No Reservations - Soho

Soho's food scene has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and Londoners now have a long list of outstanding, affordable eateries to choose from right in the centre of town. However, you do have to be careful where you go as the trend for no reservations, championed by the likes of Polpo, Burger & Lobster and Barrafina, is still going strong.  Queuing is what we English do best though. Here are ten restaurants worth getting in line for:

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1) Bao - one of the hottest restaurants in London right now. Street food heroes Bao have settled down in a tiny space in Soho serving up their signature steamed buns and Taiwanese dishes. Queues start building before it opens at 12 for lunch and 5.30 in the evening, but it's worth the wait.  Don't miss the Pig Blood Cake or the Fried Chicken Bao.

53 Lexington St, Soho, W1F 9AS - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5.30-10

Bao on Matt The List // www.baolondon.com

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2) Pizza Pilgrims - another street food team turned permanent, Pizza Pilgrims quickly took over Franco Manca as the sourdough pizza darlings of London. There are two Soho sites (Dean St. & Kingly Court) so there's never much of a wait for a table. I rarely make it past the Salsiccia e Friarielli on the menu, with some deep fried mac'n'cheese ragu balls and a shot of their very own Pococello on the side. Oh, and there's table football in the basement of the Kingly Court site. The Dean Street site does allow two bookings per night for groups of 8 or more in "The Crypt".

11 Kingly St, London, W1B 5PW - Mon–Sat: 11.30–10.30 / Sun: 12–9.30

11 Dean St, Soho W1D 3RP - Mon–Sat: 11.30-10.30 / Sun: 12–9.30

Pizza Pilgrims on Matt The List // pizzapilgrims.co.uk

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3) Smoking Goat - take a bib and night vision goggles. Smoking Goat is a smoky, messy affair, and you'll most likely come out covered in crab or some other fantastic modern Thai twist plus plenty of eau de BBQ. The menu changes regularly but Fish Sauce Wings are usually there to start you off. You can book the "Lazy Susan Feasting Room" apparently, but otherwise it's time for another wait.

7 Denmark St, Soho, WC2H 8LZ - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5-12 / Sun: 12-9

Smoking Goat on Matt The List // smokinggoatsoho.com

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4) Blacklock - one stop shop for all the chops. Blacklock from ex-Hawksmoor folk has quickly built up a large fan base who get in line for chops cooked over charcoal with Blacklock irons. Go all in for £20 to get pre-chop bites, and a huge plate of the day's skinny chops piled on top of chargrilled flatbread.  You can reserve for lunch or for tables of 6 or more in the evening - huzzah!

The Basement, 24 Great Windmill St, Soho, W1D 7LG - Mon-Fri: 12-3, 5-11.30 / Sat: 12-11.30

Blacklock on Matt The List // theblacklock.com

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5) Flat Iron - Flat Iron in Beak Street has been around longer the most on this list but the queues are still there. A second site in Denmark Street has helped to alleviate the crowds. A beautiful £10 flat-iron steak is the reward for the wait (a lively basement bar with St John doughnuts in Beak St. makes time fly). Keep an eye out for Flat Iron burger specials.

Photo taken from Flat Iron Facebook page

9 Denmark St, Soho, WC2H 8LS - Mon-Sun: 12-11

17 Beak St, Soho, W1F 9RW - Mon-Sun: 12-11

flatironsteak.co.uk

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6) Barrafina - The most serious restaurant on the list, Barrafina in Frith Street was recently awarded a Michelin-star for their outstanding tapas.  Once you are in, it's relaxed and fun counter dining, and the food is phenomenal. There are two more sites in Adelaide St and Drury Lane, but I suggest starting with the original.

54 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SL - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5-11 / Sun: 1-3.30, 5.30-10

Barrafina Drury Lane on Matt The List // barrafina.co.uk

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7) Bone Daddies - Bone Daddies arrived early to the London ramen scene before it exploded, and their rock'n'roll Peter Street joint still draws the crowds. Multiple visits are required to work through their range of ramens. Their late night menu 10.30-11.30 Thu-Sat might be a clever way to avoid queuing. They have recently opened a second site in High Street Kensington and also run Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden and Soho popup Shackfuyu.  A third outpost in Old Street should be open by the end of 2015.

