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Updated: best of healthy dining in London for slow food

Beyond the stomach-turning fish and chips, bloating Indian curries and animal flesh or cheese on every plate, Londoners now also have healthier options when dining out. Thriving ethnic diversity flew in new flavours and dietary habits to the metropolitan London. There is even a vegetable butcher in the Harrods Food Halls now! He is not a lone wolf in the room of hedonistic excess though. The liquid bar of NO1 waters charged with botanical extracts, in 10 flavours so far ranging from rosemary, through lemon verbena to olive leaf, hydrate with their inherent added benefits without preservatives, sugar and other rogue health spoilers. Produced locally, no plastic, bottled in glass.

The current healthy eating front streams insistently from multiple directions, yet particularly the global elite residing in the pricy city centre supports high-quality and healthy cooking in a nicely designed environment. The plant-based eating trends from California, New York and Japan landed timely. Although organic produce is still hard to come by in the UK’s capital, some cold-pressed juice bars, raw diet cafés, and most of the plant-based food eateries source organic, even biodynamic and locally.
As the majority of real nutritional experts and scientists would agree, healthy means no hormones, potentially harmful additives (carcinogenic, inflammatory) and eating balanced meals with vegetables, legumes and whole-grains as the foundation, excluding red meat, high-fat dairy, saturated (except for the ‘magic’ coconut oil) and trans-fats. Eating local often means that the nutrients and vitamins were not diminished by long-haul travel, but that further depends on transport, storage and the quality of the soil, hence biodynamic and organic foods tend to score better. I wrote about science-based healthy eating previously, so check for details or read Marion Nestlé’s book What to Eat. Teaching at NYU, she is one of the most respected nutritionists in the US.

Pseudo-healthy or bland: healthy dining in London that puts you down

Finding the best of healthy dining in London was not a smooth ride, and some “healthy”cafés or restaurants did not convince me taste-wise or for other reasons:
Grace Spa in Belgravia – while beautiful on the plate, the food was not sourced from the most vibrant-tasting ingredients. To cut it short, our lunch was very bland, old-school healthy in a hodgepodge brunch style.
Gauthier in Soho – by far the most delicious, refined gastronomic vegan offering in town, but as it is not purely plant-based, the oversupply of bread with butter and extra creamy snacks and desserts can spoil the healthy resolve. You get the calories printed on the menu, but who counts these extras? Desserts are decadent, sweet, obviously.
The vegetarian restaurant Vanilla Black falls into the same high-calories and sugar trap. The plates should include more vegetables than being so carb-centric. It’s a nice place for dinner though.
Vantra, the plant-eatery of back then was great in the early 2000s when there was not much vegetable-focused eating out in London, but it is as rustic as the Wild Food Café, while the food is ok. Vantra is the proof that the vegan eating out has got so much better!
Weighhouse Deli of the popular local plant-based recipe creator behind the food blog Deliciously Ella is more a fast good food. The limited seating discriminates slow eaters and socialising. I would rather turn to Ottolenghi for superb salads to go. True, his cookies are sweetened with sugar, while hers with low GI coconut sap or “natural” maple syrup, but the calories are often higher in the high-nut and chocolate vegan sweets, and if you are not a diabetic, no stress, since worrying is as unhealthy as sugar!

I investigated what are the best, consistent, healthy nutrition-focused eateries across London for over a decade. Some of my choices are basic cafés with fun, local community feel, but they also attract curious globetrotting foodies who blend in.
My east to west selections of the best of healthy dining in London that follow are fit for a mindful sit-down breakfast, energising lunch and most also for a dinner date. If the other half truly likes you, a healthy meal out should not be a turn off, but a green light for a long, healthy life together. Most also offer wine and cocktails next to tea, juices and other healthy drinks, signalling that a spritz of alcohol is not necessarily bad for you. Consuming anything in moderation is key to a good health. Cold-pressed juices that retain maximum of nutrients are squeezed at most of these healthy-minded dine-ins and -outs.
Numerous highly-viewed scientific studies have proven that a balanced, mostly plant-based organic diet with a mindful addition of minimally processed, hormone-free and grass-fed animal flesh and seafood is healthy for us. These cafés and restaurants support that:

Mildred’s

VEGETARIAN GLUTEN-FREE AMBIANCE
MUST HAVE: Warm chilli corn bread. Guacamole & blue corn nachos. Pan-fried gyoza. Rose petal and pomegranate cauliflower. Yellow Curry with green peas, string beans and cashews. A superb side of grilled aubergine with pomegranate and turmeric sauce. While the croquettes are too oily, the ultra-thin crust pizzetta with porcini mushrooms is delicious, but there is some cheese on it, beware.
45 Lexington St, Soho, London W1F 9AN

Yeotown Kitchen

MINDFUL MEDITATION BRUNCH FARM PRODUCE
MUST HAVE: Golden latte with raw sweetener on side and more black pepper to boost the anti-inflammatory effect on your table. Whatever your mood suggests named bowl. Mezze to share. Go down to zen out inside the meditation pod before or after your meal.
42 Chiltern St, Marylebone, London W1U 7QT

Tanya’s Raw

COCKTAILS ORGANIC RAW TRENDY VEGAN
MUST HAVE: ‘Grawnola’ with raw goji jam and fresh almond milk. Avo Un-Toast on sunflower seed onion ‘bread’. Thai Curry Noodles. Taco with oyster mushroom and walnut ‘meat’. Blueberry Tart. My Fresh Start and My Vision juice.
35 Ixworth Place, Chelsea, London SW3 3QX

Daylesford

ORGANIC BRUNCH FARM PRODUCE WILD SEAFOOD
MUST HAVE: Seasonality is taken seriously at Daylesford. Choose three or four seasonal salads for a bowl. For breakfast try the plain organic yoghurt, kefir, orchard fruits, the British honey.
208-212 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill London W11 2RH & many other locations.

Ethos

VEGETARIAN SELF-SERVICE CONTEMPORARY
MUST HAVE: Seitan (high-gluten, low-starch wheat log) BBQ sauce marinated ribs. String bean salad. The luscious hummus.
48 Eastcastle St, London W1W 8DX

Hemsley + Hemsley at Selfridges

GRAIN & REFINED SUGAR FREE SUSTAINABLE SEASONAL
MUST HAVE: Bone and miso broth. A trio of hand-picked salads. Bounty bar for dessert. Skip the dry crab cakes, plus their kimchi is not at par with the proper spicy and fermented cabbage available elsewhere.
3F The Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, Marylebone, London W1A 1AB

Farmacy

BAR COCKTAILS ORGANIC TRENDY VEGAN
MUST HAVE: Mezze for two to share (kale chips, chestnut humus, crispy flatbread and wow the cauliflower popcorn!). The falafel. Kimchi Bowl with soba. Farmacy salad laced with red beet dressing. Beet and cinnamon infusion to cleanse your body.
Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill

Wild Food Café

ORGANIC RAW RUSTIC VEGETARIAN
MUST HAVE: Fresh coconut water served in its shell (rare in London). Super salad. Grilled halloumi cheese (sheep’s milk is easier to digest, lower in lactose and has less fat than the hard and triple-cream cheese).
First Floor, 14 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP

Redemption Bar

ORGANIC, VEGAN, NO ALCOHOL

MUST HAVE: Drinks. Going booze-free at Redemption is about savouring creative flavours in house-made infusions; fragrant, low-calorie sparkling rose water and other fruit and herb cordials. ‘Californication’. The raw desserts with superfoods like chocolate or açai.

