List of All Articles with Tag 'food'

Fans of Subway’s sandwiches are up in arms after stores in Pakistan launched its first ever 3-inch mini sub as a budget-friendly option. The bite-size sandwich, which recently appeared on Pakistani menus and in social media posts, provides “value” to customers, a spokesperson for Subway told Bloomberg News last week. The new size is half the length of the company’s previous smallest sandwich, which is six inches. Its largest size, otherwise known as the “footlong” sub, is 12 inches. But the newer, cheaper, size is said to be a more bite-sized option to fulfil a “snack craving”. Announcing the launch, a post shared by Subway Pakistan’s Instagram account read: “Say hello to our NEW Mini Sub! The perfect treat for your snack cravings! Get ready to fall in love with its incredible flavors!” A second post added, “Our New Mini Sub is the cutest explosion of taste you’ll ever experience!”, followed by the slogan: “Unleash the mini magic”. The reduced size comes as Pakistan contends with Asia’s fastest rates of inflation, which has seen double-digit percentage increases in the price of fuel amid a cost of living crisis. The August data from Pakistan’s statistics bureau showed that food inflation was elevated at 38.5 per cent. Confronting rising prices, many restaurants have reportedly increased prices on their menus or reduced portion sizes. Pakistan was saved from debt default after securing a further $3bn bailout disbursement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July. However, the deal has come with specific measures attached, including an increase in fuel and energy prices. These rising energy costs have sparked protests among citizens across the country. Meanwhile, Subway fans have been expressing their disappointment about the “tiny” size of the new sandwich. “No one is walking outta the shop after eating this and feeling full,” wrote one Twitter/X user. “That’s like 2-3 bites!” wrote one social media user, as another added: “This would barely feed a toddler.” While it seems that the mini sub has only been rolled out in Pakistan so far, it is unconfirmed whether the menu item will be available at other global stores. The Independent has contacted Subway for comment. Read More Tea enthusiasts stew over 60-second PG Tips teabag: ‘It’s a massive step backwards’ Dunkin’ fans appalled by amount of sugar in Ice Spice’s Munchkins Drink: ‘This should be illegal’ Millennial woman reveals everything Gen Z coworker has taught her: ‘Class was in session’ Three recipes from Michel Roux’s new fuss-free French cookbook How to cook to keep your gut healthy The symbolic foods that are eaten on the Jewish New Year

By Divya Rajagopal TORONTO Canada's plan to bring down food prices by tightening regulation could backfire and fail,

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The history of pizza is a large pie—half Margherita and half lies. Let’s take a bite out of pizza’s past, covering styles from Neapolitan and New York to Sicilian and St. Louis and beyond.

If you want fast service from McDonald's, avoid going during the turn over from breakfast to lunch.

Understanding your gut can be confusing, particularly when it comes to what to eat and which ingredients can support and improve digestive health. To help, Love Your Gut Week (18-24 September) has partnered with author and writer Dr Joan Ransley to share six new simple recipes that both you and your gut will love. Each dish is based on gut-healthy combinations of foods to showcase how easy and delicious it can be to cook to support digestive health. c. From a vibrant breakfast smoothie bowl, to tasty sardines and cherry tomatoes on toast, comforting smokey beans, a fresh pea and prawn stir-fry, herby meatless meatballs and a zingy Mexican chicken and black bean chilli, there’s a dish for everyone to enjoy this Love Your Gut Week and beyond. Breakfast smoothie bowl This smoothie bowl makes a great nutritious breakfast to help kick start the day. Thanks to the oats, muesli, fruit, nuts and seeds, this dish contains dietary fibre, which helps the passage of food through the gut and feeds healthy bacteria. Government guidelines recommend that adults in the UK should consume 30g of fibre per day, but most only manage about 20g. This recipe also provides plenty of plant points, as well as calcium, protein, vitamins and minerals, and a range of polyphenols – to help support the good bacteria in the gut. Prep time: 5-10 minutes | Cooking time: NA Serves: 4 Ingredients: 250g live, plain, dairy yoghurt or plain, vegan yoghurt 2 ripe, medium sized, peeled bananas 30g rolled oats 120g frozen mixed berries, defrosted 80g muesli (no-added-sugar) 20g mixed seeds ie, sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, linseed 30g walnuts, chopped 150g fresh seasonal fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, blackberries, strawberries Method: Place the yoghurt, bananas, oats and defrosted berries into a blender and blitz until smooth. You may have to do this in batches. Pour the smoothie mixture into the base of four bowls. Scatter the seeds of your choice into a small pan and heat gently until they are just beginning to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Sprinkle the muesli between the four bowls, followed by the toasted seeds and walnuts. Finish it off by arranging an assortment of fresh seasonal fruit around the top of the bowls. Cooking tip: If the fruit is not completely defrosted it can still be added to the yoghurt and puréed, which is a nice touch during hot weather. Sardines and cherry tomatoes on toast This dish is made mainly from store cupboard ingredients and is ideal for weekday meals or as a snack. Tinned sardines are a cost-effective way of getting healthy fish oils such as omega-3 into our diet. Omega-3 fatty acids can have a positive effect on the type and abundance of gut microbes and could also play a key role in the gut immune system. The wholegrain toast provides a source of insoluble fibre, which can help decrease your chance of constipation dietary fibre, which can help decrease your chance of constipation. Due to the vibrant colours in the tomatoes and watercress, you will also get a wealth of polyphenols, which promotes the health of the gut. Polyphenols can act as antioxidants in the body, to neutralise harmful free radicals that can cause disease. When polyphenols which promotes good health in the gut. Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 4 slices of toasted wholegrain bread 1 clove garlic, peeled 2 tins sardines in oil 150g cherry tomatoes, cut in half 85g watercress 1 lemon, cut in half 4 dessertspoons kimchi or sauerkraut 20g fresh parsley, chopped Method: Rub each piece of toast with the garlic and place on a plate. Remove the sardines from the tin reserving the oil. Cut each sardine in half lengthways along the side where it has been gutted. Divide the sardines between the four pieces of toast. In a small bowl, mix the oil reserved from the sardines with the tomatoes and the watercress. Squeeze a little of the lemon over the tomatoes and watercress and mix well. Scatter the tomatoes and watercress around the sardines on toast and add a serving of kimchi or sauerkraut on the side. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Cooking tip: Store any leftover sardines in an airtight container. Left over sardines can be mashed with a little olive oil and lemon juice and used as a sandwich filling. Smokey beans topped with feta cheese and coriander Step aside beans on toast, this wholesome and warming smokey beans dish is packed full of different beans and tasty veggies to add depth and texture, helping to keep the gut happy. The beans are a good source of fibre and a complex carbohydrate, meaning it is digested slowly by the gut. The combination of herbs and spices also increases the diversity of plants in the dish and adds additional micronutrients. Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced 2 sticks of celery, diced 2 red peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground cumin 2 x 400g tins of mixed beans, drained 400g can chopped tomatoes 150g feta cheese, crumbled Small bunch coriander, leaves and stalks chopped (or fresh parsley) Method: Warm the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery, red peppers, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft but not coloured. Add the beans and chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add it to the pan. Add half of the chopped coriander. Stir well and bring the pan to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the tomato sauce is rich and thick. Add a splash of water if the sauce for the beans gets too dry. Divide the beans between four plates and scatter with crumbled feta cheese and chopped coriander. Serve with baked sweet potato wedges or wholemeal brown rice. Cooking tip: Both the tender stalks and leaves of coriander can be chopped up and used in recipes. If you don’t like coriander, you can use fresh parsley instead. Pea and prawn stir-fry with ginger and coconut This tasty, one pot meal is a real crowd pleaser that screams gourmet but is super simple to make. It’s also great for the gut. The peas and sugar snap peas provide soluble dietary fibre. This means that it is a prebiotic, which acts as food for healthy gut bacteria to feed on. Soluble fibre dissolves in water and can help the passage of food through the gut and soften stools. It also contains ginger, which has been shown to help relieve gastrointestinal discomforts in clinical studies. The colourful vegetables also contain polyphenols, which are known to increase the diversity of bacteria in the gut. Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 6 spring onions 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 1-2 fresh red chillies, seeds removed and chopped ½ stalk of lemongrass (optional) 20g piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 1 orange pepper, cut into strips 1-2 tsp olive oil 340g frozen king prawns, defrosted 150g sugar snap peas 100g frozen peas, defrosted 80ml coconut cream 100ml vegetable stock 2 limes. Juice and zest one. Cut the other into 4 wedges 30g coriander, leaves and stalks roughly chopped 1 tsp Thai fish sauce 4 nests of wholewheat noodles Method: Trim the spring onions and cut into 2cm lengths. Discard the outer layer of the lemongrass (if using) and finely chop the bottom part of the stem. Drizzle a little oil into a large frying pan or wok and cook the spring onions, garlic, chilli, ginger, lemongrass, and pepper strips over a medium heat until soft but not coloured. Add the prawns, sugar snap peas, peas, coconut cream and vegetable stock to the pan. Add the lime zest and add half of the chopped coriander. Bring the pan to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked (they will turn pink) and the vegetables are tender. Just before serving add a splash of Thai fish sauce, a squeeze of lime juice to taste. While the vegetables and prawns are cooking, place 4 nests of wholewheat noodles in a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain the noodles after 4 minutes and place a few noodles in the bottom of four warm serving bowls. Serve the prawns and vegetables with the noodles and a scattering of chopped coriander and lime wedges. Cooking tip: Other vegetables can be used in this dish instead of peas, such as baby sweetcorn, fine beans, or broccoli, which all have dietary fibre. Meatless meatballs with a herb flavoured tomato sauce Looking to cut down on red meat? These meat-free meatballs are the perfect substitute. Infused with spices and herbs, this dish is packed full of flavour and high in resistant starch and dietary fibre – all of which contribute towards a healthy gut. Resistant starch is important in the diet because it resists digestion, passing directly through the small intestine to the colon. It is then fermented by “good bugs” to butyrate which plays a key role in reducing inflammation, increasing calcium absorption, and maintaining the health of the gut lining. Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6 (makes 20 “meat” balls) Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 x 400g tin chickpeas 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp wholemeal four 1 medium egg Pinch of black pepper Zest from 1 lemon 3 tbsp chopped coriander both leaves and stalks 1 tbsp chopped parsley 50g fine breadcrumbs e.g. panko Rapeseed oil for shallow frying For the tomato sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes ½ tsp dried oregano 2 bay leaves Method: Warm the olive oil in a small frying pan, add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured. Set aside and allow to cool. Meanwhile, place the chopped garlic in a food processor with the drained chickpeas, kidney beans, cumin, wholemeal flour, and egg. Pulse the bean mix so there are still a few visible lumps of beans and chickpeas. Transfer to a bowl and season with pepper. Add the fried onion, lemon zest, chopped coriander and parsley to the bean mix. Keep a little coriander back for garnish. Place the fine breadcrumbs onto a plate. Take a tablespoon of the bean mix (about 30g), shape into a ball, roll in the breadcrumbs and place on a sheet of baking parchment paper. Continue rolling the balls until you have used up all the mixture. Place the balls in the fridge while you make the tomato sauce. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and place a shallow oven proof dish in the oven to warm. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the chopped garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes bay leaf, and dried oregano to the saucepan and heat until they just begin to simmer. Continue to simmer the tomato sauce while shallow frying the meatless “meat” balls. Remove the ‘meat’ balls from the fridge and shallow fry in oil for about eight minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden, draining the balls on kitchen paper after frying. You may have to do this in batches and place the balls in the dish warming in the oven. Pour the tomato sauce over the ‘meatballs’ and serve with brown rice and a scattering of parsley and coriander. Cooking tips: For a gluten free option, use gluten free bread to make the breadcrumbs by cutting it into small cubes and adding it to a food processor until fine. Spread the crumbs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 200°C until golden. Once the breadcrumbs have cooled, add seasonings of choice. For a vegan version, leave the egg out of the recipe and replace the flour with chickpea (gram) flour to help to bind the bean mixture together more firmly. This version of the recipe will be slightly crumblier than the original one, but the meatballs will hold together and taste great. Mexican chicken and black bean chilli Make it a Mexican night without the worry of gut troubles. This recipe contains more than 10 different plant foods and is high in dietary fibre thanks to the black beans. The dish also contains two types of onions. Onions are a major source of inulin, a naturally occurring prebiotic. Inulin travels through the gut and is fermented by the colon helping healthy gut bacteria to thrive, keeping the immune system functioning efficiently and the cells lining the gut healthy. Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 30g bunch of fresh coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander 1 pinch of dried chilli flakes 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1cm strips 1 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 1 x 400 g tin of black beans, drained For the tomato salsa: 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 green chilli, seeds removed and chopped 3 spring onions, trimmed Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp olive oil To serve: 4 wholemeal flour tortillas 1 little gem lettuce, leaves pulled apart and torn 100g low fat Greek style yoghurt Method: Warm the olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions and chopped garlic. Cook gently for 5 minutes until soft. Sprinkle the chopped coriander stalks, ground cumin, coriander and chilli flakes into the pan and add the chicken strips, turning them in the hot oil. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the pan to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken, partly covered, for 20 minutes. Finally, add the drained black beans and cook for another five minutes. The chicken and bean mixture should be quite thick. Mix the chopped tomatoes, green chilli and spring onions and place in a small bowl. Add the chopped coriander leaves, a squeeze of lime juice (to taste) and a drizzle of olive oil Warm each tortilla in a hot frying pan or griddle until the outside begins to char. Place the chicken and bean mix, torn lettuce leaves, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a tablespoonful of salsa on the tortilla and fold in half. Cooking tip: To make a vegetarian version of this dish, omit the chicken and serve the beans with grated cheddar cheese, salsa, and yoghurt. Read More Leave Rick Stein alone – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup London’s best new restaurants from the past 12 months The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Seven super simple recipes for each day of National Rice Week Three healthy recipes to get back on track after summer Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?