Photo from Bone Daddies Facebook page

Mon-Wed 12-3, 5.30-11 (Mon-10) / Thu-Sat: 12-11.30 / Sun: 12-9.30

31 Peter St, London W1F 0AR

www.bonedaddies.com

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8) Pitt Cue Co - another oldie in relative terms, Pitt Cue Co is an outstanding, 30-seater BBQ joint that started life on the street food scene under Hungerford Bridge.  Get a drink in the bar while you wait before heading downstairs for all the meat and bone marrow mash. Exclusive hire is available on a Sunday night.

Photo Credit : Paul Winch-Furness

1 Newburgh St, Soho, London W1F 7RB - Mon-Sat: 12-3, 5.30-11 / Sun 12-4

www.pittcue.co.uk

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9) Balls & Company - the newest addition to the list is a meatballs focused joint from Australian Masterchef 2012 finalist Bonny Porter. It's been an instant hit with its simple but superbly executed menu, and the basement bar is a great spot for a drink whilst waiting for a table. Groups of 8+ can reserve tables, but there's not a lot of space! Don't miss the Wagyu meatballs or the Brownie with Persian Fairy Floss.

58 Greek St, Soho, London, W1D 3DY - Mon-Sat: 12-11

Balls & Company on Matt The List // ballsandcompany.london

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10) Polpo - Restaurateur Russell Norman's original Venetian bacaro in Soho was an early proponent of the no reservations theory, and Londoners continue to flock to Beak Street for ciccheti and spritzes in a stylish space. There are now six Polpo sites in London, and chef director & founder Tom Oldroyd recently left the company to open his own neighbourhood restaurant Oldroyd in Islington which has been earning him rave reviews.

41 Beak Street, Soho, W1F 9SB - Mon-Sat: 12-11 / Sun: 12-10

Polpo Notting Hill on Matt The List // www.polpo.co.uk

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Notable omissions:

10 Greek Street, Duck Soup, Burger & Lobster, Koya Bar, Honest Burgers, Spuntino

I'll see if I can scramble together a Yes Reservations post soon...

Trinity - Pizza Pilgrims - Basement Sate

Wednesday 3rd September - A return to Clapham Common for another leisurely lunch with my parents. Last time out, The Dairy swept us off our feet.  How would Adam Byatt's Trinity do? 

We arrived hungry at 12.30 and found, for a while at least, that we had a dining room all to ourselves, with windows opening out on to a sunny Clapham pavement.  Yes, that is Starbucks, not a delightful independent coffee shop.  Give Clapham a few months.

We went straight for the lunch menu.  2 courses for £22 or 3 for £27 (Tuesday-Saturday).  A La Carte is of course available, or you can go for the £50 tasting menu.  We ordered a trio of greengage bellinis (one boozy, one water, one lemonade) which were accompanied by a complimentary snack box of radishes, cheese sticks with olive tapenade and roe mayonnaise.

Greengage Bellini

Complimentary snacks - radish, olive tapenade cheese sticks, roe mayonnaise

More treats turned up before the starters - a bowl of sourdough that was the product of 14 years of fermentation (!) and triple whipped butter.  This threatened to steal the show, and seconds were ordered. Funnily enough, the only other place I have been served butter on a rock since starting this blog was at The Dairy round the corner.  Clapham knows how to serve its bread.  I shall be triple whipping my butter from now on, but I'm not waiting 14 years for the perfect sourdough.

14 year fermented sourdough with triple whipped butter

The starters soon made their grand entrance.  Staff were balletic in their approach to serving, with plates going down in unison as details of the dish were almost whispered to the relevant diner.  A quail's egg sat atop a fort of potted smoked trout whilst watercress soup was poured all around - great presentation with flavours to match.  My mother meanwhile had a generous portion of Vitello Tonnato (a Piedmontese dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a tuna-flavoured mayonnaise) which was wrapped around bobby beans, with crackling and ravigote (a lightly acidic, classic French sauce).  Could Trinity keep up this high level throughout?