320 Old St, London EC1V 9DR, UK

For more details on some of the venues above, check my reviews linked individually inside this article.

Daylesford: the model for local sourcing from own farm to table in London

ORGANIC BRUNCH FARM PRODUCE WILD SEAFOOD FORAGING

A string of farm shops with casual dining counters in Marylebone, Notting Hill, South Kensington and a tiny spot in Pimlico, Daylesford sources most of its ingredients from the organic British farm of its founder Carole Bamford.

The largest Notting Hill spot is the perfect for a family brunch meal on weekends. When I lived in London, I’d buy their cheese, wholegrain bread with their seasonal salads and warm meals. Today, as Daylesford’s presence in London grew, the cafes and farm shops do not just sell their own farm produce (their own bottled kombucha is not to my taste), but most of the cheese, meat, fruits, vegetables, plus the artisanal snacks were produced in the UK. A team of a French baker, award-winning cheese maker, and hard working farmers constantly consult everything with the in-house environmental scientist. The beef, lamb, chicken, grains for flour, cow’s milk, yogurts and much of the cheese comes from the farm. The seafood served at Daylesford is line-caught and wild, mushrooms foraged and the rest is selected from local, trustworthy purveyors of organic produce. Anything made from their cow’s milk is better than conventional, because their animals graze stress-free on the luscious farm grass in Cotswolds. Their dairy produce is excellent, but the granolas are just ok and some of the plates lack in creativity.

Some of their items to go are also available on Deliveroo app. Daylesford certainly delivers on sustainability in sourcing as locally as possible, organic farming, packaging some of the products in glass, and educating through the literature sold at the London shops and the farm. A spa, hotel and cooking school were set up on the farm in Cotswolds, so if you are lucky to find an availability try and see. Still, Daylesford can do more, such as totally replacing all packaging with bring your own container scheme and selling in bulk and/or offering glass bottle return rewards to their regular customers so their packaging can be reused.

MUST HAVE: Seasonality is taken seriously at Daylesford. Choose three or four seasonal salads for a bowl. For breakfast try the plain yoghurt, kefir, orchard fruits, honey.

208-212 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill London W11 2RH & other location across the capital.

Hemsley + Hemsley sisters support digestion through eating right

The British Tv showgirls and “feel-good food” cookbook authors Hemsley + Hemsley disrupted with their first cafe at Selfridges in London. Yet, as with many strained food serving business, they were forced to shut down this little corner of healthy hedonism.

Still, their abundant cookbooks keep inspiring healthy lifestyle. To give you a better idea what they offer, my review of their nutritional philosophy follows within the cafe’s past offerings. Many of the dishes were included in their cookbooks and all gluten-free recipes on their website.

Tucked behind sexy lingerie, bikinis and pyjamas, powerfully signals what one should eat to proudly slip into one of these revealing pieces. Here, in the Body department, ladies relish in their chocolate brownies and high-fat coconut bars convinced of their good, even transformative, refined-sugar and gluten-free magic whip to beauty. Such a dream, when indulgence equals health is now marketed to all fans of gluten-free, paleo, plant-based, vegan, and above all no calories counting happiness seekers. Hemsley + Hemsley at Selfridges do not subscribe to just one of these dietary lifestyles, but offer diversified, naturally delectable pleasures that pepper up any day.

GRAIN & REFINED SUGAR FREE SUSTAINABLE SEASONAL

No hydrogenated vegetable oils are used in the cooking, your digestion is being boosted, and our Planet is spared of an unnecessary waste at Hemsley + Hemsley. Probiotics like kimchi, prebiotics like fibre in whole vegetables, plus encouraging you to chew like cows mulching grass to stimulate saliva and digestive enzymes before the food gets into your gut, were all scientifically proven to aid digestion. In a win-win state of mutual merriment, nose-to-tail (think bone broth, dripping/animal fat) and root-to-frond recipes encourage consumption of the entire produce, as our ancestors did it. Ayurveda guides many dietary principles for the Hemsley sisters, and their trip to India sealed their interest in the millennia-old holistic health system.
To prevent any spikes and ravines in your blood sugar levels, and thus preventing fatigue, Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley minimise even the natural sugars in all the recipes. Yet their most famous desserts like the bounty bar taste very sweet. My palate as a judge ruled that there is no way that the total sugar content (natural of course) is not quite high. So is the fat, be it from plants. If the desserts is all you are after at Hemsley + Hemsley. In the paleo/vegan ethos the “transformed” sisters claim: “We don’t believe in using calories as a means of measuring optimal dietary needs”. Their belief, not the facts measured by scientists. If you do not move and eat high calorie diet, you will become obese and that is not healthy. After a run or workout, savour them without any guilt, the gluten-free carrot cake (carrots, nuts and raisins) topped with lush, full-fat Greek yogurt cream in particular is ravishing! Their famous bounty bar (generous oil-oozing coconut enrobed in dark chocolate) is worth the occasional sin even for the staunch dieters.

I see more problems with their health claims though. The amateur home cooks and self-taught nutrition geeks even legally protect themselves on their website, and their quest for better digestion will not fit all. For example their use of chickpeas and beans may irritate many people’s bellies. Activating, or soaking foods in water “mimics germination and reduces the phytates, making them easier to digest and increasing the nutrients available”, but can still wreak a havoc in your tummy. Thus, follow your own gut for health, the rest is impeccably sourced.

No refined sugar, using only organic dairy and eggs, pasture-raised, hormone and antibiotic free meat, wild-caught fish, and seasonal vegetables if not certified organic sourced from small scale farmers not using pesticides.

For lunch, a Puy lentil and beetroot salad with cranberries, walnuts and mustard maple vinaigrette and the popular squash and spiralized beetroot noodle salad topped with spiced cashews impressed me. House cultured ketchup and siracha hot sauce accompany anything you desire.

On a chilly day, the concentrated bone broth with miso will keep the cold away. Served in a mug it feels very hygge. Their kimchi is more the sour kraut European style than the hot Korean original, but equally joins the fight against the bad microbes in your gut.

On the trend Bulletproof coffee blend with coconut oil (a ghee option at Hemsley + Hemsley) will kick your pre-workout mind, but I prefer the locally-based Rare Tea Company drinkable produce. Turmeric, activated charcoal, beetroot “love“, matcha or a classic coffee in a latte can be sweetened with low GI coconut sugar and your choice of full-fat dairy or a plant milk. Ucha bottled kombucha boosts your microflora.

The Hemsley sisters rule the British young food media with their California-style, wholesome, grain-free recipe books. Their recipes and sustainable sourcing values were brought to life inside Selfridges in their well-integrated café. The Hemsley + Hemsley Cafè also offered a healthier version of afternoon tea (gluten-free quinoa scones).

