The London Hit List, Summer 2023 Edition: Rambutan, Noble Rot Mayfair, Cadet, and More

Chef and writer Cynthia Shanmugalingam quickly built a following with a series of sold-out supperclubs centred on the cooking of the Sri Lankan diaspora, before releasing an influential cookbook entitled Rambutan. Her new debut restaurant of the same name recently opened on Borough Market on a tide of momentum, and more than delivers on the hype. Guests can sit at the bar to watch the chefs cook over open fire, or relax in a light-filled dining room lifted by dark woods, washed pastel walls, and tropical plants. Meanwhile, the food is excellent – early highlights include playful gunda dosas with green chutney, a creamy curry of ray wing, and an intensely flavourful black pork curry perfect with bread. Don’t miss the chicken Pongal rice, with its luscious texture and playful pearls of rice.

Between chef Jeremy Lee’s elegant, heartfelt cooking, a recent dining room revamp, some of the best service in London and a history as one of the last bastions of old Soho, the question with this classic British restaurant isn’t so much a matter of whether one should visit, but rather – is Quo Vadis the loveliest restaurant in London right now? Regardless of occasion, decorum here should be upheld; Martinis or aperitifs are obligatory, as is a smoked eel sandwich if it’s your first time; roasts are exquisite and the pie of the day unfailingly delicious. Lee’s île flottante is a highlight of a dessert menu that’s one of the finest around.

Noble Rot is the rare establishment that manages to feel timeless while being, in fact, quite new. This wine bar and restaurant has distinguished itself with a potent blend of excellent cooking, one of London’s most accomplished wine lists, accessibility (its set lunch menu and bar are irresistible), and by running a restaurant the old-fashioned way, with its front of house among the city’s best. Their newest site, in Mayfair’s atmospheric Shepherd Market, has all of these hallmarks, along with an intimate split-level dining room and a Modern European menu courtesy of chef Adam Wood (ex-Perilla, The Square), whose flair for the classics translates to dishes like lamb neck navarin, Anjou pigeon with peas and morels, or a whole roasted duck with silky sauce Chambertin for two to share.

For reservations, call +44 (0) 207 101 6770.

Let Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn of Rita’s feed you things you didn’t know you needed. Starting with jalapeño popper gildas, mini Martinis, and hot bean devilled eggs. Pryce’s open-hearted, outward-looking Americana has no match in London, while a switched-on front of house enables a fun dinner party atmosphere. Where else can one find saltfish taquitos, ox cheek and grits, clams with creamed celery and fried Idaho scones, and mezcal-laced Oaxacan affogatos? Excellent cocktails and natural wines too, and a private garden – a rarity in Soho – for summer celebrations.

London is blessed with an abundance of quality wine bars specialising in natural or low-intervention wine, and Cadet in Stoke Newington is among the best in a new crop that also counts contemporaries like Veraison, Half Cut Market, and Hector’s. Founded by wine importers Beattie & Roberts, the wine list changes frequently but always leans on the founders’ relationships with French producers working with organic grapes. Meanwhile, chef Jamie Smart (formerly of St. John Bread and Wine) creates a thoughtful, daily-changing menu of Francophile plates designed for enjoying with a glass or two of wine – sharp pate en croute, for example, or a chou farci of smoked eel with spring wild garlic followed by sublime tarte au citron.

Walk-ins only. 

When the sun finally makes an appearance, there are few better places to be in London than on the terrace at Rochelle Canteen. Margot Henderson’s daily-changing menu of dishes is never less than a delight, balancing lightness with heartiness, finesse with heft. A bitter aperitif or prosecco is obligatory, while dishes like radishes with smoked cod roe, bountiful salads, pitch-perfect roasts and a reliably excellent pie of the day make for a dreamy meal. The restaurant’s location attracts an arty, fashionable crowd, and its setting – in a coverted bike shed of a former girls school – still elicits a thrill, whether visiting for the first or fortieth time.

Few London restaurants in recent years have had as much impact as this fine dining supernova, which uses West African flavours as a jumping off point for innovative, hyperseasonal tasting menus that have earned it two Michelin stars and a spot on the World’s 50 Best rankings. Meanwhile, Ikoyi’s home in the Brutalist environs of 180 the Strand (which picked up a design award) finally offers the experience its founders envisaged. Chef Jeremy Chan’s moneyball approach to cuisine makes for exhilarating dining, and it isn’t uncommon for him to trial new dishes on tasting menus that were created moments prior – expect standout dishes like mussel and saffron chawanmushi served with poached lobster and N25 kaluga caviar, or native breed rib and roasted pine nut accompanied with an incredible smoked jollof rice.