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Dunkin’ Donuts has launched a new drink collaboration with rapper Ice Spice, but its recipe has raised some eyebrows among coffee lovers. The Bronx-born rapper - who recently won Best New Artist at the 2023 MTV VMAs - debuted a brand new drink with America’s favourite coffee company on Wednesday 13 September. Dubbed the “Ice Spice Munchkins Drink”, the cold beverage blends frozen coffee with pumpkin cake Munchkins, Dunkin’s famous bite-sized doughnut holes. The drink is then topped with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. This is also the first time a Dunkin’ bakery item has made its way into a drink, in what the brand has called “a collaboration you never knew you needed”. While the Boston-based coffee company is excited about the new pumpkin-flavoured drink just in time for fall, it seems that many Dunkin’ aficionados are taken aback by the contents of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. In a post shared to X - formerly known as Twitter - popular account Pop Crave shared an image of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink official recipe. The quantity of coffee syrup and liquid cane sugar varies with size. A small contains four pumps of liquid cane sugar and two pumps of coffee syrup, while the largest offering contains four pumps of coffee and eight pumps of cane sugar. For a large size drink, four Munchkins, which are each 4g of sugar, are blended into the drink, followed by three spins of caramel drizzle in the cup, whipped cream, and then three spins of caramel drizzle again. It’s fitting that Dunkin’ has collaborated with Ice Spice for its new drink, considering it literally consists of both ice and pumpkin spice. The drink is also named after Ice Spice’s fan base, who call themselves Munchkins after her 2022 song, “Munch (Feelin’ U)”. However, some people took issue with the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink recipe for its lack of, well, coffee. “Where is the coffee?” asked one user on X. “Is there any actual coffee in this drink LMFAOO,” said someone else. “This should be illegal idk,” another wrote. Others were also confused how the baristas at Dunkin’ were able to combine Munchkin doughnut holes in a frozen drink. “MUNCHKINS in a beverage?! There’s just, so many things wrong with this,” one person said. “Wait, I’m a little confused… are there Munchkins IN the coffee????????” another shared. Some people simply couldn’t read the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink recipe without being concerned by the sugar content. According to the Dunkin’ website, a medium Ice Spice Munchkins Drink at Dunkin’ is 830 calories, which is reportedly equal to three and a half glazed doughnuts. A large, on the other hand, is 1,080 calories and equal to four and a half glazed doughnuts. “As the child of a nutritionist I am positively terrified by this,” said one user, while another said: “This gonna send me into a sugar coma,” To announce its newest drink collaboration, Dunkin’s official brand ambassador Ben Affleck teamed up with Ice Spice for a new commercial that aired during the 2023 MTV VMAs on Tuesday 12 September. In the ad, the Boston native sat down in an office with the “Barbie World” rapper to brainstorm names for her new Dunkin’ drink. Ice Spice mentioned that she calls her fans "munchkins”, leading to the introduction of the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. “I’ve always been a Dunkin’ girl!” Ice Spice said in a press release. “Collaborating with Dunkin’ and Ben Affleck on this spot was a dream. The drink has a fun twist, a little something in the name for my fans, too. I can’t wait for everyone to try it.” The Independent has contacted Dunkin’ for comment. Read More Taylor Swift and Ice Spice react with shock to NSYNC reunion at 2023 MTV VMAs ‘I’m a real actor, this is an art form’: Ben Affleck mistaken for another star in new Dunkin’ Donuts advert Ben Affleck reveals his go-to Dunkin’ order after Super Bowl commercial cameo Leave Rick Stein alone – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup London’s best new restaurants from the past 12 months ‘A step backwards’: Tea enthusiasts stew over 60-second PG Tips teabag

First, they came for our energy bills. Now, they’re waging war on our beloved fish and chips. When will the tyranny end? Probably not any time soon and certainly not in Padstow, where Rick Stein has decided to add a £2 surcharge for extras like gravy, curry sauce and aioli at his fish and chippy. Apparently even celebrity can’t protect you from “food inflation, energy costs and rising wages”. Naturally, all hell broke loose among Padstow punters, who were outraged at the additional cost to their already £20 order. “I’ve always felt that there’s something of the night about him,” one decried. “Let’s boycott it,” exclaimed another. Let me add an unpopular opinion to the opprobrium. Back off, penny pinchers. Ketchup doesn’t come for free just because you decided to dine at Stein’s. It’s a product like any other, and it comes with a price. Why should Stein, or any other restaurant, have to pay it? As a restaurant critic, I’m aware that dinner is getting quite dear. But my advice for anyone complaining about prices is: have some perspective. My initial thoughts on hearing the news from Padstow were twofold. Firstly, if you don’t want to pay upwards of £20 for fish and chips, why don’t you just… go somewhere else? Stein’s is hardly the only joint in town. It’s also not the highest rated so if you are splashing the cash, splash it elsewhere. Secondly, what do people expect? Prices are going up in every aspect of our