MUST HAVE: Bone and miso broth, trio of salads, Bounty bar. Skip the dry crab cakes, plus the really not a kimchi (it’s not spicy enough and fermented for long).

Farmacy: Notting Hill got its plant remedy in a trendy organic bar and cafe

BAR COCKTAILS ORGANIC TRENDY VEGAN

Farmacy is the Café Gratitude of London. A bright room centred around a bar serving organic cocktails and superfood blends draws in health-conscious cross-generations residing in Notting Hill. Well to keep it green, you can cycle in and out as I did on the Santander bikes (parking east on Westbourne Grove only minutes away) all the way from Saint James.

Their biodynamic garden in Kent supplies much of the plants for the menu at Farmacy, but not the creamy great avocados and other sun and warmth loving produce as pleasing the demand is key to success in highly competitive metropolis like London.

Farmacy nests in a vibrant light filled space centered around the bar ideal for singles to nibble on a healthy meal. I went four times mainly for lunches and one late dinner on my own at the bar. I rarely dine out alone, but the casual and friendly embrace of the staff at Farmacy makes the meal quite social. The food came very fast when requested or when the restaurant was not packed to the roof, then you might wait a while. At lunch, D&G clad Russian divas hand-pick their includes, excludes teamed up with dietary restrictions next to outgoing families, while dinner soaks in the bon vivants liking their meals cruelty-free and a tad healthier.

The plant-based cafe and restaurant with wine service whips globally-inspired, creatively reinvented (XL mushroom tacos, GF mac ‘n’cheese’, nachos, mezze,…), and mainly locally sourced (just not that avocado) vegan bowls and plates. Some seasonal offerings are inspired by their biodynamic garden. Delivered by an electric van, the millennial eco-conscious and responsible diners nod to seasonal pizzetta, wholesome chef’s curry and seasonal soup, house sourdough and gluten-free options like rice pasta and soba noodles in the popular kimchi bowl. I relished in the breakfast Probiotic Pot of purple, whipped coconut yogurt parfait with berries, smooth, not heavy like most of these fat-laden vegan treats tend to be.

I love the cauliflower popcorn (crunch from its baked seeded crust) in the Mezze to share starter. It’s zillion times better than the hyped up cauliflower pizza crust, and more creative than most recipes featuring this cruciferous brassica. The Farmacy salad with beet dressing & flax crisp bread is perfect in half size if ordered with other dishes. Some bowls like the Kimchi with soba are refreshing while others like the seasonal Winter bowl (whipped squash, warm red cabbage with cardamom, buckwheat, celeriac and carrot remoulade, toasted brussels sprouts with a mildly spicy creamy sauce) are richly abundant. The Winter Bowl was a but too mushy though, with an aspiring hot red cabbage that turned my Central European nose up (granny does better). The bowls and the millet, bean and mushroom-based burger with fries make for a meal so skip the starters, although some are too good not to try – share. The burger is good, but not amazing, ironically it’s the dry bread bun that my inner critic turned down.

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From the drinks I enjoy the herbals like the blood-cleaning beet and cinnamon infusion or the medicinal mushroom latte. Tea is sourced from Uk-based Jing. My husband likes the cold-pressed juices and iced-teas. I do not order any of these cold beverages because of the single use plastic straws bathing in them. Only filtered tap water served in reusable glass bottles speak the language of my consciousness. They can definitely move their sustainable credentials a step ahead by crossing off their plastic inventory.
Dining at Farmacy is suitable all year round since seasonal recipes surprise you and warm dishes feel great in winter. At raw eateries like nearby Nama Foods and Tanya’s Raw in Kensignton only drinks can heat your body up in their cosy embrace.

MUST HAVE: Mezze for two to share (kale chips, chestnut humus, crispy flatbread and wow the cauliflower popcorn). Kimchi Bowl with soba, Farmacy Salad laced with red beet dressing, Beet & cinnamon cleansing infusion.

Farmacy, 74-76 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5SH

+44 20 7221 0705
Daily 9am-5pm; Dinner 5-10pm

Coya: trendy Peruvian bar, grill and cevicheria in London, Monaco and Dubai

I tried Peruvian and nikkei cuisine in and outside of Peru, but none had achieved what Coya in Dubai, London and Monaco did – offering a high-quality ingredients focused menu with the right level of local experimenting, all in a fun, lively ambiance supported by a Dj. Nikkei is a blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines and the one chef who made it global is Nobu Matsuhisa, however Coya is more Peruvian than Nobu’s global empire of restaurants or the trendy, multi-awarded Osaka group of nikkei food dotted across South America, while being as much entertaining.

As I learned during my trip to Peru, it is easy to get a plate of superb potatoes, a rainbow of corn or raw fish ceviche at a market in Lima, but Coya gets comparable deliciousness with a much more attractive plating to central London, the fashionable coast of Dubai and for the summer season kicking off by the Grand Prix in Monaco’s most attractive seaside location right next to the legendary Jimmy’z night club. What London lacks Monaco provides – the al-fresco dining fits the Mediterranean, while Dubai’s brunching got ever more mission impossible to reserve with Coya the trendiest place to dine at.

In London, after descending into the Picadilly underground, the sparsely lit scene ushers in a great, cosy vibe. At the cocktail bar like at the Dubai and Monaco locations, you can reserve a small table too and have a bite with the signature grape spirit-based pisco sour or some other fancy cocktail.
To keep it entertaining at the restaurant you can sit along the ceviche bar where the chefs slice and dice the raw dishes, while on the open charcoal grill the meats and seafood sizzle, roasting. The preparation of food is open to scrutiny and to a more immersive dining experience. At Coya they hire well. Even in Monaco, where we rarely are pleased with the service, the attentive, friendly, effective yet casually offbeat (Valentin is so sweet) waiting staff perfectly rounds up the lively atmosphere. Most dishes arrive quickly considering that the restaurant is usually packed. In Dubai, Coya nests right next to the Four Seasons Hotel, therefore beware the valet parking can be extremely inefficient during busy times since the Y-legged driveways are connected.

The food at Coya is authentic with an innovative use of mostly Peruvian and at each location some local ingredients. Quinoa, the great gluten-free source of proteins pops here and there, but mostly it is about seafood and beef. Start with Guacamole chopped in a stone mortar on the table served with house deep flavour corn tortillas and Asian shrimp crackers. I like the Peruvian Trio de Maíz of Josper and crispy corn with sweet onions and red chillies. You must try one of the signature, thinner than sashimi sliced, tiraditos (salmon, yellowtail and wagyu are great) and ceviches from the starters (Pargo a la Trufa – red snapper with truffled ponzu sauce). Ask the staff which of the fish plates is be better on that day. From the skewered, on the charcoal grilled anticuchos I recommend the Tiger prawns and the “Setas” Forest mushrooms.

