Stomach rumbling while you’re wrapped up warm and on the move? Stop by one of the city’s holes in the wall, a window into almost anything you fancy.
Perhaps the most iconic hatch in London is Russell Square’s Cabman’s Shelter. Informally known as Kate’s Cab Hut, non-cabbies are only allowed to order from the window, which serves brilliantly satisfying egg, bacon and sausage sarnies, fuss-free teas and coffees, and sometimes hot roast beef baguettes with lashings of horseradish. Elsewhere, at Bao Borough, hungry souls can cruise by the front of the restaurant for takeaway beers and fluffy signature buns, and down the side of Chip Shop Brixton, there’s everything from Korean chicken wings to slap-up battered cod, chips and mushy peas on offer.
If you’re set on immersing yourself in the hoardes of people at Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday, you’d be a fool not to sling back a dozen British rock oysters and a Bloody Mary via Oyster Boy, hidden among corrugated steel panels on Ezra Street. Meanwhile, for those in the mood for something sweet, Everyday Sunshine in Stoke Newington serves wholly satisfying cinnamon buns from its vibrant yellow door, and at Doughnut Time Notting Hill and Soho, the gargantuan Original Sprinkle vegan doughnuts are never not delicious.
And don’t forget to keep an eye on The Hatch at 100 Shoreditch, which will be announcing a new pop-up food concept soon, as well as the reopening of The Pie Hole at the Holborn Dining Room, and the return of Pleasant Lady on Greek Street, which will hopefully be back to serving Jian Bing Chinese crepes asap.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
All the best events throughout November
5 NOVEMBER
FKABAM has teamed up with hot sauce giant Tabasco to deliver wholly unique pizza to spice and live-fire fiends for one day only. Tickets £18 (resy.com)
6 NOVEMBER
St John, 40ft Brewery and Acme Fire Cult have collaborated on an Eccles Cake Stout again, and they’re throwing a party in E8 to celebrate. (resy.com)
9 NOVEMBER
Bitter Honey author Letitia Clark will be serving up dishes inspired by her homeland, Sardinia, at The Princess Royal. Tickets £50 (designmynight.com)
10-12 NOVEMBER
Exsqueeze me! There’s a Maison Cointreau townhouse coming to Soho. Immerse yourself in the world of the orange liqueur. Tickets £15 (designmynight.com)
15 NOVEMBER
To celebrate the release of her book On the Himalayan Trail, Romy Gill is hosting a Food Behind the Pages supper club and Q&A at Fortnum & Mason. Tickets from £95 (eventbrite.co.uk)
17 NOVEMBER
Get to Maison François for the second ever Croûte Off, where Cadet, Cafe Cecilia, Margot Henderson and more will be battling it out for the best pâté en croûte crown. Tickets from £25 (maisonfrancois.london)
19 NOVEMBER
Other World Wines is teaming up with Clapton Country Club on an night of Ukrainian food, wine and music to raise money for Ukrainian charity Vostok-SOS and Choose Love. £80 (designmynight.com)
23 NOVEMBER
Sushi master Endo Kazutoshi is coming to The Sea, The Sea, Hackney, to showcase his Tokyo-specific Edomae techniques. Tickets £230 (exploretock.com)
24 NOVEMBER
Chef-patron of Sola, Victor Garvey, is serving up a very special one-off Thanksgiving menu to include delica pumpkin pie mousse. £179 (solasoho.com)
PORTUGUESE PERKS
Douglas Blyde imbibes the best beverages served at Lisboeta
Nuno Mendes describes his Charlotte Street restaurant as ‘A love letter to Lisbon, the city I grew up in.’
Previously head chef of Chiltern Firehouse, Mendes once launched a sadly ill-fated wine bar in Spitalfields. Though these days, with assistance from enthusiastic drinks’ consultant Diyerman Castaño Burbano, Mendes is offering an even better selection of Portuguese drinks.
For starters, there’s an exclusive collaboration with Douro winemaking legend Dirk Niepoort, which includes a white port with a label depicting its maker (his eldest son, Daniel), his dog, Pisca, and Mendes himself, and is served brilliantly with tonic and a dash of aromatic fig leaf liqueur. Another heavy-hitter is the Lisboeta Negroni, featuring fruity Ginjinha (or morello liqueur), a repurposed vermouth by Discarded and chocolate bitters which are a delicious nod to how Ginjinha is served in Portugal — as an absolute treat in chocolate cups. The most exciting drinks, however, have a nautical backstory. Mendes is serving ‘emerso’ wines from producer Herdade do Cebolal, which have been aged for 20 months, 20m deep within the Atlantic. The 2020 red Castelão, gently poured from a very barnacle-encrusted bottle, had no trace of salinity within its bright, soft personality and matches excellently with the gently smoked Goan-spiced Vindalho empada. Simply brilhante! (lisboeta.co.uk)
FIVE ALIVE