Watercress Soup, Potted Smoked Trout, Quail's Egg

Vitello Tonnato, Bobby Beans, Crackling, and Ravigote

There was no sign of a dip in quality (or quantity) in the mains.  That second portion of bread might have been a mistake (I said might).  Beautifully cooked warm roast salmon with bonus crispy skin, leaning on a spaghetti of vegetables, was surrounded by al dente agnolotti (another import from Piedmont, beef and vegetable stuffed pasta) and a crab vinaigrette.  Wow.  I might have to rush back for more before the menu changes with those pesky seasons.

Warm Roast Salmon, Agnolotti, Crab Vinaigrette, Spaghetti of Vegetables

My Dad's plate of Lamb Offal was an impressive sight - not something that I would order, but right up his street.  It firmly got the thumbs up, an empty plate telling most of the story.  If you've got lunch plans to eat at Heston's Dinner (£39 for 3 courses, 2 Michelin stars), it might be time to change the booking.  

Lamb Offal: Liver, Kidney & Sweetbread, Fricassé of Peas, Lettuce and Onions

After a brief discussion about sharing desserts, we greedily ordered three separate bowls, spurred on by the superb staff's enthusiasm for their favourite pudding making it back on to the menu. 

That enticing, inverted fried egg looking thing you can see is a Valrhona Chocolate Hot Pot with Salt Caramel Ice Cream.  Granted, the salted caramel struggled to compete with the gooey, rich Valrhona chocolate, but who cares?  I was ultimately defeated, but I ate way more of it than I should have.  

And then they went and brought us some macaroons on a bed of cocoa nibs.  I managed to fit one in - only polite, right?

Valrhona Chocolate Hot Pot with Salt Caramel Ice Cream

Macaroons on a cocoa nib bed

As you might have noticed, we were rather happy with our lunch.  Not just the food and drink though as the service was second to none.  I shouldn't think it will be too long before we are back for the tasting menu. Well done Trinity, you (and The Dairy) are doing Clapham and South London proud.

N.B.  Trinity has some unexpected opening times: Lunch is served Tue-Fri 12.30-2.30pm, Sat midday-2pm, Sun midday- 3.30pm. Dinner is served Mon-Sat: 6:00-10pm.  On Monday bank holidays Trinity is also open for lunch.

P.S. Adam Byatt has another restaurant, Bistro Union, on the charming Abbeville Road. I might go along for a Sunday Supper Club evening when corkage is free.

Right, now, don't judge me, but there's a chance I was hungry again a few hours later.  Ahead of a bar launch, Natalie and I decided to check out the new Pizza Pilgrims Pizzeria & Friggitoria in Kingly Court, already being very familiar with their Neapolitan pizzas from street food events and their Dean Street home.

I won't go in to too much detail, as you can read about their original pizzeria here, but I will mention a few new things.  Firstly, space! They have lots of it, including plenty outdoors in Kingly Court and also downstairs, where there is a full-on Super Mario mural.  An arcade machine (supposedly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is soon to be added there too.  

Coffee. They have a separate little coffee outpost next to the pizzeria with their friends at Terrone Coffee Roasters, who run a popular stall at Netil Market.  The Terrone owner, Edy Piro hails from just outside Naples, so that's all good.

Booze.  Collaborating with Chase Distillery, they have crafted Sohocello, their own take on Limoncello with Luigi Aceto’s Amalfi lemons & Chase English potato spirit. They have also sensibly sourced some exciting Italian beers from Birra del Borgo, a brilliant brewery.  It's about time Londoners knew that Italians make more than just Peroni.

Friggitoria.  Not content with nailing the art of pizza, they have turned their hands to frying, including Pizza Fritta (mini deep-fried calzones), Carciofi Fritti (deep fried artichoke hearts with rosemary salt) and best of all Frittatine di Maccheroni (macaroni cakes with parmesan, ragu & buffalo mozzarella).