The naughty with the skin roasted potatoes Patatas Bravas with a rich Huancaina (mayonnaise-based) sauce are really tasty. From the iron hot pot cazuelas the “Langosta” Lobster rice with pea shoots is superb to share. The juicy and fatty Spicy grilled beef fillet “Lomo de Res” pleased our Brazilian meat-loving friends, while the Wagyu ribeye with chimichurri sauce served during the Grand Prix set tasting menu was devoured with pleasure. In Monaco, find the most luscious burrata, while in Dubai lamb and a wider selection mocktails accommodate the Arabic tastes, otherwise the menus are literally identical.
The sweet selection highlights Peruvian fruits, superfoods and vegetables. In the Corn Sundae, Lucuma Bavarois (Vitamin C rich fruit) to Sweet Potato Ice Cream, these combinations are as healthful as they are delectable. Peru has over 3000 types of potatoes and corn stirring one’s interest in trying various dishes prepared from this biodiversity. The ice cream had a tremendous depth underlined with the exotic spices, dried fruit, cocoa powder and a side of Burnt Chocolate Crumble. Peru is a major cocoa producer, and I have a crush on the earthy single origin chocolates from this country.
The Pisco Sour at Coya is marvellous with ceviche as well as most of the tiraditos, so if you are starting with this Peruvian grape-spirit-based refreshing cocktail save it for the fish and seafood starters. There are raw egg whites in it so beware.

The wine list leans towards South America. Full-bodied Argentinian Malbec, tannic Tannat, paprika-spicy Chilean Carmenére or the powerful Petit Verdot, these go well with the meat dishes. Once we went for the adventurous 100% Petit Verdot from Vina Von Siebenthal in Chile’s Acocangua Valley. Petit Verdot is a very tannic and robust grape varietal usually used in a tiny volume in blends (red Bordeaux), but this bottle was quite smooth. We had another Petit Verdot – Toknar 2007 from Chile, which was an expressive, rich, concentrated dark fruits with chocolate, caramel and nutmeg ideal for the Parker-like palates.
As with most grape varietals Tannat shows terroir – like Malbec in Argentina is more fruity and round than in France, the same applies to Tannat in Uruguay and Brazil where its harsh tannins are balanced with its juicy, fruity character. Tannat in the South-West France in Cahors is rarely drinkable on its own and is blended.
Coya has also opened a second London location in Angel and the UAE also in Abu Dhabi.
Check opening hours for each location at their website.

Coya Mayfair: 118 Picadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW
Coya Monte-Carlo: Sporting Monte-Carlo, 26 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco
Coya Dubai: Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 2, Dubai
London Mayfair: +44 0 20 7042 7118
Dubai: +971 0 4 316 9600
Monaco: +377 98 06 20 20

26 Grains: porridge made better in London

Dig into a bowl of wholesome porridge on a bone cold London day. At 26 Grains, hug the warm bowl with your shivering fingers and be comforted since there is probably nothing more nourishing to savour in these cold days. Even in London, late fall will fuse into an even colder winter soon, so snug in close inside this tight and cosy café where porridge, made to an utmost perfection in various seasonal tunings, is the king.

26 Grains: From a pop-up in East London to the epicentre of the foodie Covent Garden

Alex Hely-Hutchinson, the friendly and delicate founder of the initial Old Street tube station pop-up, moved to the permanent location in Neal’s Yard over a year ago. Working hard now in a slightly larger space, she often personally takes the orders from behind the kitchen counter cum till or serves the wholesome bowls of porridge, lunch salads or other grain-centric seasonal plates that she invents. Alex was inspired as much by her childhood penchant for a simple English porridge as by a year living in Copenhagen, where the local vibe of “hygge” coziness won her over.

Nordic cooking of making quality and simple food, not only from 26 Grains as the name of her business would suggest (the number is just her favourite), but from a chosen array of minimally processed complex carbohydrates rich in protein, vitamins and minerals such as amaranth, buckwheat, oats and rye.

26 Grains is the antithesis of a stressed out Michelin stared kitchen full of cursing men. Leaving the adrenalin aside, this casual cafeteria offers a la minute delicious food made by a purely female staff whisking porridge in sizzling pots, assembling fruits, homemade jams, seeds, nuts and other now desired healthy ingredients such as cocoa nibs, coconut yogurt or turmeric on the top. The cherished bowls of home feeling are nevertheless a bit fancier than your typical oatmeal at breakfast.

Unrefined ingredients and more nutritious sweeteners, “simple but more interesting”

From rolling the oats freshly in-house to keep the aroma of the released aromatic oils to soaking them overnight to break down the bloating phytic acid and to ease their digestion, this porridge is created to nourish your body for the day. Right by the window, you can see the hands-on machine for the oats to be roll pressed on the spot when needed. Cotswolds flour and bags of mostly organic grains are stacked around for a totally transparent ingredient route. Using spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric to add flavour instead of the nutrient poor sugar and too much of the blood pressure rising salt, adds healthy points for any naysayer still challenging the nourishing mission of 26 Grains. Dairy milk is substituted by an easily digestible almond or coconut alternative (by Rude Health), organic dairy or almond butter from Biona and a little date or maple syrup or in most dishes coconut palm sugar is used in the sweet versions. In the mood for something savoury? Then Oats with kale, egg, avocado, chives and shirracha chilli sauce will fill you up. The porridge is served in earthenware plain bowls all day long while the lunch bowls are released at noon. From the staples the Nordic Pear, Coconut Milk Oats, Spices, Seeds, Cacao Crumble, Coconut Yogurt and Maple syrup is still a success, but since I do not digest pears well I went for the Almond Milk oats and rye, Roasted quince, Pecans, with a scoop of Orange Greek Yogurt and Pomegranate seeds, topped like everything else with purple sprouts. Hazelnut & Butter,the best selling Blueberry or Banana Cacao porridge also appear on the menu in their different seasonal coats. In November, I tried the superb mildly sweet Orange compote and Cardamon with Pistachios and a scoop of dense greek yogurt.

The buckwheat based Banana Bread is naturally gluten free. Alex published a cookbook in which hazelnuts are used, but sometimes at the café they substitute them with almonds. You get two toasted slices with a pour of a slightly sour coconut yoghurt, raw crushed cocoa nibs and the lively purple sprouts. I couldn’t resist to eat them both after I spooned out the entire porridge bowl.

You can also have a simple Avocado on rye bread or to snack sweet on the Orange and Cardamom Loaf, Pear Tart Tatin, Salted Rye Brownie or raw sweet balls of Date Cacao or Turmeric Sesame Bite.

Anything is also available for a take-away in recycled paper cups. Needing to warm up and to sate my sweet tooth I picked a small cup of Hot chocolate with turmeric, cinnamon and almond milk one afternoon. I like its dense texture, but the warming effect was more pronounced in the superbly indulgent Turmeric latte that I sipped a week before. Coffee and Good and Proper loose leaf tea, Chai Latte including, to elevate your caffeine intake or the particularly tasting bottle of refreshing Turmeric and Tamarind Tonic from the London-based Jamu Kitchen complete the beverage offering.

