Dining out – and even eating in – can mean so many different things these days. Some of my favourite London meals of 2015 didn’t occur at a traditional restaurant or via a kitchen with a permanent address.
In a way this list is for ‘everything else’ that I loved taking a bite of this year but didn’t fit neatly into any specific category. It’s worth noting, I tend not to gush about pop-ups, supper clubs and such. So, the four outfits listed here – a couple of kitchen takeovers (one at a pub the other at a wine bar), as well as a catering company, and a supper club hosted in a private home – all really impressed me.
This list is in alphabetical order and – as is the case with all my Best of 2015 lists – merely reflects how I chose to spend my time during the year and is comprised of long established and brand new businesses as well as ones that are somehow related to where work and play took me.
By their very nature these enterprises may be subject changes in location, dates, and services offered. Also, I might be mentioning only one aspect of what they do and where you can find them. Check for yourself with the links provided before venturing out to try any of them.
Best Pop-Ups, Takeovers, Supper Clubs etc
Bell & Brisket Kitchen Takeover at The Barley Mow
The Barley Mow, 127 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3BX
“Seriously pimped up salt beef bagels” and mega-sarnies on black rye buns served in one of Shoreditch’s least pretentious pubs is an East End offering worth sinking your teeth into.
Doppiozero
Caters throughout London
Catering company and “pasta atelier” Doppiozero provides a range of catering and food services for any variety of functions and even offers personal chef services. All dishes from Doppiozero are made from scratch by hand – including the pasta sheets for the lasagna and the exceptionally moreish torta della nonna pictured at the top of this post – with locally grown ingredients and products expertly sourced from Italy. The Doppiozero menu is based on recipes from chef/proprietor Silvia di Luzio’s grandmother’s copy of the classic Italian cookbook by Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Fine Dining) in which her grandmother’s handwritten notes have proved as useful as the actual text.
Perilla at Platform 1
Platform 1, 71 Lordship Lane, SE22 8EP
Founded by Ben Marks (NOMA, The Square) and Matt Emmerson (Polpo, Polpetto), Perilla is a pop-up focused on “fine dining without the fuss” and is in the midst of a four-monty residency at Platform 1 wine bar in East Dulwich. A Perilla dinner is a chance to contemplate some of London’s most intriguing and thoughtfully considered dishes and to find out about the “next big thing” before these fellas’ food really takes off and turns the right heads.
That Hungry Chef
Private home in north Islington
That Hungry Chef is hosted by husband and wife team Pratap and Nikhat Chahal. Chef Pratap boasts an impressive CV, having worked in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay Claridge’s, Chez Bruce, Cinnamon Club, The Orrery, Galvin Bistrot and The Peasant, while front of house Nikhat comes from a career in child psychology (a perfect background for handling dining patrons?). When not hosting their club, they cater private events and make a range of Mojo Risin’ chilli sauces, relishes, and pickles.
More of the Best of 2015 to follow!
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