WEST END
MOVING WEST BUT STILL THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE PALACE
Somerset House.
Somerset House (somersethouse.org.uk/eating-and-drinking/spring): Just off the Strand on the 15 bus route, heading into town, this venue has excellent and eclectic exhibitions; check out what’s on online - and SPRING.
Barbary.
Near Covent Garden (thebarbary.co.uk): A 24-seat counter bar restaurant in Neal’s Yard, from the people behind The Palomar. At The Barbary, all the stools are arranged at 24-seat horseshoe shaped counter bar. Down one wall, there’s a standing counter, where they’ll feed you moreish bar snacks (like deep-fried pastry ‘cigars’ filled with cod, lemon & Moroccan spices) while you wait for a seat. And if the queue spills outside, you’ll find yourself in pedestrian-only, full-of-character Neal’s Yard. As places to loiter go, it’s not too shabby.
Ikoyi
Ikoyi (ikoyilondon.com) Ikoyi builds its own spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality: vegetables slowly grown for flavour, sustainable, line-caught fish and aged native beef. Our kitchen aims to serve produce in its optimal state, harnessing as much flavour as possible while respecting the true nature of the ingredient. The foundation for our menu is a vast collection of spices with a focus on sub-Saharan West Africa, which we have meticulously sourced over the past few years. We explore ingredients such as Grains of Selim, a smoky peppercorn with the scent of eucalyptus, plantains and scotch bonnet chillies, which we ferment, burn and pickle.
Chishuru.
Chishuru (www.chishuru.com): Adejoké (Joké) Bakare
Joké’s desire to work in food harked back to her university years as a student in Nigeria, where she studied biological sciences and ran a fish & chip cart in her spare time.
Having moved to the UK with her family 20 years ago, she worked in a number of fields including care, health & safety and property management, before starting in food with a van outside her church in southeast London. She ran a supper club or two, and then won a competition to win a three-month restaurant popup in Brixton Village, south London. Joké opened Chishuru in Brixton in September 2020 as a three month popup, after winning a Brixton Village competition
When Jay Rayner from the Observer came in and gave the restaurant a rave review, the popup became permanent. The Brixton site closed in October 2022 and Joké then operated popups at Quality Wines, Carousel, 180 The Strand and the Globe Tavern in Borough Market, before moving Chishuru to its permanent new home in Fitzrovia in September 2023.
In February 2024, Michelin awarded Chishuru a Michelin star, making Joké the first black female Michelin-starred chef in the UK. Joké was named ‘Chef of the Year’ at the National Restaurant Awards 2024.
Noble Rot
(noblerot.co.uk): Bloody excellent Parisian-style wine bar nook for a vast list of wines served with a concise, seasonal British menu. Amazing pork. It is located in an atmospheric townhouse on Bloomsbury’s Lamb’s Conduit Street. Head chef Paul Weaver and consultant chef Stephen Harris from the Michelin-starred The Sportsman in Whitstable oversee a full à la carte menu of fine Franglaise-style cooking in the restaurant, and a selection of small dishes in the bar. The wine list ranges from deliciously undervalued wines by the glass to hard-to-find gems from the world’s leading winemakers.
HIDE.
You’ll find this on Piccadilly casually overlooking Green Park. Open from 7.30am until late, it’s a three-storey, multi-million pound restaurant that has an army of staff, thousands of wines to choose from, a private lift from the car park, and a sweeping oak staircase. It’s split into three defined spaces with their basement bar, mildly casual ground floor situation, and the part you really need to know about, Hide Above - their high-flying formal upstairs dining room that serves the £140 eight-course tasting menu. (Very good food, not our favourite atmosphere - I’d prefer Pidgin in the East End) (hide.co.uk)
Palomar.
Soho (thepalomar.co.uk): The Palomar is a Soho restaurant in the heart of Theatreland, serving the food of modern day Jerusalem. It offers a menu influenced by the rich cultures of Southern Spain, North Africa and the Levant.
10 Cases.
Near Covent Garden. This smart little metropolitan bistro is a real draw for wine lovers, thanks to a policy of fair mark-ups that even extends to fine wines and fizz. What’s more, the restaurant stocks only 10 cases of the 10 reds and 10 whites on its list – before moving on to 10 new options. With everything available by the glass, why not indulge in a spot of food matching: the day’s chalked-up menu features unpretentious, well-sourced choices along the lines of snails on toast, full-flavoured goats’ cheese and red onion tart (served warm with an oven-roasted fig), or juicy Barnsley lamb chop with a side of buttery cavolo nero. Readers also appreciate the ‘fun atmosphere’ and ‘extremely efficient service’. (www.10cases.co.uk)
Evelyn's Table.
Near Soho (www.theblueposts.co.uk/evelyns-table/): A Claustrophobes may not enjoy heading down the narrow staircase to the former beer cellar, but this intimate counter restaurant beneath The Blue Posts pub offers an intriguing and rewarding gastronomic experience. There are two sittings per evening and, as the set menu is served to all at the same time, do be punctual – if you're early, try the top floor bar. The prime ingredients are largely sourced from the British Isles, be they Orkney scallops or Lake District beef, and are often combined with Asian notes in a series of delicate dishes; their components are explained in detail by the chefs. It’s hard to get a reservation.