The snug place is packed for most of the day, 26 Grains even became trendy – porridge, look at her! Sit casually on one of the seven stools lining the kitchen counter, or facing the blanc et industriel rustic wall, two communal tables inside or if the rare London sun shines and warms the Neal’s Yard, tan your face and dig into your bowl in the courtyard. During the week it is more in between work quick lunch kind of place, but on weekend mornings a cool crowd of foodies rolls inside. Relishing in the smooth music here, with the guitarist pulling his strings in the auditory background, magically pacifies the beehive busy cantine. Funnelling in a relaxed mood, inhale the fragrance of cardamom, the vanilla or the seductive scent of cinnamon and dig in. This wholesome porridge may be the best thing you ate in the entire day.

If you dine alone, you can skim through and find an inspiration in the 26 Grains cookbook that lingers freely on the tables. The pure white design of the cookbook is filled with authentic Instagram style photos taken by a sister of Alex. It contains 100 grain-focused recipes from oats to amaranth in the breakfast porridges, salad bowls to nourishing warm dinners with fish, abundant seasonal vegetables and some highly hedonistic crumbled cheese. Porridge is so timeless that 26 Grains will be surely there to nourish Londoners for the years to come. Far from being just the current season’s fad that like the frozen yogurt outlets dot every Soho corner until we all get too tired of it or it gets so cold that your brain says no no, keep warm and eat porridge.

1 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP

Mon-Fri: 8am-9:30pm; Sat 9am-9:30pm; Sun: 10am-4pm

Poco: the most sustainable restaurant in London

On the bank of the Regent’s Canal, framed by a bushy greenery, Poco offers more than the typical eatery in Hackney. Poco is the gate to the Broadway Market, where countless artisanal temptations dotted around create a little culinary paradise. What most of the gourmet neighbours have in common is their pride of British ingredients sourced directly from mindfully chosen specialist purveyors. At Poco, behind the open, by pickles and other jarred homemade edibles framed kitchen, these seasonal gems are turned into rustic yet delectable interpretation by the one or two chefs or preseved for the less bountiful months of the year. Monthly, at times tweaking the flip the recycled one-page paper menu daily, except for some staples like the sourdough, olives and falafel, you will almost never eat the same food at Poco, making each visit a delectable adventure.

Poco: making the most sustainable restaurant in London

Transparency is the heart of the food menu envisioned by the executive chef Tom Hunt. Hailing from Bristol, where the original Poco resides, Hunt also authored The Natural Cook, and is the founder of Forgotten Feast, a “Social Enterprise working on projects throughout the UK to revive our cooking heritage and help reduce food waste.” If you ever venture in to San Francisco, once you step in you may feel like in the Mission District’s Tartine Bakery. The furniture also has a minimum environmental impact – reclaimed timbers, English hardwoods, clay based paints and LED lighting. Tall tables with tapas bar style wooden stools, but also family friendly benches, so comfort is not discounted.
Voted the most sustainable restaurant in London, alas the “Food Made Good Restaurant of the Year” Award in 2016, Poco serves seasonal tapas from local and mostly organic certified suppliers, but it also goes much further to reduce its carbon footprint. Like Perennial in San Francisco, the restaurant is mindful of food waste, energy and water use, and minimizes the food miles of its ingredients as much as is viable. Hackney is a cycle-friendly East London borrough, and some guests will likely arrive on two instead of four wheels.

Poco embodies slow food in fast-paced city

The ethical produce is directly purchased from the Slow Food adherents. The generous sourdough bread is sourced from the nearby E5 Bakehouse, where the flour from local grains is being freshly milled before the loafs are baked into hyper fragrant bread. Milling the flour fresh assuers that the aromatic oils form the whole grains remain in the bread to seduce your nose. At Poco, choose from either wholemeal brown or Stockholm sourdough or have a pain du chocolate with a cup of coffee for breakfast. The perfectly moist and crispy crust of the sourdough calls for a generous dip into the basin of Marianna’s olive oil served on the side. Indeed, not everything is made in-house, but sourced from carefully selected providers. From the olive oil, dairy (Kappacasein Dairy, Neal’s Yard), through the bread to the chocolate (Mast Brothers of London) and the ice cream.
The slow food is taken seriously by the waiters, more than by the industrious chefs behind he counter kitchen. At lunch, come to the waiter to place your order, otherwise you may wait until dinner. On both occassions I diend there, the waiters have been cleaning up tables or playing behind the bar before taking our order. The aloof service is the only shortcoming at Poco though, and you will be generously rewarded with nourishing and superb seasonal plates.

Food: Eastern Mediterranean inspiration meets Spain in British produce

What marks Tom Hunt’s cooking style are sprouts on everything and the use of the Eastern Mediterranean flavours such as harissa, olive oil poured generously over the salads, a full crème fraîche like dense labneh, and a sprinkle of zataar spice and herb blend with sesame.
Lunch is quite different from dinner and the brunch offers much larger plates than the dinner tapas. The vibe is quite different from day to the lighting of the night bulbs. Children are welcome at brunch or lunch, and you can savour the artistic endeavour in drawings from the many of the kids hanging on the steel grey cement wall. On the contrary, the dimly, sexy, shaded dinner is buzzing with a Williamsburg kind of a crowd.
While recharging my weekend batteries during a brunch in November, I overheard that the organic eggs ‘how you like them’ are the most craved after brunch item, but went for the Field mushroom, labneh, za’atar, poached eggs, grilled sourdough and seasonal greens. Stacked on the amazing crunchy sourdough, the green kale was topped with two perfectly poached organic eggs sprinkled with dukkah and grilled giant cap mushroom. Labneh and olive oil sprinkled all over – yum, wholesome!
Sipping on the ultra tomato pigmented bloody mary with a spicy kick of harissa energized me after my flight from the South. Landing at the City Airport made Poco on the way to my central London hotel.

For lunch I enjoyed the giant, wholesome plate of Roasted roots (carrots, parsnips) with English quinoa, Smoked Labneh, and Dukkah. Served with red smokey pepper dip and a butter bean hummus with za’atar and sumac seasoning, house pickled red beets, sour tomatoes, streaks of labneh, roasted hazelnuts and almonds, plus sesame dukkah sprinkled all over, this could not have been a more nutritionally balanced offering.

At dinner around are swirled cold, hot plates, simple sides such as Harissa or aioli sauce, Kalamata, Amfissa or mixed Olives, and like in a rewinding video, I also had to order again and again the perfectly crisp and intensely fragrant Broad bean falafels atop a brown bean hummus and raw pickled beetroot. Consistently, they were the best falafels I had in London. Only Taïm in New York’s Soho can compete for the global city’s best falafel award, staged in my mind.
The unctuously creamy, thoroughly strained labneh either as a dip with dukkah (sesame and herbs condiment) and chipotle (smoky red pepper). For a dinner tapas the labneh can be additionally whipped with pumpkin seed, and olive oil or included in another more complex plate. In September, you could get a wild nettle tortilla with greens and harissa sauce or Kohlrabi strips, turnip, kale, spring onion with roasted red pepper and wild fennel. Most are veggie rich savoury plates, quite small £4-5 priced dishes, so go on and order more. The reduced portion size is also the sustainable catch as you will less likely order too much and driven by a real hunger clean up every plate.
From the hot offerings there are always some seasonal greens, some sustainable fish like Sardines on toasted rye bread with the omnipresent harissa, yellow and red plum tomatoes, coriander leafs and shaved almonds, but also some meaty sausages like the chef Tom’s own chorizo or the popular pork belly come mainly from The Butchery. There is always a set menu of five + (supplementary charge) courses for £26. You should not find bluefin tuna, Atlantic Halibut or wild bass on the menu since these are among the red rated ‘5’ by the Marine Conservation Society.

