What is “London Mediterranean” dining? It’s a savvy blend of food from countries along the Mediterranean coast, mostly drawing inspiration from the likes of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy but there are often elements from the likes of Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon too. It is a style that has become immensely popular of late, not just with restaurateurs but diners too.
London Med – to shorten it from the off – is ultimately an amalgamation of cuisines. Menus that take flavours from Provence, an ingredient or two from Sifnos, and then add to them spices from Istanbul. And yes, this has happened for centuries. But there appears to have been a recent(ish) influx of restaurants of this style: super modern, inclusive and perhaps clearer about what comes from where. You might argue that some, like Morchella or Toklas, are roundly built on the notion. Others might be hailed as “modern European” but that seems too broad a brush these days.
