New On Resy: Orasay, Smoke & Salt and Corazon

Pop Brixton has seen a few notable residents, but small plates restaurant Smoke & Salt may be the most remarkable. With the tiny dining room wedged inside a shipping container, chefs Remi Williams and Aaron Webster experiment with voguish techniques—fermenting, pickling and yes, smoking—to create dazzling plates of food that wouldn’t be out of place at some of the city’s most vaunted establishments. Get in early, as greatness is surely on the cards for this duo.

London’s chef du jour, Jackson Boxer’s latest pays tribute to the the Hebridean island on which the chef spent summers as a child. Tucked away in leafy Notting Hill, this new Scottish seafood-centric restaurant sees Boxer team with chef and friend Andrew Clarke, focusing on the kind of seasonal, modern dishes that forged the duo’s reputation as two of the city’s most dynamic talents. Meanwhile, a slinky, intimate dining room and stellar wine list guarantee one of the most thrilling dining experiences to be found anywhere in the city right now.

Discreetly located at the bottom of Bermondsey Street, Flour and Grape is the neighbourhood’s best-kept secret—a minimalist pasta bar with a stripped-back menu of impeccable antipasti, desserts, Italian wine, and a rotating menu of eight handmade pastas. Taglierini (accompanied here by a cured egg yolk, butter, and a shower of fresh truffles) is a standout when it’s on, and there’s a subterranean gin bar downstairs to retire to after you’ve polished off your tiramisu and espresso.

Chef Josh Katz created the original Berber & Q in a renovated Hoxton railway arch, meaning that the sound of music and conversation is occasionally punctuated by the rumbling of a train overhead. Be under no illusion though—from the coolly industrial interior to the Middle Eastern-inspired sharing plates, it’s a slick operation throughout. While the wood-fired meats are superb, the whole cauliflower shawarma still steals the show. Every. Single. Time. 

Living proof that good things come in small packages, Soho’s Corazon serves on-the-money Mexican dishes from a cosy bolthole on Poland Street. There’s a long bar at the front for late-night tacos and Modelos, opening up into a space that’s perfect for gathering a group to feast on family-style dishes like carne asada and grilled fish with a peppy habanero salsa. Brunch is also a fixture—whatever you do, don’t miss the pancakes.

Berber & Q’s younger sibling might be smaller, but this casual shawarma spot on Exmouth Market is every bit as delicious. The restaurant exudes a low-key cool that’s evident in everything from an artfully distressed interior and banging playlist, to a wine list that leans towards low-intervention bottles. Split a few plates of mezze with a few friends, before sharing the excellent rotisserie chicken—with plenty of dip and chollah bread to mop up the excess, naturally.

Tooting is the new Brixton, so they say, and on the evidence of the area’s blossoming food offerings, it’s hard to disagree. Pride of place goes to Plot, which occupies fifteen hotly-contested seats along a counter in the market. Open-kitchen theatrics and genuine neighbourhood cheer make the restaurant a draw then, as does an ever-changing menu of British dishes that are as comforting as they are creative.

A welcome addition to Muswell Hill, Korto is a cosy neighbourhood establishment that’s perfect for a coffee and pancake fix in the morning, morphing into a stylish restaurant as the day progresses. Exposed brick walls and industrial accents lend a modish touch, while a seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired menu and wine list deliver every time—the lamb shoulder with Persian rice is a winner.

A well-kept East End secret, Uchi’s dining room is a soothing place; all soft lighting, billowing Japanese curtains, and brushed metallic fixtures, it’s almost enough to make you forget that you’re in Clapton. A concise, carefully prepared menu of Japanese dishes is perfect for long affairs over ice-cold beer and sake; kara-age, sushi and chawanmushi are all textbook renditions, while homestyle daily specials never fail to impress.

Take a measure of Antipodean charm, add a dash of West London wit, wrap it in swoon-worthy interiors, and the result would look much like Bill Granger’s Chelsea outpost. Like the Australian chef himself, the restaurant is impeccably put together and effortlessly charming—picture-perfect corners abound, and a well-travelled menu makes it perfect for any occasion you can throw at it. The ricotta hotcakes and cocktails are unmissable, while the prawn, ‘nduja and XO fried rice may low-key be the best dish on the menu.