The aperitif hour whizzes the oysters and fizz on the wooden tables. Served simply with chopped shallots and cider vinegar, the West Mersea oysters from the England’s East Coast, are very popular. The desserts have the least Mediterranean aura. An English influence breaths from the Roskilly’s Organic clotted cream vanilla ice cream or Strawberries, clotted cream, gin and rose syrup or the international favourite of Dark chocolate brownie, chocolate sauce and cream.
During brunch sip on the local draft beer, or a cup of local roasted coffee. Seasonal cocktails made from foraged ingredients, homemade tinctures and cordials are designed by co-owner Ben Pryor. A shot of housemade limoncello breezes in the Italian-like warm hospitality that we all adore. Sherries, orange wine, a bright Gamay or sweetish Moscatel and other European, low intervention wines (biodynamic, natural, organic) by the glass and bottle complement the meals in the same sustainable spirit.
Do not be put off by the far in the east location, since the cost of the taxi ride will be compensated with fair prices and superb, generous food. Poco is more than worth trying, plus you can arrive on the clean energy London bicycle!
129 Pritchard’s Rd, London E2 9AP (the Southern end of the Broadway Market)
+44 20 7739 3042
Mon-Fri: 9:30 am-11pm; weekend 10am-11pm

MAST chocolate: seeing London through art and creative chocolates

Mast Brothers, originally established in Brooklyn, need to brace the brand’s reputation after the PR-faulted scandal of their misinformed bean-to-bar “craftsmanship” broke recently in the US. Rick and Michael Mast might be bolsterous bearded Brooklyn hipsters, but their tainted public image was more the fault of marketing than not selling tasty Mast chocolate, which the thousands of their regular customers seal with their weekly purchase.
Smart collaborations were their holy grail in the US, and when expansion beyond the American borders got on their to-do list, London clicked. The Mast chocolate (as it is now called not just in the UK) manufactory in Shoreditch that opened last year is phenomenal. Like in Brooklyn, and now in LA and London, you can see the chocolate making process, jusk blink at the see-through glass window, then taste rotating different chocolates or sip on creative brews at their cocoa bar.

MAST chocolate: Creative flavours and local inspiration

In London, you will savour some different collections from the US house brand. Get your taste buds ready for gin, rhubarb & custard, tea & milk, vanilla & smoke, black treacle, each incorporated into a unique chocolate bar. The signature London herb collection has an adventure pulling story behind. The place where the herbs are grown is quite unique, at least in the UK. I have heart of an underground garden in Manhattan, but now the former WWII Air Raid bunkers of London were converted into a verdant labyrinth of aromas. The herbs thrive in the moist and stable temperatures offering environment and the chocolate makers have consistent supply of fresh herbs in all seasons. My favourites were the Marjoram, I quite liked the Fennel reminding me of Indian cookies, Lovage as well as the rich pudding evoking Oregano, while I found the Celery and Sorrel just weird. In each the 60% cocoa is being blended with cane sugar and chosen dairy powder – buttermilk for celery, marjoram, lovage and sorrel; while dried sheep milk was blended into the fennel bar, and goat milk proved to pair well with the oregano bar – allergic dark chocolate lovers beware!
Some of the former employees gained plenty of experience with Mast chocolate to veer into their own business. Recently launched LAND that I discovered at the London Chocolate Show is on the other extreme pole of the chocolate making planet. True to its name, LAND’s founder Phil Landers goes as far as specifying the exact plantation and a location map printed on his truly bean-to-bar packaging. His fascination with the cocoa bean and a trip to Nicaragua taught him about the diverse varietals and he is not afraid to introduce them to your palate. It seems that the experience with Mast chocolate opened his mind and shrug off any fear from incorporating new flavours into his chocolate making process.

American marketing charm again strikes Europe

All the lines of Mast chocolate bars can be distinguished by their design wrapping paper. The London collection is printed with artwork by David Post, Brooklyn showcases the work by Andrew Tarlow, and in LA sisters Hopie and Lily Stockman of Block Shop Textiles stamped their California style on the distinctive Los Angeles collection. Mast Brothers are not alone in doing this, as Dandelion chocolate in San Francisco is using a similar idea of handprinted original designs and markets its products woefully. I must praise the marriage of art on the impeccably designed paper wraps with its chocolate indulgence inside.
The sea salt collection is enveloped in “paper artwork created by Calico Wallpaper using a unique modified salt resist technique combined with watercolor painting”. Maldon salt, Sel Gris from Slovenia, Welsh salt, organic Mineola Tangelo, Nordic Birch Smoked sea salt from Iceland or solar evaporated Bali reef salt, all sound utterly exotic. Ready yourself for more like the Blended Cyprus sea salt with activated charcoal in the Black Diamond, Trapani Coast salt mixed with Olive Oil – also from Sicily or the Italian Sabatino Tartufi luxuriating black truffles chocolate.

Boundless flavours transformed into chocolate indulgence

You pay for the looks, for the starring added ingredients and the blending skills of the hipster chocolatiers. This is not about looking for bean-to-bar single origin chocolates (Although the brand now broadly uses purchased beans instead of pre-made commercial chocolate remelted into bars. Independent investigation proved, that originally, they were using Valrhona bars, so popular with top pastry chefs worldwide, but unacceptable in their “artisan” chocolates), but adventurously blended original flavours. Sweetened with cane sugar, no fuss with organic, lower glycemic coconut or other more healthy and trendy sweeteners. Most bars contain powdered buttermilk so if you are lactose intolerant check the labels! In the US already developed flavours with sheep’s milk, maple, mint, or olive oil (not keen on this one as I tasted more fruity, citrusy flavours rather than the olive oil). Transparent listing of the origin of the cocoa is the brand’s biggest failure, although now some single origin bars were also released and the Papua New Guinea persuaded my spoiled palate. Still, surprisingly the Wholefoods in London sells Mast Brothers chocolates. If you are concerned about fair trade, only buy what has been either certified or can be legally responsible through its detailed label information.
Unfortunately, like at most chocolate boutiques, you cannot taste the truffles aka “cubes”, but you can buy by piece. Tempting and unusual flavours were churned out at the chocolate manufactory just behind the see-through window inside their Shoreditch location, so better select six morsels fitted into the gift perfect, charcoal tinted box.
Brazilian Mate, Damson and Marjoram, IPA Hops, Salt and Balsamic Vinegar, Sea Buckthorn, Vanilla and Smoke, these were my eyes rolling and tongue enveloping cubes. Playing with herbs, brewers ingredients (to honour the English beer tradition) and exotic tonics such as the South American mate (an uplifting beverage that is most popular in Argentina), but also with molecular gastronomy techniques like smoking, sets MAST in London apart from any British chocolatier. They are not cheap, but make for a special gift to any curious gourmand.

