Wild by Tart
Wild by Tart is the long-awaited restaurant from catering duo to the stars, Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison. They cook for the great and the good of the fashion world (including Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Gisele Bündchen, as well as houses like Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Mulberry and Stella McCartney) so news of their new emporium in Belgravia was very welcome: in addition to the restaurant is a deli, shop, bar, coffee kiosk and extensive event space.
The main eatery is finally up and running after a few delays, tucked away behind Victoria station. You walk through the doors into a Tardis: vaulted glass ceilings draw your eyes upwards from the white-washed brick walls and wooden tables to the vast expanse of this 19thcentury former power station and coal store. The interior is complemented by steel lighting offering a gentle glow, a bar area leading to a long open kitchen that's hugged by a counter with high seating, and which looks out onto the ample dining space. It immediately puts you at ease, compared to more cramped, and often frenetic, venues.
The food stays true to Jones and Carr-Ellison’s established style, which means that it’s healthy, wholesome, and smart to boot. They tick all of the seasonal, sustainable, small producer boxes, but retain a decidedly laid-back vibe. You could take or leave the ‘bites’, but the sharing plates are filling in a delicate way. Standouts include trout crudo with tiger’s milk and mezcal, on a spicy bed of avocado, and beef carpaccio with chilli and ponzu. They serve a proper pork chop here – cooked perfectly and plonked triumphantly on the plate with apple and hazelnuts – and the wood-fired pizzetti are pure comfort food. Puddings all have wonderfully fragrant flavours added in (rose, cardomom, bay leaf, garam masala, miso and more), much like the cocktails, which will kick off (or conclude) your evening a treat.
3-4 Eccleston Yards, London, SW1W 9AZ; wildbytart.com
Café Murano Bermondsey
Café Murano is the younger sibling to Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred Murano – a bit more fun and bit less pricey, but just as tasty. With existing sites in Covent Garden and St James (both of which are phenomenal pre-theatre options, by the way), a new one has just opened in Bermondsey. Serving the same regional Italian-style food, it has a larger bar area so that you can make the most of the cichetti – the cheesy mushroom arancini go down particularly well – and, indeed, the Neapolitan cocktail list.
The main menu follows the traditional Italian format, so you can go the whole four-course hog if you’re hungry (sampling starters, pasta, mains and dessert) or you can stick to one big plate of pasta and be done; the cuttlefish, cockle and brown shrimp linguine would do especially nicely with a glass of wine.
184 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3TQ; cafemurano.co.uk
Lina Stores King’s Cross
Speaking of decent Italian places, we were all thrilled when Soho institution Lina Stores opened its first restaurant on Greek Street last year, but the venue, while adorable, is tiny. So we veritably skipped along to the new, shiny, and practically palatial branch in King’s Cross. Just past Central St Martins you’ll spot Lina’s signature minty green hue – a homely reminder of the original deli on Brewer Street, which opened in 1944.
This one combines a restaurant and deli in one, so you can stop for lunch or do a shop, or both. Around this time of year it’s full of festive-looking panettone and other sweet treats, and the shop is a culinary treasure trove of cheese, fresh pasta, cured meats and things you'll have to ask the knowledgeable folks behind the counter to explain. You can grab a sandwich or portion of pasta to go, or you can lounge over your meal, in which case we recommend the thinly sliced tuna with salsa verde, pickle and an anchovy dressing, or the celeriac if in need of a hug: a satisfying lump of it is covered in melted Taleggio and black truffle shavings. Move on to a hearty but sensibly sized plate of carbs – you’ll never be let down by the ragu, and the 30-egg yolk tagliolini is something rather special, too (done with butter, parmesan and yep, more black truffle). Go, enjoy, and you’ll be feeling that fuzzy Christmas spirit in no time.
20 Stable Street, London, N1C 4DR; linastores.co.uk
Blacklock
If you do happen to be in a festive frame of mind, then there's a Christmas burger that blows Pret’s seasonal sandwich out of the water. It’s at the Blacklock restaurants (Soho, City and Shoreditch) and, given their ways with a chop of meat, you can be confident of a chunky cut. They use turkey thighs from Cornwall-based Philip Warren (a family-run butcher’s that supplies some of the best chefs around). Those are rubbed in Christmas spices and put into a brioche bun with a sausage and onion patty, Middle White bacon, cranberry ketchup, and greens.
Available at all sites, it’s not actually written on the menu but is definitely available – you can thank us later.
£12
Various locations; theblacklock.com
The Palomar
And if all this talk of turkey is starting to grate, opt for something totally different at perennial favourite The Palomar – its modern-day Jerusalem ethos offers morish and flavoursome food, in a buzzy atmosphere. First off, they welcomed head chef Omri McNabb this year and, whilst you won’t be denied any beloved dishes, he has slipped a few of his own creations into the menu too: wild sea bass tartare comes picture-perfect in a disc with pickled white carrots and yoghurt ‘caviar’ dotted on top; his chicken livers and sweetbreads are tender and luscious, tempered by peppery rocket, a good dose of chilli and some cooling tahini yoghurt; and his mouth-watering white chocolate tart comes with an astounding apricot sorbet.
This month, slightly larger tables can opt for McNabb’s feasting menu, which features absolutely zero turkey. Instead, you start off with the infamous Kubaneh bread, made for ripping up between you to dunk in tahini and tomato, and other dippy things. You move on to a selection of six dishes that will, between them, get to every bit of your palate, including pork belly rubbed in Turkish coffee and served with amba yoghurt and pistachio, smoked fish stew, glazed octopus, pickled cauliflower, and blackened aubergine. If you still need to book somewhere for a group in December – be it work or pleasure – then get yourselves in here.
£45 per person, for tables 6 – 8
34 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DN; thepalomar.co.uk
Gosnells Tasting Room
You might also be tiring of tepid glasses of Prosecco at this point in the party season. Have you considered mead instead? No, we’re not stuck in Tudor times – there is a company called Gosnells, which produces this honey-based alcohol right here in London. We all know how fashionable bee-keeping is at the moment, so perhaps mead is set to make a (very) long overdue comeback. Either way, give this stuff a go – it’s not syrupy or sickly, and the flavour is lovely and gentle. Lightly sparkling, Gosnells makes a novel but satisfying aperitif and, luckily for you, they are hosting a set of ‘mead marathons’ this month. In other words: your chance to try out a good few.
On 12 and 13 December you can be introduced to Gosnells, plus six other meads, in a guided tasting session, with Tom Gosnell himself available to answer any questions you might have. He'll also be showcasing the 2019 vintage – yes, mead has vintages. It’s only £15 a ticket and will make for a delightfully different evening.
12th & 13thDecember, 7.30-9.30pm
Upstairs at Coal Rooms, 11a Station Way, Peckham Rye Station, London, SE15 4RX; book tickets here
