London Out of Office Bites
This past week my friends jumped the pond for a visit and we seriously dined around the city.
Noble Rot - Bloomsbury
The first on our list was a night at Noble Rot Lamb’s Conduit. This is their first of 3 restaurants found in WC1, on one of my favorite streets. With warm candle lighting, dark burgundy exterior, and funky art adorning the walls this place is as charming as can be. This isn’t my first visit to Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew’s creation, but with the seasonal and frequent menu innovations it was just as magical! Noble Rot began in 2013 as a magazine featuring successful chefs, creatives, and sommeliers. Then the restaurants began popping up one by one.
Noble Rot's executive chef Stephen Harris conceived the delicious bites below.
What we ate…
Comte Beignets & Pickled Walnut Ketchup
Ortiz Anchovies
Bread and Butter
Bitter Leaf Salad
White Asparagus, Hollandaise & Toasted Almonds
Raw Diver Scallop, Corse Pomelo & Capers
Slipsole & Smoked Butter
Roast Cornish Hake, Agretti & Bottarga
Braised Cornish Brill, Vin Jaune & Alsace Bacon
Roast Aylesbury Duck
Swaledale Mutton Chops, Puntarelle Alla Romana
Basque Cheesecake & Yorkshire Rhubarb
Chocolate Tart & Creme Fraiche
Also these dumplings that I can’t seem to find on the posted menu but were amazing
There was 6 of us, 4 of which were jet-lagged…. don’t look at me that way.
What we drank…
La Bonne Tonne, Regnie 'Agath The Blues'; Beaujolais, France 2022
Y Bertrand, St-Amour 'Bambins'; Beaujolais, France 2022
Tetramythos, Retsina 'Natur'; Peloponnese, Greece 2023
La Calmette, Cahors 'Trespotz'; South West, France 2022
Noble Rot will continue to be an inspiration to me as I work my way through wine and food writing.
Worker’s Cafe - Islington
My boyfriend was on a mission for a Full English Breakfast to write home about. Last time he was here some chain pub stripped him of the true English experience. This was a recommendation from my friend and boy did it deliver. It was an absolutely killer breakfast before we sent the boys off to Emirates to catch a win for Arsenal.
P.S. I cannot get behind beans for breakfast, I’m so sorry.
Angelina - Dalston
This Italian-Japanese fusion was a recommendation from one of the Chefs at Le Cordon Bleu. Clueless to what a collaboration of these two cultures would entail but needless to say we were leaving happy & full. We completed the 13 dish tasting menu with wine pairing. Here is a link to the most recent menu click 4 bites
The staff pairing wines made each approachable, a concept that the wine bar I worked at would often employ us to execute. It is a hard job to find a wine that is complex, doesn’t feel pretentious OR go over our new-wine heads.
Angelina used traditional Japanese ingredients like miso, nori, and tsukemono within focaccia, raviolos, and croquettes. The group mostly agreed that the raviolo encasing jammy yolk was our favorite bite.
A Bar with Shapes for a Name - Dalston
Add this to your list of bars to visit out in East London… and while you’re at it put it to the top of the list. This bar’s mission aligns with the phrase “less is more” said by German architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These intricate and unique cocktails are bottled up off sight so that your waiter can spend more time chatting with you, while keeping the drinks flowing. We had our night cap here, all ordering traditional and non-traditional glasses. Kazimir was the drink I landed on.
Notes from the menu: The kazimir was inspired by the painting, "White on White," by artist and Bauhaus professor, Kazimir Malevich. Salt, sugar, and lime support the flavour of the peach yoghurt.
vodka, peach yoghurt, absinthe
distillation, clarification, infusion, fat wash
Silo - Hackney Wick
Silo is the world’s first zero waste restaurant. From top to bottom this place is finding strategies to combat food and material waste. Furniture and fixtures are created from reused materials. Plates made from recycled plastic. Tiles run the expo rather than classic receipt paper. And of course the food, oh my goooooodness. This was by far the best meal I’ve had yet in London. Each staff member was highly educated on the menu and made it a point to teach us along the way in order to support their mission and make the food approachable.
Favorite bite was tough to pick but we narrowed it down to two plates: the pumpkin and venison dishes. Each utilized amazake in different ways. Amazake is a “microbe-rich rice porridge”, created by a mix of rice, water and koji. The use of it in controlled ways helps create tangy, delicious, cultured creams and used to marinate the fat-less cut of venison. Check them out on instagram to see all the ways they are making an impact.
Sketch - Soho
Alice and Wonderland type High Tea. Afternoon tea was a must on our friend group’s itinerary and this bottomless tea and treats did not disappoint. Not sure what was better the violinists playing Domino by Jessie J or the eccentric bathroom experience. Overall this out-of-body experience was one of a kind and well worth the money, be sure to go hungry!
Fortitude Bakery - Bloomsbury
I’ve completed a couple of trips to Fortitude as it just truly is exceptional. My boyfriend and I take breakfast pastry runs VERY seriously. There is almost no limit to the custard, croissant and crusty bread we can eat.
What we ordered…
Blackberry morning bun, caramelized onion & cheese focaccia, ham & cheese pan suisse, and almond cake. Focaccia was to die for.
Fortitude is known for their insane beignets, go quick they sell out!!
We had a lot of luck out East this trip and I can’t wait to keep exploring. Stay tuned for when I can afford to eat again. xx