“I’m A Food Journalist, And These Are The 5 Dishes I’d Eat If I Only Had 24 Hours In London”
It is a known fact that London is an incredibly large city with a phenomenal range of what to eat and where to eat it. Some restaurants you go to for the full package; some you go to just to scratch that itch of one dish you tried ages ago. I have my favourite dishes, my midnight cravings, my fleeting memories of dishes past. As a result, this is my bible of dishes. My menu, my 5 dishes to eat in 24 hours in London (if you can hack it).
Breakfast
Full English Breakfast, Regency Cafe
Perhaps the UK has a reputation for bland, boring food, but I hope to use this list as proof that there is so much more to offer than that. Perhaps an English breakfast, in itself, feels quite beige, quite meh. But if the English breakfast is one of the truest representations of the British palate, then you mustn’t knock it till you try it, and you mustn’t try it anywhere other than Regency Cafe. Regency has been around since the 40s; the Art Deco interiors and nostalgic, charmingly stuck-in-time vibe are what make these iconic greasy spoons such wonderful time portals inside of London. The full English is perhaps one of the most iconic in London and a simple classic with some of my favourite hash browns in the city. Get there early, before the influencers and picture grabbers take up the tables. Join the professionals before they head to their every days. Sit down, look around, enjoy your horrible coffee or perfectly brewed cup of tea. Have your full English and then walk it off like the rest of us.
Where: 17-19 Regency St, London SW1P 4BY
Website: www.regencycafe.co.uk
Lunch
Les Landes Chicken, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
There are currently 10 UK restaurants with a coveted triple Michelin star status, 6 of which are in London. I was lucky enough to have lunch at the infamous Hélène Darroze at The Connaught to try out their brand-new à la carte lunch menu, a rarity within this high-end a landscape. The Les Lande Chicken was far and away one of the most incredible culinary experiences I have engaged with. A full chicken roasted for two, stuffed and served with a vin jaune d’Arbois, carved tableside before the legs are sent back to the kitchen to be prepared for a small chicken taco, one of my favourite bites of the year so far. The chicken is only available during the lunch offering, making for a perfectly valid excuse for a bit of a splurge on a weekend. PS, wine pairings are essential.
Where: The Connaught, Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL
Website: www.maybourne.com
Snack
Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, Smoking Goat
Constantly, I am asked about my favourite restaurant in London, and for years, my answer has always been the same. Smoking Goat is somewhat of a reigning champion in London; it has everything. It has killer interiors, quite an affordable total for a restaurant of that notoriety, great cocktails and phenomenal service. More than this, they have the best chicken wings in London, and this is common knowledge. When I do exclaim that Smoking Goat is my favourite restaurant in London, I am more often than not asked about the chicken wings. How many orders do you get? Are they really as good as everyone says they are? Yes, they are. Stop by for an order (each) and a cocktail before continuing your trek.
Where: 64 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ
Website: www.smokinggoatbar.com
Dinner
Bangers and Mash, The Cow
And we now come full circle to another British staple: dinner edition. I believe there is no better place to enjoy this delicacy than at one of London’s greatest institutions of a pub: The Cow. Famous for serving Guinness and Oysters and arguably the most iconic gastro in the city, it is the bangers and mash that has me and my wine-drinking comrades in a chokehold. Perhaps it is the flavours, the onions and the mash combining to invite this warm, comforting nostalgia; or perhaps it is this combined with the most joyful pub floor in the capital. There is no overthinking, no despair; there is only good food, great drink, and phenomenal individuals. And it has made for one of my favourite dishes in London.
Where: 89 Westbourne Park Rd, London W2 5QH
Website: www.thecowlondon.com
Pudding
Mousse au chocolat, Patron
In all honesty, I am not much of a pudding person. I’d much rather have more savoury than leave room for something sweet. Maybe that is sacrilegious coming from a person who has dedicated her career to restaurants and to eating, but it is rare that my favourite dish of a meal is sweet. Rare, but not impossible. At Patron, it was possible. The chocolate mousse, scooped out of its mixing bowl at the table, is perhaps the best dessert I have ever had. Patron is an independent, one of my favourites, and this recipe has been handed down for generations just to be served here (and at their sister restaurant, French Society). This, with an espresso martini alone, is worth a trip to London.
Where: 26 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HB
Website: www.patronrestaurant.com