Inside the bright and so East London styled manufactory cum cafe, on tap, you can warm up with a wholesome cup of dense, perhaps the thickest hot chocolate in London, with chocolate blended coffee or with such anomalies as chocolate beer. The last just tasted too strange for me, but thanks for the sample!
You can book a chocolate tour with one of the expert guides. Watch, eyes glued on the succulent melting chocolate, how it is all being made into the solid sweet treats. No secrets appear to be hinding here. Although, according to the expert critics Mast Brothers are far from the best chocolatiers anywhere, still their flavours may appeal to your palate, so venture in while browsing the edgy shopping streets in Shoreditch. If you look for best artisanal, high quality chocolates, or chocolate shops in London and the UK check my recent report on the annual Chocolate Show, where the best presented chocolatiers were awarded medals.
19-29 Redchurch St, London E2 7DJ
+44 20 7739 1236
Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm; Sat & Sun: 10am -7pm
Public tours available daily; book at events.uk@mastbrothers.com
Weekdays: 3pm & 5pm
Weekends: 11:30am; 1:30pm; 3pm & 5pm

Maltby Street Market: let creativity and multi-ethnic cuisines thrive in South London

It is a regular weekend in the Borough of Southwark, South of the Thames, and the attention of London turns to delectable cravings. As the liberated clock of the weekend ticks, London foodies now tramp further beyond the exciting and proportionately overcrowded Borough Market to the multi-ethnic and more street swish Maltby Street Market. Seeking more authentic purchases, all of us may find some culinary inspiration there, but mainly the market is a window to the contemporary London gourmet scene. Although London is still the most international city of Europe and as touristy as ever, the post-Brexit flavours pose question marks. What you get at the Maltby Street Market is ready to eat international food, rather than raw, locally grown produce. For the locavore experience head to the nearby Brockley Market and Chapel Market in Islington on Saturdays or to the Marylebone Farmers Market on Sundays. Creativity and savvy artisan skills, next to pride are the lungs of the smorgasbord of edible and sipable ideas here in Bermondsey.

Bar at Bad Brownie at Maltby street market in London

Who, what and when of the Maltby Street Market

The American, Canadian, Japanese, Korean and Scandinavian city food hunters have already flooded in, starting in small streams, but soon they may turn into a tsunami of camera-clad bloggers and travellers. It also depends on the hour and day of your venturing in. The Maltby Street Market is open only on weekends, and if you get out of bed early enough, you will be rewarded with some personal space before the crowds swish in around the lunch time. Then the hustle does not stop until the closing hours (4pm) early on Saturday afternoon. Sundays are more of a stroll, so get your brunch buddy out there.
The rustic bars, quick bistros, Francophile cafés, and even restaurants that have installed themselves under the thick browed brick arches of the train bridge, draw in the hungry that crave being well fed while sitting. Lining one side of the Ropewalk they invite for a bite also outside of the weekend market hours. The vendors settled under the archways permanently are:
Legs of jamon and Spanish tapas swirl around at the dimly lit Tozino, while the East London famous bakery outpost St. John Maltby lures in through the ashy fragrance of its freshly baked goods.
Also set under the railway arches from the conception of the market is Maltby & Greek, feeding you with everything Greek, from beer, though wine to small bar style nibbles.
Any midweek sugar cravigs will be sattisfied at the more French patisserie Comptoir Gourmand.
The brain behind the market, Lassco, keeps the green lights for curiosity. Its antique and repurposed furniture store stocks anything from oddities such as chimneys, used coffee sacks and Egyptian sculptures to less oppulent decorative quirks. Serving also as an event space, here, a dinner pop-up by Disappearing Dining Club from Thursday to Saturday casually attracts the other kind of experience seeking crowds.

London’s cultural diversity on one plate

Judging from the line, very popular with foreigners seemed the various twists on the handmade Scotch eggs (Finest Fayre), while the buttery smoked Norwegian salmon by Hansen & Lydersen was impecably cut in front of you. Tasty hits were imported from far-away countries. Thai coffee is sold in plastic bags, which is sweet iced condensed milky coffee. Made from Beanbag Coffee beans that were ethically sourced from plantations in Asia, so you are assured that the farmers are paid a fair price. Have a banana or why not a spoonful of gooey almond butter in your coffee, yes, these guys challenge your typical London cuppa.
While, popups are now more common at the market, some of the artisans allowed for their roots to settle deep in the Maltby Street pavement. The African Volcano burgers and grilled sandwiches also sell bottles of their award-winning peri peri sauce and marinades. Charitable spirit penetrates the vendors’ offerings as 30p for every bottle of his sauce to supporting Habitat for Humanity in Cape Town, South Africa.
Taiwanese egg-shaped dhan waffles are made fresh to order by a wide-smile offering Yi Yun. Like most of the above mentioned vendors, the founder is an ex-pat offering her country’s bounty to the London palates.
In the Asian spirit, Lahpet Burmese Food is a start up of a recruitment veteran Dan Anton, who as you can taste is turing to another page of his life. Lahpet Thohk, their signature fermented tea leaf salad is a crunchy combo of pickled green tea leaves, toasted sesame seeds, fried garlic, roasted peanuts and tomatoes. Worth trying.
Award-winning Bad Brownie (try maple syrup and bacon), cupcakes, French pastry and for the more health-minded organic certified sourdough bread by Bio Scheme dot the stand row.
Olive oil by the Gay Farmer is not made from olives grown in England, but he picks them personally and lets you sample them all.
The hip market on the South bank of the Thames has evolved over the years. Like many of the grassroots markets, the people frequenting and shopping there are now well-heeled families, eco-conscious consumers, trends-seeking youngsters and gourmets of all sorts. The great bargains of my student years are gone even at the mainly immigrant-run fruit and vegetable stalls of the London’s first Chapel Market.
Unfortunately, with the prices up and the trendy attitudes also the authenticity declined and some of the vendors have a scant idea of what they are selling. Inquiring about the cheese at the Maltby Street Market, a young lady told me that she is just offering her bosses produce, so she does not know where it came from. If it only were more local. Set out was Dutch and French, not the Neal’s Yard Dairy produce from the grazing cattle on the British Isles that you can buy either at the nearby BOrough Market or in Covent Garden. Although there is a fish monger and you can gulp fresh oysters, pure produce is needed more at this ready to eat trendy London market.
Sat: 9am-4pm; Sun: 11am-4pm
Ropewalk, London SE1 3PA

Frenchie: the coiffeur of the new French bistro in Covent Garden

Embracing the outside world is the new Parisian attitude. At least in culinary terms. This means being influenced by global cuisines of the chef’s travels while using local, superb ingredients. Not just in high dining, but also in the more casual setting. Bistronomy was set afire when chef Gregory Marchand opened his new, contemporary bistro on Rue du Nil of Paris. Now, the entire street has been transformed. Just taste what great food can do! Boarding from Paris to London and New York, through to Spain and even embracing the Asian allure of Hong Kong, the chef Marchand sprinkles herbs, bright shoots and flowers on each plate and the house cocktails, while pours ideas he memorised on these trips into his ever-changing creations at Frenchie.

