1 | Daube Of Beef @ Le Petit Citron*
An old-fashioned idea, perhaps, and not one readymade for our age of Instagrammable sharing plates and stripped back design aesthetics, but everyone should have a brilliant local French bistro, cooking Gallic classics at decent prices, and these days hardly anyone does. So a warm bienvenue to Le Petit Citron, a superb example of the genre, in Brook Green, West London, steak-sandwiched between Shepherds Bush and Hammersmith, offering clever, cultivated takes on traditional, Provençal-inflected dishes, as well as exceptional service in convivial surroundings. Stand-out orders: Coquilles Saint-Jacques to start and a sensational slow-cooked daube of beef, washed down with a bottle of house red.
98-100 Shepherds Bush Road, London, W6 7PD; lepetitcitron.co.uk
2 | Croque Monsieurs @ Brasserie of Light
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Peg, as he is affectionately becoming known, is just a bit of Christmas bling. But nope: the sparkling Swarovski crystals encrusted on this 24ft Pegasus will not be fading come new year – they form a Damien Hirst creation that protrudes majestically out of the wall in Selfridge’s & Co’s new permanent restaurant, which opened yesterday. Brasserie of Light can be accessed from its own entrance or, during retail hours, via the menswear department, and is run by Caprice Holdings, who are also responsible for Sexy Fish, Balthazar, Scott’s, and the Ivy collection.
Atmospheric mirroring adds to the art deco vibe in the bar, whilst the restaurant is lit by both the vast windows and, of course, Peg’s glistening 30ft wingspan up above. Open from breakfast through until dinner, start with Jenga-style croque monsieurs and healthy juices in the morning, and lead up to punchy G&Ts and lobster spaghettini later on. Prices do not, thankfully, match the mythical beast’s closely guarded (but definitely hefty) value.
Duke Street, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB; brasserie-of-light.co.uk
3 | Martinis & Courgette Fries @ Anthracite
Anthracite is a bar for when you really, really need a stiff drink. As the name would suggest, the interiors are sultry and darkened, with blue velvet banquets waiting in each of the three small and interconnected rooms for you to sink into. The menu is a Martini-lover’s paradise, kicking off with excellent (yet succinct) lists of gins, vodkas and vermouths for you to pick from. There is also a selection of classic cocktails should such specific decision-making skills elude you, and a robust selection of other drinks for you to peruse (whiskies and wines are particularly comprehensive). Food, similarly, is satisfying yet no-nonsense: cheese and charcuterie to line your stomach, and a small range of hot nibbles. If it’s been a truly awful day, line up a Vesper with some courgette fries, which come crispy, steaming hot, and enriched by truffle oil and parmesan.
Great Northern Hotel, King's Cross St Pancras International Station, Pancras Road, London, N1C 4TB; anthracitelounge.com
4 | Oxtail, Mashed Potato, Pied Bleu & Egg Yolk @ El Asador, Sabor
It’s bloody freezing all of a sudden, hence your natural inclination towards hearty and heartening dishes that are rich and warming and gratifying rather than needlessly virtuous. But that doesn’t mean you should stint on quality, so head to Sabor, hidden just off Regent Street. It got its first Michelin star last month and is diving into winter the Spanish way, with rich bean stews and slow-cooked meats served with proper, crusty, bread that sends you into an endless but glorious cycle of dipping to mop up the gravy, then adding gravy to use up the bread, then needing more gravy for the leftover bread, and on and on it goes. But how else to while away a rainy day when the shoppers outside are going mad with this Black Friday nonsense? Order the oxtail with mashed potato, mushrooms and egg yolk – a mesmerising bowl of silkiness slowly swirling around before your eyes – and you will forget you were ever out there shivering and/or swearing at the slow walkers.
35-37 Heddon Street, London, W1B 3BR; saborrestaurants.co.uk
5 | Chops & Cocktails @ Blacklock Shoreditch
And if a good steak is all you’re really after then you can rejoice in the news that Blacklock have opened up in Shoreditch, with their biggest site yet. The original Soho chop restaurant oozes with atmosphere in its tiny, shadowy basement and although slightly bigger, the City one follows the same format; Shoreditch is on the ground floor with many more tables but, never fear, it hasn’t lost its charm. As ever, the cuts of meat won’t disappoint, coming from the incomparable Philip Warren & Son in Cornwall, so get there on the earlier side if you want the full pick of the bunch. Otherwise, you’re always safe (and satiated) with the ‘all in’, which gets you a mound of the boneless chops on top of charred flatbread; order ash-roasted sweet potato and barbecued lettuce with anchovy on the side, and one of the cocktails, many of which come courtesy of the fabulous Slowly Shirley speakeasy in New York.
28-30 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3DZ; theblacklock.com
6 | BOOK: Lanson Gourmet Dining Experience @ The English Grill
Ok, so Christmas is kind of nearby. But it’s still November, people! So a special supper club evening that doesn’t feature pigs in blankets or mince pie-flavoured ice creams and, instead, offers a restrained, traditional dose of class, is very welcome. The English Grill at The Rubens at The Palace hotel in Victoria has teamed up with royal Champagne suppliers, Lanson for a four-course dinner paired with different expressions of the fizz. You start off with king scallops, chorizo and smoked Applewood, moving onto chicken with bubble and squeak and truffle pesto, and more. They’ll treat you like the nobility which resides so close by, and send you on your way with a massive smile on your face. Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for bauble-shaped sausage rolls and glittery smoked salmon, but it’s all just a little premature, n’est-ce pas?
29 November, tickets cost £70 per person
39 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0PS; rubenshotel.com
*Le Petit Citron words by Alex Bilmes.
