If you’re the way we are here at Resy, you’ve been spending the past few weeks thinking every day about your favourite restaurants. What do we miss most about them? What are we most looking forward to returning to? Yes, there’s plenty of takeaway and delivery to enjoy, groceries and wine to buy, and lots of other ways to support the restaurants we love. But nothing beats the experience of being in a restaurant, enjoying the dishes you adore.
We’ve compiled a list of favourite things about dining in London we’re hoping to get back to down the line.
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- Grabbing a seat downstairs to people-watch at Food House in Chinatown, and experiencing pure, unbridled joy when your order of cumin lamb skewers lands on the table.
- The way the dining room at Leroy lights up during the day, plus the owner’s impeccable soundtracks and chef Sam Kamienko’s salads. And there’s the rock-solid feeling when you’re sat at the bar that all is well with the world.
- The first life-affirming sip of the assam laksa at Laksamania, before waddling across the street to Ometosando Koffee for a canele and espresso.
- Being sat outside on a cloudless summer day at Rochelle Canteen — an unparalleled treat.
- Being secretly ecstatic that Friday night plans fell through, and heading to Cafe TPT for a glorious plate of fatty siu yuk, deep-fried soft shell crab, and beef shin curry, with plenty of rice to soak it all up.
- Nipping out for “just a cheese toastie” at Sager + Wilde; then spending half the evening saying “just one more glass”; and then stumbling home a little off-balance, if very content.
- All the dishes at Lyle’s, but especially the way the room fills with natural light at lunchtime.
- A plate of silky mortadella and the brown crab cacio e pepe at Manteca.
- Being ensconced in a booth at the American Bar at the Beaufort, and polishing off the third Manhattan of the night.
Fried prawn heads, one of the specials at Koya City. - The joy of perusing the daily-changing specials board at Koya, and solo breakfasts at their counter.
- Pre-dinner cocktails in the basement followed by potstickers and plump siu mai at My Neighbours The Dumplings in Clapton.
- The way that the terrace at Ombra glows at golden hour — it’s even better with an Americano in hand. Food-wise, it’s a toss-up between Mitshel Ibrahim’s pastas and tiramisu.
- Tucked away in a booth, there are few things as pure as a pepperoni pie straight from the oven at Yard Sale Pizza, best enjoyed with a cold beer.
- Smashing the entire menu at Black Axe Mangal, and finishing with that mint sorbet and Fernet Branca. We’re also looking forward to the lamb offal flatbread and stumbling down the fifty-degree incline stairs to the loos.
- Overordering the city’s best Thai food at Singburi is now customary. Being chided by the chef’s mother for ordering too much is a delightful bonus.
- Jeremy Chan’s memorable take on jollof rice at Ikoyi, and the bar’s spectacular plantain old-fashioned.
- Kicking off a meal at Kudu in Peckham with a negroni, and pushing the limits of the bread:fat ratio with their signature house bread and both butters.
- Pulling up for a swift drink at Tayer + Elementary, before accidentally diving headfirst into a cocktail masterclass with maestros Monica Berg and Alex Kratena.
- Waiting patiently for an order of carnitas tacos at La Chingada, dousing them in salsa before devouring them in seconds, and then ordering another plate.
- The crunch of breadcrumbs on the orecchiette and a glass of natural wine at Legare.
- A comforting bowl of king prawn wonton soup at Hung’s, where the portions are generous and dumplings are the size of one’s head.
- The fantastic bar area at Darby’s, and whiling away an afternoon on the sun-soaked terrace with pints of Guinness and oysters.
- Tucking into Four Legs’ aged Dexter cheeseburger in between sips of a G&T. If we’re able to bag a seat on the patio, so much the better.
- Soaking up the noise of a blissfully busy dining room at Kin + Deum in Bermondsey. Also, definitely ordering their rich Massaman curry, followed by a dead-on mango sticky rice.
- Slow-cooked pork lechon at Sarap in Brixton.
- A comforting cup of sweet masala chai at Darjeeling Express, and being welcomed by the owner like an old friend.
- Piano brunches at Bistrotheque; a cup of black coffee, a perfect eggs benedict, and “Penny Lane” ringing out in one of the city’s best dining rooms.
Brunch at Bistrotheque. - The delightful double act of chef Nick Bramham and sommelier Gus Gluck at Quality Wines. An evening here isn’t complete without the former’s ethereal pig-fat cannolo.
- An order of obscenely hot (and insanely tasty) Taiwanese fried chicken from Good Friend, hastily eaten on the pavement outside. The burnt tongue is 100% worth it.
- Going to The Sea, The Sea for an omakase dinner, confident that you’re in good hands and relinquishing control to whatever chef Leo Carreira puts in front of you.
- Fried olives and a glass of pet-nat at Naughty Piglets in Brixton.
- Any cocktail that bar manager Fin Spiteri cares to serve you at Studio Kitchen. Best enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the Regents Canal.
- The unimpeachable signature Spritz at Bar Termini, best enjoyed knee-to-knee with your nearest and dearest, with the boundless anticipation of a night in Soho afterwards.
- A salt beef bagel with double mustard at 3am from Beigel Bake.
- The wacky, inventive, and incredibly delicious chef’s counter at Kebab Queen.
- Slipping into the bar at Quo Vadis for a stiff drink, and the feeling that you must be doing something right while sipping your martini.
- Ordering (and swiftly re-ordering) the fried potatoes at Bubala.
- Watching the bustle of Columbia Road Flower Market from the safety of Spanish cafe Laxeiro, a sturdy plate of tortilla in hand.
- Sitting elbow-to-elbow with fellow diners (imagine!) at a busy 10 Greek Street, with a glass of something delicious from their deep list, blistered padron peppers, and just-fried baby squid to snack on.
- Soaking up the sun with a cold pint at The Sun & 13 Cantons — or really, any good pub — in Soho.