lives. Restauranteurs aren’t immune to that – they face exactly the same problems we do, if not more. The only thing alarming about the news is that even a brand as big as Rick Stein’s is struggling to survive. For a sachet of Heinz mayonnaise, sure, Stein should probably suck it up (though I imagine that, too, costs more these days). But is it so far-fetched to charge for condiments that are made in house, on the day, with quality ingredients, by trained chefs? Yes, Stein could just plonk it onto his already extortionate prices (£16.95 for cod and chips? You must be joking), but I imagine you might have a thing or two to say about that as well. At least he’s giving you the choice of paying for condiments at all. If you replicated the recipe at home, I’d be surprised if you could get the ingredients for under £2 in the supermarket. That perspective should extend to the impact our changing climate has had on fishing. We’re catching far fewer fish, which has driven up the price of a catch by 11 per cent in the last year. Politics also plays a role, where tariffs on Russia, which previously supplied 40 per cent of white fish in the UK, have forced fishermen to cast their nets elsewhere. The cost of vegetable oil has also gone up by 80p per litre. Given the fish and chip industry uses somewhere in the region 100,000 tons of the stuff, that’s an enormous cost for restaurants to shoulder. Even potatoes are heading upwards of £400 per ton due to increased fertiliser costs and the impact of last year’s hot summer. Then there’s the energy crisis – businesses don’t enjoy a price cap. You can see what I’m getting at. It’s a perfect storm. While arguments that a business as big as Stein’s should be able to absorb the costs somewhere in the empire are totally fair, the news reflects the struggle of all restaurants to reconcile spiralling costs with diner expectations. Earlier this year, Mandy Yin, owner of London laksa bar Sambal Shiok, responded to complaints from diners that prices were too high with a detailed breakdown of how much it costs to produce a single dish. From a portion of their £13 fried chicken, the business only makes 30p. This whole debacle also reminds me of a conversation I had recently with Charlie Bigham, a household name mainly for his boujie “ready meals” (he despises the term). When I asked him to justify why his fish pie now costs around £10 for two people, he gave me the usual spiel about rising costs etcetera, then asked: but why are we so obsessed with paying less and less for food? If we care about the quality of the produce, the impact on the environment and fair pay for the people that work in the industry, shouldn’t we be prepared to pay a bit more? For those lucky enough to be in the contingent that can afford fish and chips, £2 curry sauce might not be the hill to die on. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s outrageous. But I don’t blame the restaurants. Next time you’re in Padstow, a little understanding, perspective and kindness would go a long way. Read More London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?

Against all odds, London’s food scene is still thriving. Proof is in the unfathomable number of new restaurants that open every week in the capital, and the thousands of diners still clamouring for a booking. It’s almost impossible to keep on top of. But, as a professional eater (or, more aptly, snob), here’s a non-exhaustive list of favourites that have sparkled in the past 12 months. Some of our recommendations are as follows. Get elbow-deep in a steaming cauldron of seafood at Brat-famous Tomos Parry’s Mountain in Soho (the only one to earn five stars from us, if the accolade exists). Gorge on goat curry in The Good Front Room, Dom Taylor’s well-earned prize for winning Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen. Go classic at Paris-abroad eatery 64 Goodge Street or Mayfair’s grandiose 20 Berkeley, an ode to the brilliance of British produce. Or have fun at Papi, the new home for pandemic troublemakers Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr. There’s much more, and surely more to come. Stay tuned (and hungry). Mountain ★★★★★ Brat is back. Well, more specifically, its head chef and co-founder Tomos Parry is, with his new opening Mountain, in Soho. The formula is much the same as what gave the 2018 hit its cult status: wood-fired cooking combining Spanish influences with Parry’s Welsh heritage, plus excellent wine. Well, if it ain’t broke… And it certainly ain’t. Sobrasada toasts with honey and guindilla pepper pray at the altar of salt, spice, smoke and fat. I never thought a bowl of tripe would get people so excited, but apparently it does. A spider crab omelette, its innards submissively oozing out like one of those satisfying TikTok videos, has even the egg-adverse at the table gleefully tucking in. Another in our party, fists to the table, demands bread – baked onsite, of course, the butter organic, cultured, from Cardigan. But among many myriad must-haves, there is one that’s truly worth shelling out for: the Anglesey lobster caldereta (£90 for three to four or £120 for four to five). A steaming cauldron (hence the name) of charcoal-roasted Welsh lobster chunks bathing in a broth made satiny from the velvet crab and grilled salt cod stock. Get elbow deep, don’t wear white, let them demand bread. If turbot put Brat on the map, this is the dish that will define Mountain. And just like that, Brat grew up. There’s no elbow-grazing Shoreditch hipsters here, for one thing. Everything that made its younger sibling over-hyped (my DMs are closed) makes Mountain glorious. Take your friends, take your dates, or both, order the hits, go off-menu for wine, then saunter off into Soho for the evening quite content. 