastern families. Marouf Abouzaki and his wife, Houda, opened a restaurant called Maroush in 1981 and now they own 16 eateries from bakehouses to street food, to higher-end sit-down places (all delicious).
The Maroush empire and other interesting eateries selling syrupy, delicious baklava; freshly fried kibbeh and falafel; heavenly soft flatbread and dips; tangy tabbouleh and fattoush salads and tender meat straight from the spit will
make you wish you had an extra stomach.
East End beigel joy
In the early 20th century, the East End of London was almost entirely Jewish and that created a need for a lot of beigels (or bagels as we tend to say). Beigel Shop in Brick Lane was established to meet that need and hasn’t changed much since 1855. In 1974 another shop was established a few doors down and both pump out delicious, chewy dense specimens 24/7. This may be one of London’s cheapest lunches, with a smoked salmon and cream cheese job setting you back an enormous £3.50 ($6.90). If you’re a meat-eater don’t miss the famous salt beef beigel — make sure you say “yes please” when they ask if you want pickles and mustard (trust me, you do).
Brick Lane and other parts of the East End later became home to Bangladeshi immigrants so, as a bonus, you can get a great takeout curry on your way home for dinner.
Chinatown
If you’re on the tourist track you will stumble across Chinatown pretty easily. Only minutes from Leicester Square or Covent Garden, you can’t miss it, with its lanterns and giant vibrantly-coloured gates with Qing Dynasty designs.
Chinese food has been part of London since the early 20th century but it was all centred in the Limehouse area which was bombed heavily in the war. Since the 1970s it’s been based in the West End on Gerrard St and a trip there will have Chinese food fans in raptures. You’ll be paralysed by choice as you pass windows filled with crispy duck and pork, and menus teeming with everything from spicy Sichuan dishes and juicy steamed dumplings to chewy hand-pulled noodle dishes with sauces you could only dream of making at home. Go hungry, and wearing stretchy pants.
The Caribbean in South London
While trendy Brixton has now become a haven for good food from all over the world (it’s a must-visit for any foodie), it’s still one of the best places to get good Caribbean fare, very exciting for us Antipodeans who don’t get much of it at home.
If you want modern, check out places like Three Little Birds with its hip decor and great cocktails, but if you want to go where the local community go, check out basic canteen-style eateries right in the thick of Electric Ave, like Healthy Eaters where the home-cooked jerk chicken, rice and peas, salted fish and Jamaican patties fly out the door.
People from this part of the world arrived in Brixton in the late 1940s, bringing their colour, music, vibrancy and exotic flavours with them. It’s a great culinary — and cultural — experience.
If you only have limited time…
If you don’t have time to get around to the outer parts of London, make sure you visit either Borough Market, Old Spitalfields or Camden Market to get a good cross-section of London’s culinary offerings. One thing is certain, you’ll never go hungry in this town of diverse deliciousness.
There are no Covid testing or isolation requirements to visit the UK