The restaurant revival of ‘West London’ has been welcome but not unexpected – it was only a matter before Kensington and Chelsea’s denizens struck upon their own platonic ideal for the kind of casually thrilling dining that’s become the norm elsewhere. Perhaps the best example of this is The Pelican, an update of a classic Notting Hill boozer given a chic Scandi makeover inside, along with a line-up of stellar pub snacks and a serious (and yet informal) kitchen from an ex-Brawn chef. Dishes like a lobster pie to share, roasted bone marrow on toast with parsley salad, and Dover sole with brown butter and capers show off the kitchen’s skills and superb taste; meanwhile, excellent service and a dining room with plenty of slinky corners make for a memorable experience.

Looking for a touch of scene? This new bar and gallery space in Shoreditch has been billed as a ‘pub for wine drinkers’, and is located a converted warehouse behind Brick Lane, with a decidedly minimal, industrial feel. Natural wine drinkers will be right at home here – expect  zippy Catalonian whites, low ABV reds from Jura and orange wines from across the globe – but it’s the restaurant’s guest chef series that’s captured the imagination of London’s food cognoscenti, with residencies from the likes of Brooklyn’s Ha’s Dac Biet, Tom Zahir of Decatur, and modern pan-African concept AYO Collective pulling in the city’s clued-up diners on the weekly. Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates on who’s popping up next.

This cosy Notting Hill restaurant has been open less than a year, but has already earned a reputation as one of London’s toughest tables. Chef Thomas Straker is, of course, a social media phenom, but has worked in some of the city’s finest kitchens and brings finesse to a menu that features relaxed dishes like a puffy flatbread layered with scallops that demands an immediate re-order, silken taglioni with girolles and parmesan, a seasonal plate of roasted turbot with grilled cabbage, borlotti beans, and pumpkin, and superb desserts. There’s a pronounced local feel to the proceedings, with flowing cocktails, and a killer soundtrack to boot – get in while you still can.

The top line for this perpetually packed Shoreditch hotspot – great pastas, nose-to-tail cooking, and a stellar wine list – is easy to love but undersells owners Chris Leach and David Carter’s vision somewhat. The restaurant specialises in whole animal butchery, receiving pigs from some of Cornwall’s finest farms, which are broken down for all of the restaurant’s incredible dishes (everything from croquettes and a ragu of pig tail, to pork chops and delicate meats from an in-house salumeria). Leach’s hand-rolled pastas are exemplary, while sharing plates like a must-order dish of steamed mussels in ‘nduja are worth exploring.

As one of London’s most all-time influential restaurateurs, Russell Norman has pedigree to spare – but isn’t one to rest on his laurels. Norman’s return to London’s restaurant scene is a love letter to the trattorias of Tuscany, with the menu featuring now-beloved plates like prosciutto and oven-warm buns and excellent pastas (don’t miss the penne alla vodka), to hearty plates like wild boar sausage with lentils or a formidable Bistecca all Fiorentina procured from neighbouring Smithfield Market, literal steps away. With negronis £5 each, an old-fashioned feel and an ambience that makes every service feel like a Friday night, it’s one of London’s most in-demand restaurants for a reason.

London’s most difficult table isn’t a three-star fine diner or a temple to haute cuisine, but a sleek omakase counter located on the top floor of the former BBC centre in White City. Chef Kazutoshi Endo has made a name for himself as one of the city’s foremost sushi masters, and at his namesake restaurant, guests take their coveted spots at a sixteen-seat counter crafted from 200-year old Hinoki wood. Above, an organic Kengo Kuma-designed edifice ensconces each seating around the chef as if in a theatre, where he deftly crafts nigiri and snacks for spellbound diners, using British fish and seafood that Endo sources in collaboration with local fishermen. Endo has earned a well-deserved Michelin star in the process, and the steep price and difficulty securing a seat reflect the accolade.

Learn more here. 