6-18 Beak St, London, W1F 9RD | mountainbeakstreet.com| bookings@mountainbeakstreet.com The Good Front Room ★★★★☆ The lack of variety in London’s melting pot of fine dining cuisines has long been a point of contention and one that hardly needs arguing. Do we really need another French bistro? It’s possible to get bored of bon bons and beurre blanc, believe me. What’s not boring is curried goat that falls apart at the slightest tap of a fork in a sauce as thick as blood, mopped up with still warm roti bread or smeared with fingers or straight-up slurped from the bowl. Can I take a bath in it? Salt cod and ackee (that oddly savoury, scrambled egg-like fruit) fish cakes with confit garlic and scotch bonnet aioli. A single dark rum-caramelised king prawn in a nest of dasheen salad and coconut sambal. Unwrapping a banana leaf like a gift to find ginger marinated sea bream. Even dessert has me salivating at the memory: a toasted spiced bun with sweet blue cheese, sour cherries and plantain chutney. Dessert should always have a hint of savoury. No, I’m not in Brixton. I’m in The Good Front Room at the five-star West End hotel The Langham, chef Dom Taylor’s prize for winning Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen, in a room with ceilings as high as a church, rubbing elbows with punters more familiar with paying £200 for dinner than under £20. Taylor’s real triumph, though, is his menu, inspired by Caribbean flavours and a south London upbringing, which is the perfect cure for fine dining’s chronic case of aridity in the capital. Curried goat belongs here. It’s also the best possible justification for never seeing a French menu again. 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA | langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/london/good-front-room | 020 7636 1000 64 Goodge Street ★★★★☆ In a world full of innovations, sometimes it’s nice to revel in the classics. And call me Jackie Collins but is there anything as classic as a vol-au-vent? They’re still enjoying their moment in the sun and it shines particularly brightly at 64 Goodge Street, the newest opening from the Woodhead Restaurant Group, who can be reliably called upon for reliably brilliant eateries. Actually, it’s pretty dimly lit at 64 in a Parisienne sort of way – sans red and white tablecloths – which is precisely the point. To steal a phrase from Diana Henry, it’s hard to eat this well in Paris. The aforementioned vol-au-vent is thankfully not stuffed but exists as an extremely fluffy mopping up tool for the very French sauce américaine. The lobster tail that comes with it might be one of the best I’ve had. Elsewhere on the French classics bingo card are snail, bacon and garlic (need I say more?) bon bons, which are teed up like gooey golf balls. Nicoise makes a rare appearance, but correctly dumps tuna for rabbit. What would a counterfeit French bistro be without beurre blanc? This one is thicc and slides under perfectly plump scallops and lentils. Sea bass or saddle of lamb are tempting, but instead we mistakenly tuck into overly salty squab pigeon, which is somewhat rectified by a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Really, it’s the exclusively burgundy wine list that got me through the door. I don’t want to develop a habit of eating my words but perhaps there’s room for one more excellent French restaurant in London. Already in its groove when I visit just a week after opening, 64 Goodge Street could be it. Head chef Stuart Andrew has nailed French food without the faff – just don’t look at the bill and it’s no different to dining in Paris. 64 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4NF | 64goodgestreet.co.uk | 020 3747 6364 20 Berkeley ★★★★☆ Eschewing the kitsch party-restaurant theme that seems compulsory in this part of town, Mayfair’s 20 Berkeley promises “the feeling of being in a home, the British Isles your back garden”. Well, if your home is an enormous Georgian-era country manor house in central Mayfair, that is. Navigate this veritable warren and unfold the origami-style menu, though, and you’ll realise this isn’t the same kettle of fish as, ahem, Sexy Fish, Amazonico, Annabel’s or Bacchanalia, to name a few of its noisy neighbours. If the menu is a love letter to excellent British produce, then the language of love is a plump scallop scantily clad in a sliver of lardo, canoodling a hot-in-the-middle black pudding tortellino in a bath of foamy sorrel veloute. It’s the crunch of a deep fried courgette blossom, the slick ooze of the smoky cheese within, a lick of elderflower honey. It’s gently teasing the flesh of a slow-grilled turbot away from the bone, using confit potatoes dribbled in aioli to mop up its juices. We longed for the Herdwick lamb, jutting pink and proud from a tomato fondue, or the brazenly butch rib-eye that prompts sighs of content from a neighbouring table. Alas, bellies full, we allow the Nipperkin bar below and its serious slinger of seriously good cocktails Angelos Bafas (formerly of personal favourite Soma in Soho), to envelop us. First a highball concoction of whisky, meadowsweet, strawberries, Earl Grey and strawberry “paper”, then martinis that don’t mess around, and then… I forget. You know it’s a night to remember when you simply don’t. Mayfair has been calling out for a place like this, and thank god 20 Berkeley answered. 