Outdoor seating in Kingly Court

Pizza Pilgrims & Chase Distillery Sohocello

I did manage a bit of food after my epic lunch.  We shared a Salsiccia & Friarelli pizza (Bianca base, fresh fennel sausage, wild broccoli, parmesan, basil, olive oil  time- hard not to order this one every time) and a cup of those fried macaroni cakes.  I'm happy to report that the pizzas are still of the highest quality even though James & Thom are spreading themselves thinner with two sites and various street food commitments. And the Frittatine di Maccheroni were everything I hoped for, and oh so healthy.

Salsiccia e Friarelli Pizza

Frittatine di Maccheroni

It's good to see them expanding, especially as now there's space for everyone.  Kingly Court is clearly the place to be, with fun foodie neighbours like Stax, Rum Kitchen, and Wright Brothers already settled.  Senor Ceviche is the next arrival on the horizon.

Pizza Pilgrims next residency adventure is at the three month pop-up that has been causing quite a stir, Swingers.  No, not a leave your keys in a bowl affair, but a MINI GOLF / BAR. I'm pretty excited.  Book your tickets here before they are all gone.

That's enough food for one day, I think.  To balance it out, we made our way over to Broadwick Street for the launch of Basement Sate, a cocktail and dessert bar (that's a thing now) in the space that Soho institution The Player used to inhabit.

It's a good-looking bar - all dark wood, red brick and low lighting (to the extreme), plus a very funky back bar arrangement with spirits on small stepladders.

The booze and pudding idea is down to Dublin born Cathleen McGarry, co-owner of the excellent Sherry Butt in Paris.  The 12 strong cocktail list has been devised by Byly Tran (Prescription Club), and Dorian Picard (Club Gascon) is the pastry chef behind the puddings.  Enough name dropping for you? Expectations were understandably high.

After a bit of a scrum at the busy bar, I started with a moreish Arboriculturist (Calvados, Cinnamon & Pear Syrup, Sherry - £10) - boozy fruit with more than a hint of Christmas.  My bottle of Calvados is normally reserved solely for making many a Sidecarriage, but I might just have to branch out if someone divulges the specifics.  

Next up was Eagle in the Tub (Gin, White Port, Fernet Branca, Ginger Ale - £11) which didn't stick in the memory, but long drinks aren't really my thing.

The unlikely winner for me was Beet Me Up (£11), a fiery mix of vodka, beetroot, ginger and Moscato d'Asti. My vodka bottles rarely get an outing from the drinks cabinet (mostly when Big Lebowski is on) but now I have a new excuse.  Another recipe needed please.

There's plenty more fun to be had on the short menu including Patrick the Wombat (Rosemary-infused Tequila, Aperol, Umeshu, Grapefruit - £10), Prairie Meuh Meuh (Cognac, Suze, Punt e Mes - £11) and Salty Granny (Japanese Whisky, Wakame-infused Vermouth, Granny Smith syrup - £13).  

Arboriculturist - Calvados, Cinnamon & Pear Syrup, Sherry

On the dessert front, we tasted three miniature versions, but below are some photos of the real deal for you to gawp at.  London - Brest (black sesame choux, praline cream, "hidden" hazelnut, tonka creme anglaise) was the mini winner on the night, but I'd have to have the £10 full version before I could really pass judgement.  It will be interesting to see whether the desserts get as much attention as the cocktails over the next few weeks.

Others of particular interest on the menu:

Bulle - spiced blood orange sphere, Visitandine biscuit, passion fruit gel, Granny Smith foam £9

Mille Feuille Fromage & Truffle - filo pastry, truffled cream cheese, honey&rosemary, pine nut pesto £11

Raviole - cocoa ravioli, raspberry ginger cream, cassis chocolate truffle, gin & citrus gel £12

London - Brest (black sesame choux, praline cream, "hidden" hazelnut, tonka creme anglaise) 

Vacherin (Lime meringue, basil cream, strawberry sorbet, cranberry and orange coulis)

It's a bizarre concept, though similar projects such as After Hours Dessert and The Pudding Bar have proved to be very popular, and the bartending is strong enough without the additional sweet course, so I'm sure Basement Sate will do well.  I will probably avoid returning on the weekend when a "high-octane party atmosphere" is promised - a chilled out jazz vibe midweek sounds more up my street.  Take your pick.