The food at Frenchie in London is about as much traditionally French as the French fries (the hearsay claims that they were made at first in Belgium). Although the ingredients also come from the land of Gals, at London’s Frenchie most of the produce is sourced locally from the British soil and pasture. Some foie gras and cheese swims across the Channel. In Paris, I have dined at the simple, old school bistro and yes, we had plenty of the fries, perfectly crisp and a huge beef board to share with friends and our delectable bottles of wine, so when the trendsetter crossed the English channel, I was lured in. Frenchie was a nickname of the restaurant’s founding chef when he cooked in the kitchens of Jamie Olivier’s Fifteen, it stuck, and as I found out it continues to flatter his reputation.

Frenchie: set for everyone to never get you bored

On the three, very different occasions I dined at Frenchie, I learned that everything, the food, the wine list and even some cocktails constantly evolve. Naturally, through seasonal ingredients and the chefs’ daily playful discovery in the open kitchen downstairs. The only thing that does not change is the enthusiasm of the staff for their work and the customer. The classy but modern interior has also remained untouched, except perhaps for the floral decoration that is regularly refreshed.
There are three different seating styles. For lunch, we dined at the table in the elegant and brightly lit bar room, for dinner with a friend I enjoyed a cozy corner table by the brick wall right by the open kitchen downstairs, and on the most recent occasion I came alone. Demanding a seat (not daring to ask for a table) at 8pm on a Friday night, but the well organised door gentleman squeezed me in. One person’s advantage! I very eagerly accepted the back bar seating, where the cushioned pebble grey stools could not offend anyone. Quickly realising that I was put on the singles wall-facing row of five bar stools right behind the dining bar, I thanked for the thoughtful arrangement of the restaurant manager. Next to me was a single guy ordering a single course of a pig with some vino, while myself, a delicate and quite slender (still!) lady, gorged on three courses with a cheese plate to follow later on.

Smart bites with your aperitif bistro style

The Crispy Pig head à la local pioneer St John’s, who brought back nose to tail dining to London’s menus, was too adventurous for me. If you do not eat pork, then scan the menu carefully for the potential rogue chunk of bacon here, belly there, or the occasional star appearance of the animal’s head. Although, I am not sure how the chef fitted it into a bite size portion of the snack!? To accompany my aperitif I always start with the small bites since they arrive very quickly. The fresh and delightful fall version of Cornish Crab brightened by Meyer Lemon on a squid ink cracker was as superb as the late spring Cornish Crab with kalamata lemon and wild garlic powder on black rice crackers. Looking same, but being different, that is the heart of the seasonally, and an emotionally changing menu at Frenchie. Last time I switched to Tartelette Duo of Broccoli and Anchovy, carrot and date. The broccoli shavings topping smoky cream in a thin crust crispy tartlet resonated with the “phenomenal” (the wine waiter said so, and I agree) wine like the white blend from the volcanic Tenerife soil made by Suertes del Marques. The mineral and crisp Trenzado-Listan Bianco and Pedro Ximenez also flattered my second bite of an orange carrot cream with an earthy and nutty crumble served in a more robust puff pastry.
Unlike in Paris, the bread with organic salted butter, are optional. For £2.50 you get slices of sourdough baked by Mikael Jonsson’s Hedone in West London. Surprisingly, it has been always better than when I had it during the long gastronomic feast at Hedone (the food brought some mixed satisfaction, but the service there was just not up to the par of a Michelin restaurant). Each time I nibbled on it at Frenchie, it was served perfectly warm with a moist centre enrobed in a very crunchy brown crust.

In the Italian mantra of the First (Primi) course before the Main plates, a pasta, seafood or other slightly smaller filler can be ordered. The Grilled Octopus is brilliant, crunchy and meaty as it ideally should be, plated with Smoked Greek Yogurt, Pickled Gherkins & Sobrasada. The intense, Smoked Arctic Char Tartare, was recommended by the waiter, and with the help of another glass of white wine, I enjoyed the blend of the raw char with intensely savoury chops of Sicilian Lemon & Granny Smith apples, covered under ultra-green Chive Sabayon. So rich! Although the apple fruity German Riesling by Peter Lauer pairs great with the raw smoked char, the Spanish Domino de Bebei, La Lapola blend of Godello, Albarino and Dona Blanca from Galicia stole my heart. A deep, loving and embracing warmth.

The chef loves smoking food! One vegetarian main course is served with smoked egg yolk😳, but I went for pasta. And, glad I was! The plate of Tortellini stuffed with ricotta and trumpet mushrooms arrived and then waiter poured over a warm finger limes, mushroom, rich and slightly smokey intense lapsang souchong tea broth. Al dente cooked, dusted with mushroom powder and zesty raw greens, the broth brought a perfect balance through its acidic finger lime freshness and the rich mushroom oil-touched broth.

From the mains, the fish changes regularly according to local catch and the creative whims of the chef. I had a seared Cornish Turbot, Tomato, fresh Figs, Muscat Grapes and Tarragon in September, while in October my friend had John Dory served with cavolo nero, cockles, and kaffir lime Beurre Blanc. There is always some bird, very English, and pork appears regularly on the menu. A four-course tasting for dinner is always available or for lunch two or three-course lunch deal comes with a lower price. Only one cheese has been served each time I ventured in – the orange-hued hard cows French Mimolette by Jean-François Dubois. I know it is mostly about simplicity here, but as a cheese lover, I would welcome other perhaps some British cheese?
On the sweet side of the palate, who would resist the Bitter Chocolate, hazelnut crumble with smoked bacon ice cream? Not me, and I tell you, chocoholics beware, this is a highly addictive earthen bowl of pleasure. The bacon gelato is a spot on!

Sipping wise and flexibly

This is London, so the drinks are very interesting and well sourced. To par above the local course, the cocktails are mixed to stir a small talk into a turbulent affair, while the extensive selection of wines by the glass, each offered to sample before you buy, with some older vintages, poured from the Coravin,… I appreciate the breadth, and the chef probably applauds the flexible liquid offering so any slight changes on his plates (rather common here) accommodate the wine pairing for each plate. The by extensive knowledge equipped staff is on hand to advise. Lately, I enjoyed the bounty born in the Volcanic soil of Tenerife. The mineral clarity of Trenzado was imprinted in my memory over the apple-scented Riesling and from reds, the well aged Greek Oikonomou Sitia would fool an aged Bordeaux lover. Poured from Coravin, it had a more age on it the mature tannins to match the earthy flavours of my mushroom pasta dish.

As the Frenchie Covent Garden joined the family of its four food and wine hipsters in Paris, there is a new flame of hope for the much needed millennial transformation of the French cuisine. Seemingly asleep in the past century of white table cloth, formality and gimmicky complexity, now simple, nature highlighting and produce-driven cuisine is being awarded the attention it deserves. The young generation of French chefs nonchalantly drives the revolution, no pressure, just great edible ideas, that is all.

16 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8QH
+44 20 7836 4422
Daily lunch: 12–2:15PM; Dinner: weekends 6–10:30PM & weekdays 5:30-10:30PM

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