20 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8EE | 20berkeley.com | 020 3327 3691 Papi ★★★★☆ My visit to Papi, from Hot 4 U’s Matthew Scott and Wingnut Wines’ Charlie Carr, in London Fields, turned out to be a lesson in why pairing your guest with the restaurant is just as essential as pairing Cab Sav with steak. As a not-at-all-cool person, I wanted to bring a cool friend along to cool new Papi – not realising the menu was so heavily seafood focused and forgetting her aversion to anything remotely fishy. At the two-chef counter, within bantering distance of Scott and co, I had a front row seat to all the delicious things we weren’t ordering. A mound of clams drenched in bright, briny red pepper romesco. Huge langoustines, naked but for dashi vinegar and roe. Oysters… sigh. And though I am forced to make decidedly unfishy choices, the food, as the kids say in the part of town, slaps. Rebel coppa with mustard seeds gets us salivating. Hunks of winter tomato (better than summer’s, I’ll be taking no further questions) and shredded shiso leaves are glazed in a holy trinity of kecap manis, black garlic and black vinegar. We lick the plate clean. Scott points out a bottle of the stuff on the counter. I consider necking it. I’m happy to be persuaded out of my resentment for garlic bread when a grilled, fermented (squidgy and cute) potato cake topped with whipped ricotta and wild garlic arrives. If the food is fun to eat, the wine is just as fun to drink (when isn’t it?). For guaranteed great vibes with a dose of nostalgia, you’re in the right place. They’re just as serious about food and wine as they are about a good time. Go hungry, get a counter seat, but, most importantly, don’t take someone who doesn’t like seafood. 1F Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3DQ | papirestaurant.com | 07961 911 500 Portrait Review by Lucy Thackray ★★★★☆ It’s possible that you’ve never paid much attention to London’s gallery and museum restaurants, but once you start looking for them, there are many. They’re not the edgiest joints in town, nor somewhere you’d drop in for an impromptu bite. Instead, what they’re great for is a gift – an art fix and a posh lunch or dinner as a day out. I have such a food-and-art pairing in mind when I take my dad to The Portrait, the new Richard Corrigan restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery, the final touch to a major three-year renovation of the gallery that finished in June. It certainly is a glow-up, but the light and minimal design lets the view (which is pretty spectacular) and the food do the talking. Here’s what it has to say: instantly intriguing things about artichoke with crab mayonnaise and kombu, “snails bolognaise” over conchigliette, a duck heart vol au vent, pig’s trotter with borlotti beans and something described only as “cauliflower, yeast, seeds” (we skip that one). Much of it is what you’d expect from Corrigan – earthy flavours from the UK and Ireland, plenty of fish and veg, but with a few curiosities thrown in. With dainty-portioned mains at £22-32, there are no bargain bites, but the style of food and the option of set menus (£28 for two courses, £35 for three) feels nicely suited to an exhibition ticket as a present or treat. A meal here can be as good value and restrained or lavish and decadent as you make it – surely true of any day out in the capital. The Portrait Restaurant, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE | theportraitrestaurant.com | 020 3872 7610 Read the full review here Llama Inn ★★★☆☆ That a pisco sour isn’t the first thing on the menu at Shoreditch’s new modern Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn suggests they might be doing things a little differently. The first cocktail on the list is actually a gin “mini-tini” (a trend I shan’t be supporting) with a blue-cheese stuffed olive, which I’m sure would have made for an interesting aperitif had they not run out of blue cheese on the night. Starting my meal with a shot of brine isn’t my usual modus operandi. Ceviche, anticucho and saltado do abound elsewhere, though, with welcome (and some less so) twists. I’m repeatedly recommended the summer fruits ceviche as the best thing on the menu, though I can’t fathom why as vinegary slices of nectarine and melon leave quite a lot to be desired. They should instead recommend the two anticuchos, the cabbage and the octopus, which are chargrilled to perfection and drizzled with delights: sweet miso on the former, spicy-sour on the latter. We swerve the “un poco de todo” (a bit of everything) section on account of two of the four dishes containing pork and my non-pork-eating guest not being swayed by bok choy salad or courgette stew (an oversight that needs correcting). Instead, we’re stunned by the whole fish patarashca, which comes with a quaffable fruity-spicy curry sauce. But for the Gram, you should get the lomo saltado – a mound of stir-fried beef and fries to be wrapped in scallion pancakes. The NYC outpost might have earnt a Michelin Bib Gourmand, but London’s version could struggle to compete. That said, where Llama Inn ever so slightly misses on food, it makes up for in vibes. The hideaway terrace is a romantic spot to while away the last hours of summer. Better to stick to the theme and order a pisco sour. Llama Inn, 1 Willow Street, London, EC2A 4BH | llamainnlondon.com | reservations@llamainnlondon.com Zapote ★★★☆☆ Modern Mexican isn’t typically a catchline that gets me going. Haunting visits to Chiquitos and Wahaca as a teenager haven’t placed the cuisine high up on my list of frequent cravings. There’s a lot of bad tacos out there. But at Zapote, the brainchild of Mexican chef Yahir Gonzalez and hospitality veteran Tony Geary (you can thank him for Sketch), I’m prepared to eat my words… and a fair few tacos. The tortillas are knocked out fresh every day for the purposes of mopping up smooth