London is a gastronomic cornucopia, a city blessed with uniquely diverse cuisines and dining styles. From Michelin-level fine dining to street food, we can proudly boast the finest restaurants from across the globe. This week alone I visited South Africa (in Peckham), Japan (in Soho) and France (Bob Bob Ricard in the Leadenhall Building). Here’s what I thought.
KUDU
Deepest, darkest Peckham: a place for the young and cool, and historically home to limited quality dining options. But Kudu is a haven amid the unwashed (streets). It’s soon to relocate to the much more approachable Marylebone, where Wheely chauffeurs are happy to travel and the roads are always swept.
But for now, Peckham is the only option. Unable to get an Uber to stray so far, I opted for the eastbound Overground. Station by station, as more tattooed folk and dangerous looking dogs joined my carriage, my expectations of the meal ahead dropped. My prejudices, however, were wholly unfounded as the restaurant delivered an exceptional dining experience. This is a skilled kitchen offering a well balanced menu with measured exotic elements. It is worthy of its Bib Gourmand, which it has held since 2019.
Kick off with the Kudu bread accompanied with melted butters of bacon or prawn. The smoked prawn cruller is a perfect mouthful, lifted by miso and dill. The agnolotti, clearly homemade, is silky and sticky while a roasted scallop, perched upon a custard of malay chawanmushi, pickled inoki mushroom and a coral tuille, is a show-stealer.
We finished the experience with a beautiful pork tomahawk. Smeared in chilli chimichurri, it tasted sublime. I cannot comment on its appearance as the lights had gone out in the garden, which only added to the sense of authenticity, reminding me of the Cape Town ‘load shedding’ power cuts. The wine list is a strong (if short) representation of South Africa and the Glenelly Stellenbosch Syrah (£49) hit the spot nicely. I can’t wait until it opens in Marylebone.
KANPAI CLASSIC
This week my Evolv Collection opened a Japanese/Pan Asian restaurant at 100 Wardour Street with chef Scott Hallsworth, who held the head chef position when Nobu London was number 12 in the World’s 50 Best list. It has a fantastic menu, with amazing flavours prepared in an innovative and irreverent manner, served in a relaxed and sexy setting (as one would expect in a Sir Terence Conran venue). Ahead of the launch, I wanted to try the Tokyo inspired Kanpai a few doors away…
I’d heard three things about this venue: it is expensive (true); the décor is strange (true); and the steak is amazing (false). My friend and I left the uncomfortably warm restaurant £600 out of pocket after a ten course tasting experience. The dinner reached a climax with a sweating waitress cutting up a beautiful looking grade A5 Wagyu into cubes with a pair of blunt scissors in a dark, airless basement. I left in a dark mood. The bottle of Puligny Montrachet Alain Chavy 2017 (£180), despite being served ten degrees too warm, was the only shining light.
BOB BOB RICARD CITY
I have long-admired Bob Bob Ricard restaurant for its unapologetic ambition, decadence and design, the latter surely a nod to the legendary Le Train Bleu restaurant in Gare de Lyon station in Paris. The ‘Press for Champagne’ doorbells are legendary and the addition of a caviar tasting menu feels entirely appropriate.
The sense of being on a journey begins as you enter the restaurant through a tunnel of Methuselahs showcasing the best of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne. One’s buttocks begin to tighten as you anticipate the adventure that Nico, debonaire and charming sommelier, is about to embark upon with you. It won’t be cheap but you will remember it forever. The food is more unassuming: in fact, the truffle and Champagne ‘Humble Pie’ (£24) was a generous and tasty bargain.
Prior to sharing a pie and porterhouse we kickstarted with a bottle of Pommery Apanage Blanc de Blanc (£155) and the aforementioned caviar tasting of Oscietra, Kaluga and Beluga, served on plump blinis fresh out of the oven.
I recommend a bottle of Joseph Drouhin Volnay 2018 (£149) which is most pleasant served with a lobster, scallop and shrimp pelmeni (a delightful dumpling to you and I) and the perfect precursor to some outstanding Irish beef.
Toast the City
Finally, as the Toast the City Awards nominations period comes to a close, it would be rude not to reflect on the culinary riches we share in the City. I recommend this reflection is made on an Evolv Collection roof terrace; Madison, overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral, Coq d’Argent shadowing the Royal Exchange or the roof bar at Angler. So grab a glass of Mirabeau and get your votes in now!