Founded by a pair of ex-Roti King veterans, this Islington pub has quickly shot to the top of many Londoners’ Hit Lists, owing to a balance between its informal atmosphere and a sharp menu broadly centered on South Indian fare. When it’s good (which it almost always is), it’s great – drop in for craft beers on tap and a plate of crisp okra fries, or pulled beef masala uttapam with a creamy coconut and chilli chutney, or go deep on sharing plates like paneer butter masala with flakey roti or coconut rice, a half rack of lamb chops grilled on a Robata until meltingly tender yet crisp to the bite, and channa batura with cooling raita. Most of London’s best South Indian restaurants are clustered in zones 2-4, but the Tamil Prince is one of central London’s best examples of the cuisine.

Inspired by the cafes of Tel Aviv, Marc Summer’s restaurant is one of Soho’s best, and happens to be completely vegetarian – along with plenty of vegan options, courtesy of executive chef Helen Graham. The fried aubergine with zhoug and confit potato latkes are unmissable, and worthy of the hype; meanwhile, for the indecisive, there are vegan and vegetarian set menu options for the table to share for £40pp, with a colourful spread of creative dishes like violino pumpkin with braised dandelion, or oyster mushroom skewers with tamari.

London’s pub dining rooms have opened the city’s palate to a variety of dynamic cooking styles, and this converted Islington boozer is among the best examples. Situated moments from the Regents canal on a residential street, there’s a long bar with a smattering of tables at each end, along with a good list of craft beers and ales and a natural-leaning wine list. With a couple of London hospitality veterans at the helm, both food and service are firmly within ‘proper’ restaurant territory, though the convivial atmosphere lends itself to informality. Sunday roasts are a pleasure, and the a la carte menu draws global influences while remaining firmly in pub territory – expect dishes like pork belly with smoked almonds, apple ketchup and swede; Cornish plaice with grilled leeks and a silky base of bouillabaisse; and a quail shish with a moreish garlic yoghurt and pil bulber chilli. 

As London establishments go, The French House pub is about as famous as it gets, both as a Soho drinking den (Karl Marx famously wrote a draft of the Communist Manifesto upstairs) and as place of culinary legend. Both Fergus and Margot Henderson cooked at the dining room upstairs, before leaving to found St. John and Rochelle Canteen respectively. Now, chef Neil Borthwick (a formidable figure in British cuisine himself) is on the pans in a tiny, atmospheric upstairs dining room that proffers unabashedly gutsy Franco-British fare. Start with oysters and confit garlic on toast; mains can be anything from Barnsley chop with chard and mint to beautifully cooked Dover sole. Don’t skip dessert, where just-warm madeleines, rhubarb mess, or a plate of cheese and crackers can make an appearance.

For reservations, call 020 7437 2477. 

Lee and Kate Tiernan reset expectations of what a London restaurant could be when they opened Black Axe Mangal in 2015, with a nose-to-tail menu that drew inspiration from the city’s Turkish ocakbasis and Lee’s own background at St. John. The music is a touch softer and may have switched to hip hop, but aside from that, FKABAM (Formerly Known as Black Axe Mangal) still rocks hard. Sit elbow-to-elbow in a tiny dining room while feasting on a montly-changing set menu with openers like Mission fried chicken wings, or a centrepiece of grilled ox heart served with a bone marrow and oxtail gratin, an anchovy and parsley salad, and grilled beef dripping flatbread.

This modern Indian gem takes up a plum corner of Greek Street in Soho, with a plush dining room and buzz reminiscent of the group’s first restaurant in Spitalfields. A greater focus on seafood – courtesy of its executive and head chefs, from Goa and Maharashtra, respectively – yields notable early dishes like a punchy lobster pulimunchi with crisp dosa, or a playful riff on prawn toast. A drinks list leans towards Portuguese and Spanish wines, plus Martinis. And yes, the restaurant’s incredible lamb chops are still on the Soho menu, and an essential order for first-timers.

In every city, there’s frequently one restaurant that those in the know cite as a personal favourite, or a place that elicits an elated sigh upon mention. For London, that restaurant is Brawn, ostensibly a neighbourhood restaurant tucked away on Columbia Road Market, minutes from the bustle of Hackney and Shoreditch. The restaurant has been influential – both in its relaxed, unpretentious cooking and service style, but also for championing natural wines before the discipline became popular in Britain. Cheese gougeres, crudo and a daily-changing pasta dish are always exceptional, as is just about everything else on a Modern European menu that always hits the mark. Pro tip: Don’t miss the tiramisu if it’s on the menu.