and zingy guacamole, surfing under yellowfin tuna and spicy crab (piquant, fishy, delicious), and hosting beef tartare, which comes with a side of roast bone marrow in case you felt the bread-to-meat ratio was off. Arguably its best role is in a basket alongside thick slices of just-charred lamb neck on a smoked aubergine and tamarind puree. Some are hits, others are misses. Cutting a single tortilla in half to share with my date in full view of an open kitchen full of chefs seems like sacrilege, though. Stray from the tacos, however, and Zapote comes into its own. The scallop ceviche, that so overdone dish, here shines with persimmon, orange and grilled corn. Sweet white crab and black bean pozole, served in the shell, initially confuses the palate, then develops in flavour like a polaroid of old Mexico. Baby artichokes that cut like butter are also very good, served with a dollop of pipian verde, that bedrock mole. Wash it down with a Mezcal margarita and you’ll be saying, “Wahaca, who?!” If the food could do with some finessing, so could the setting. A backdrop of terracotta walls, murals and cacti fails to make the extraordinarily large space, formerly occupied by the ill-fated St Leonards, feel as intimate as its menu. When they say there’s a “bar area”, what they mean is they’ve just cordoned off some of the tables with a little curtain. There’s simply more they could do with the space. And yet, where most middling dining experiences put me off a return visit, there was just enough mystery that I could be tempted back. 70 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 4QX | zapote.co.uk | 020 7613 5942 Epicurus Review by Kate Ng ★★★☆☆ Camden has long been known as the spiritual home for misfits. It’s also where punky pair and Israeli chefs Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito have opened their restaurants, The Black Cow and the newer Epicurus, just minutes away from each other. Like its older sister, Epicurus takes its culinary cues from across the pond – this time putting an Israeli twist on the all-American diner. The punny menu includes delights such as the “Oof Gozal” – chicken wings coated in a yellow Amba mango and Scotch bonnet sauce. Despite the fearsome chilli, these wings are barely spicy, favouring the flavour of the Scotch bonnet over the heat. They are incredibly moreish and the fact that your fingers end up being absolutely covered in sauce is only an invitation to get licking. You should also definitely get the “Papi Chulo”, a mix of crunchy deep-fried okra and soft padron peppers covered in spices that come with a lemony-garlicky-chilli aioli for dipping. Another honourable mention goes to the Epicurus single decker burger, which is also available as a double. It contains some of the richest, fattiest ingredients I’ve ever seen between buns, like bone marrow aioli and Baron cheese, and it does border on being a bit too unctuous. Boy, am I glad there’s no calorie counts on this menu. Is it worth elbowing your way through the thronging crowds of Camden Lock Market to get to Epicurus? I think it will be. Never mind the cheap tat and endless boba tea shops, head to Epicurus for a tasty escape. Unit 90, The North Yard, Camden Stables Market, NW1 8AH | epicuruscamden.co.uk | 07843 199560 Read the full review here Casa do Frango ★★★☆☆ Just a few months ago, I was touring the Algarve on the trail of authentic piri piri (I know, it’s a hard life). Days were well spent gorging on the local speciality of reverse-spatchcocked chicken brushed thrice with chilli oil and glugging local vino verde. It rained most of the time, if that helps. Back in London, though, and similar offerings are slim but the weather is much the same. Portuguese, alongside Spanish and those other misunderstood Mediterranean cuisines, and particularly the food of the Algarve is not well represented in the capital. Except at Casa do Frango, which literally translates to “chicken house”, and is strictly Algarvan. Say no more, I’m there, at their newest location in Victoria, to be precise. Don’t expect mind-blowing, out-there cuisine but do expect a truly authentic taste of the Algarve. The perfect order looks like this: order something drenched in their secret recipe piri piri oil to start (the prawns will do) and dip hunks of sourdough into it because… obviously. The main event is the piri piri half chicken (also comes in oregano or lemon and garlic for the spice intolerant/wimps out there). Shred that between two of you along with the African rice – with chorizo, plantain and shards of crispy chicken skin – and a salad, then finish with a chocolate mousse, an Algarvan classic found in most chicken houses. Stay within these strict parameters and you’ll understand why millions of Brits flock to Portugal’s southern tip every year. There’s various other things on the menu and seasonal updates but let’s not pretend like you’re here for anything other than chicken. Like I said, minds won’t be blown but a good time will be had. The wine is also decent – strictly Portuguese with some great Douro Valley reds but the wonderfully acidic world of vino verde, particularly their exclusive Boa Pingo, is worth a visit. Sir Simon Milton Square, London, SW1E 5DJ | casadofrango.co.uk/victoria | 020 3943 7777 | victoria@casadofrango.co.uk Read More The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Seven super simple recipes for each day of National Rice Week Three healthy recipes to get back on track after summer Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change? Budget Bites: Three ways to pimp up university student classics Epicurus: American fast food meets the Middle East in Camden Market