1 | Custard Tart & Smoked Caramel @ Two Lights
When The Clove Club announces it’s doing, well, anything really, hungry people ought to take note. So why not pop round the corner to their new project, Two Lights, which is also in Shoreditch and headed up in the kitchen by Chase Lovecky, a former Clove Club chef who brings that modern British style but with American food and an Asian twist, thanks to spells with the Momofuku restaurants in New York and Sydney. There is a giant pizza oven dwarfing the kitchen, which is used not for pizzas but for a snackworthy flatbread topped with “mussels and brussels,” boasting added salty fishiness from a mussel-based sauce; and for charring whole artichokes – order one as a starter and watch it open out like a lotus flower as you pick away at the leaves to unearth the heart, dipping in a creamy sunflower seed miso as you go (staff are tactfully on-hand to assist with suggested technique, if necessary).
Everything is meant to be shared, which is useful from a menu that, though succinct, has more choices than you’ll likely manage. The golden roasted ray wing offers yet more theatre as you prise the meat away from the bone. It is doused in a rich butter beautifully offset by sour pickles and plenty of fragrant dill. And we have full respect for anyone who puts an honest-to-god custard tart on the menu; this one is faithfully done but amped up by its smouldering playmate of deep, smoked caramel – it tastes like bonfires and is scattered with flakes of sea salt.
In case you’ve had a tough week, they’ve come up with a jaunty martini, too.
28 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DA; twolights.restaurant
2 | Rabbit Katsu Bao @ Flesh & Buns Fitzrovia
If you’re a bao bun kind of person, then you’re in luck as Flesh & Buns has opened a second – and bigger – site in Fitzrovia. They've gone big on their cocktails, with a smoky Old Fashioned providing a seasonable amount of novelty and making everyone else around you jealous of the smell. Nibble on the curry and nori popcorn with your drinks, whose umami morishness will see you finishing the pot. Then begin in earnest with some of the raw dishes as a fresh introduction to ready your palate for what’s ahead: the octopus comes in satisfying chunks and the seabass tiradito is crisp and piquant, with a delicate wave of truffle over the top.
And then you get to bao time, ordering whichever meat takes your fancy and constructing your own buns (though you are not obliged to add said carb if hoping for a lighter meal). New to this branch is the rabbit katsu, which is comfortingly like the ubiquitous chicken katsu but with a slightly rounder flavour and juicier meat. That comes with a fennel and apple slaw. Then you’ve got the rather regal seven spice Gressingham duck, with a peach chutney. But the real showpiece is the bath chap: not for the faint-hearted, it is a cut of pork from the cheek and jaw, which is served teeth and all. Another little dose of novelty for you. If that’s a step too far, there are many delectable beef options, including wagyu rump.
32 Berners Street, London, W1T 3LR; fleshandbuns.com
3 | Tom Brown’s Guest Pizza @ Hai Cenato
Pizza time, and the monthly special at Jason Atherton’s Victoria restaurant is always created by exemplary chefs – even Massimo Buttura has taken part – November heralding the turn of Tom Brown, of Cornerstone. It may have only been open for less than a year, but this Hackney restaurant has seriously wowed the capital and in no small part thanks to the potted shrimp crumpet, which you may have glimpsed on Instagram, if nothing else.
And so what else would Brown do for his go at Hai Cenato than an ode to that monumental creation? Brown shrimps tossed in lemon, cayenne pepper and nutmeg will top his pizza, along with gherkins, kohlrabi, ricotta and parsley. It is available for the whole of November and costs £15.50 (£1 of that going to the charity Hospitality Action).
2 Sir Simon Milton Square, London, SW1E 5DJ; haicenato.co.uk
4 | Texel Lamb @ Rotunda
There is a practically audible hum around King’s Cross thanks to the opening of the Coal Drops Yard development, but don’t forget the other residents of this burgeoning area of London. In particular, Rotunda, has just undergone a massive refurbishment and is celebrating with a new menu as well. It is the smart restaurant and bar on the ground floor of King’s Place (home to the music venue and Guardian offices) which backs onto the Regent’s Canal. The sleek and warming new décor makes for a slinky winter option with its shiny bar top (behind which the chefs work), golden hanging lamps and teal velvet furnishings. Oh, and the meat cabinet, which is well worth an ogle.
This is not, however, a place purely for carnivores as the salt-baked heritage beetroot starter would make anyone happy, served with torched goat’s cheese, flecks of pomegranate and crunchy hazelnuts: proper cold weather tastes. But if meat is indeed your thing, then you'll love what comes down from their Northumberland farm, such as the hulk of beef short rib, which reaps the benefits of its slow-cooking but still retains a gratifying texture with a little something to chew. And the Texel lamb has a fantastic flavour, complemented by crispy, earthy cavolo nero, shallot onion rings fried in a delicate batter and an anchovy dressing.
King’s Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG; rotundabarandrestaurant.co.uk
5 | BOOK: Ruth Rogers @ Chucs Serpentine
Before the madness of Christmas parties ensues, give yourself a special occasion to look forward to by booking into a one-night only event later in November, when The River Café comes to the Serpentine Gallery for a special supper club in the resident restaurant, Chucs: The River Café’s legendary chef and owner, Ruth Rogers, will use Chucs Serpentine's cuisine as inspiration for the four course feast. Set within the late Zaha Hadid’s pavilion, you needn’t doubt that your dinner will look as well as taste amazing, but what you should worry about is nabbing yourself a seat.
20 November; for tickets, email sara@chucsrestaurants.com
Serpentine Sackler Gallery, West Carriage Drive, London, W2 2AR; chucsrestaurants.com; rivercafe.co.uk
