1 | Breddos
Amid the bountiful taquerias now appearing across the capital, none has amassed quite the following that Breddos has over its years of food trucks and pop-ups prior to opening its first restaurant in Clerkenwell, last year. And since that gets so busy, news of its second site is very welcoming indeed. On the outer side of Carnaby's Kingly Court, you'll find more Mexican treats than your appetite will allow, all with a typical Breddos twist: the corn chips are a must to kick off with – get the 'queso fundito' for them, which is just a glorious bowl of melted cheese. Then there are rich crab and bone marrow nachos with a cured egg yolk, an excellent ceviche and a whole list of tacos to peruse. But the larger mains ought not be missed out – all nicely charred, especially the octopus with spring onions, soy and vinegar. Wash it all down with a Margarita and you'll be in clover.
26 Kingly Street, London, W1V 5QD; breddostacos.com
2 | The Flavour Gallery
Prepare for each one of your senses to be roused at once at The Flavour Gallery, which is the brainchild of boozy confectioners Smith & Sinclair. They have created an exhibition along with rose liqueur Lanique that is anything but dull, with interactive artwork entailing headsets, responsive heat levels, lights and smells, and so on. Once you're through that there is, you'll be pleased to hear, a bar: expect edible bubbles, inhalable cocktails and more. Tickets start at £15 for this ideal weekend activity, and you can also go and buy Smith & Sinclair's sweets at their new John Lewis concession, if you're a fan. You'll get a full-on tasting experience first, and they're there until January.
Until 17th December.
The Hoxton Basement, 12 – 18 Drysdale Street, London, N1 6ND; designmynight.com
3 | M Bar & Grill, Twickenham
Now that we are back into rugby season, it's excellent to hear that Twickenham is upping its food game with the third M steak restaurant (the two others are in the City and Victoria). It brings a taste of town out to the suburbs and a decent load of cocktails to boot, served from the beautiful copper bar. Starters are appropriately light for what follows, including some truly refreshing courgette flowers filled with burrata. The steak, as you'd imagine, is heavenly, and as well as the unabashed treat option of Highland Wagyu, there is a full range of more affordable cuts available, that comes from a family farm up in Perthshire. And only a fool would turn down their truffled mac and cheese on the side, which is topped with a lemony crumb. What's more, this place upped the ante on your old match day burger van.
Brewery Lane, Brewery Wharf, Twickenham, TW1 1AA; mrestaurants.co.uk
4 | Pergola Paddington, Winter Terrace
It's happening: we're in winter terrace territory. And we advise easing yourselves in with Pergola in Paddington. Pretty as a picture and lots of fun, it is brilliant for either dates or evenings with friends, and you get to choose from a selection of restaurant concessions. Those winter options are DF / Mexico's tacos, Tonkotsu ramen and devilishly good Patty & Bun burgers, plus a special slice bar from the Made of Dough pizza guys (they're the ones who have a super-slow fermentation process for their dough). They have a 'grab 'n' go' thing going on at Pergola, where you pay for your slices by weight. Sounds like a challenge to us…
5 Kingdom Street, London, W2 6PY; pergolaontheroof.com
