A Month In The Shoes Of A Food Critic: All Of August’s Reviews

4th September 2018

We sent out our one-man all-you-can-eat contest, Lottie (who is also our new features writer), to chew her way through London this month. Enjoy her musings on her munchings, as well as cameos by yours truly, Charlotte and Emily.

Smoke & Salt

Small space for Emily's big appetite...

Chefs Aaron Webster and Remi Williams met working in The Shed and now they’re working in a shipping container. Editor Emily headed down to check out what the fuss is about and despite the whole thing existing in a space smaller than the average bedsit, the result sounds like a success. If, like Emily, you think it’s normal to have steak for breakfast at least.

Check out Emily’s review here…

Where: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, Brixton, SW9 8PQ
Website: www.smokeandsalt.com

Tom's Kitchen Chelsea

It's hotting up in Tom's kitchen...

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery; so I was touched that Lottie went to Tom’s kitchen just a month after I’d pulled a similar stunt. However, rather than sampling the dinner menu, Lottie made it all about the brunch with the curious combo of gazpacho, avocado curd and cold crab. I think I won on the food front, but I’m not at all surprised she loved it; the re-opened Tom’s Kitchen is excellent.

Lottie’s written it up here…

Where: Tom's Kitchen, Chelsea, London, United Kingdom
Website: www.tomskitchen.co.uk

Abuelo

Tie my steaming brew down, sport...

Lottie’s been down under, not to Oz but to Covent Garden and the not-snappily named Abuelo. The antipodean cafe is a new opening and celebrates the land of the Vegemite sandwich, although with a rather classier selection of cakes and delicious sounding sharing plates. So good that Lottie dashed up the 173 Covent Garden tube station stairs for it.

Here’s what her cardio sesh was in aid of…

Where: 26 Southampton Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7RS
Website: www.abuelocafe.co.uk

Banh, Banh Brixton

Banh, Banh, brunch in Brixton...

I can’t see Banh, Banh Brixton written down without singing it in the style of Nancy Sinatra. Thankfully Lottie is a little less childish and headed down to this Brixton restaurant that looks suspiciously like it was decorated after an Ikea binge. Following on the heels of their Peckham opening Vietnamese Banh, Banh has come to Brixton and Lottie loved it. Best brunch ever territory.

Lottie goes brunching…

Where: 326 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8QH
Website: www.banhbanh.com

Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences

Poppin to 51 Buckingham Gate...

Charlotte displayed a surprisingly whimsical side by going to a Mary Poppins tea. In celebration of the (oddly cast) Emily Blunt revival, apparently hitting cinemas later this year, 51 Buckingham Gate have created a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (eye roll) tea. My impression is that it was very good, but that Charlotte might not have entirely gotten into the Poppins swing of things.

Charlotte pulled this review out of her magic handbag…

Where: 51 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6JP, UK
Website: www.taj51buckinghamgate.co.uk

The Chesterfield Mayfair

The sweetest thing...

Lottie not only went to The Chesterfield’s sweets-based afternoon tea, she took props. Namely three little children who look like they got good and sugar-high just in time to return to their parents. The trip may have been a success, but Lottie seems to think the tea itself was too.

Read her abcess-inducing review here…

Where: The Chesterfield, Charles Street, London, UK
Website: www.chesterfieldmayfair.com

Ossobuco

Coz Ossobuco

With London seemingly running low on restaurants that Lottie hasn’t yet reviewed, our intrepid eater hit Ossobuco. Partly because its on her namesake street, Charlotte Street (sounds like a spurious reason to me), and probably rather more because of the authentic Milanese cuisine. Which was great, by the way.

Lottie goes Italian…

Where: 33 Charlotte Street, London, UK
Website: www.ossobucorestaurant.co.uk

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