Upstairs at Nancy's - Sager + Wilde - Hawker House - Night Tales

Saturday 9th November - 2013 may well be remembered as the year that Street Food really started to take over the London food scene.  Billed by some as "The Summer of Grub", we were spoiled with markets, popups and events all over the city.  But what happens when it gets cold outside? Surely the restaurants, bars and pubs will come into their own again? Not if Street Feast, Night Tales and Kerb have got anything to do with it.  Both Street Feast and Night Tales launched their Winter popups two weeks ago, so I got on the trusty Orange Line to the far East.  To break up the journey to Broadway Market, I made a couple of stops along the way, starting with a new bar on Shoreditch High Street.

Upstairs at Nancy's is a cosy little bar, tucked away above the excellent Crown & Shuttle pub near Shoreditch High Street. There are only a few tables so don't leave it too late.  It has been smartly done up with fake shop fronts to give the impression of sitting outside on a Victorian street.  I met List Leader Natalie and Team List debutant for a quick drink after their disappointing trip to the overhyped Experimental Food Society Spectacular at The Old Truman Brewery.

The drinks menu is short but interesting.  There are bottled beers from London breweries such as Five Points, Partizan, Redchurch and Weird Beard.  Red and white wine are both served directly from barrels.  For £8.00 you can have one of their two barrel aged cocktails, The London Negroni (Kamm & Sons Ginseng Spirit, Vermouth and Gin) or Nancy (Kamm & Sons, Vermouth and Mezcal).  Food comes from the Crown & Shuttle downstairs.

They are now taking bookings for Christmas at Nancy's, a festive banquet for £40 which includes a great deal of food, and spiced mulled wine or mead on arrival.  It would be a unique place to have a Christmas dinner - book now!

Our next stop was Sager + Wilde on Hackney Road, halfway to Broadway Market from Hoxton Overground.  I tried to pop in to this lovely wine bar on my last crawl around the area, but they shut rather early at 11pm to appease their new neighbours.  Hopefully they will be able to extend this in the New Year once they have settled in.

Sager + Wilde are Michael and Charlotte Sager-Wilde who ran a very popular wine bar popup at the end of 2012.  They have now found a permanent home, and they haven't skimped on the design. We were very taken with the pavement light bar top.  There is a Daily Menu with affordable wines and fizz, available by the glass and bottle, and a slightly more pricey Market List with the likes of Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Domaine Henri Boillot 2005 Burgundy at £148. Takeaway is £10 off the list price. There are some interesting bottled beers, as well as a few cognac, sherry and vermouth options.  To eat, there are grilled cheese sandwiches, tartines, charcuterie, cheese, snacks and even ice cream.

We were well looked after at the bar by Michael on our brief visit, who started by pouring us some free sparkling water which he struggles to give away as most people think they have to pay for it.  Cassie went for a glass of the Prosecco Di Valdobbiadene 'Bottle Fermented' Zuchetto 2012 Veneto and I greatly enjoyed my white Macon Uchizy Talmard 2011 Burgundy. I highly recommend paying these guys a visit, and staying longer than we did! I will be back.

Our 3rd stop of the evening was Street Feast's latest popup, Hawker House - an indoor night market with street food, hot cocktails, a whisky bar, beer, wine, DJs and, as they would say, good vibes. It is open every weekend until the 14th of December (when they will hopefully have a Christmas party of some kind).  It is open from 5pm-2am (hooray for the late license!) every Friday & Saturday - £3 entry between 7pm and midnight and free otherwise.  We were joined by Team List regular Lauren and Broadway Market locals Olly & James who bizarrely decided to cycle 30 seconds down the road from their flat.

After a short queue in the cold, we made our way indoors to the toasty Hawker House, inspired by the hawker centres of Singapore and decorated in the familiar Street Feast style with attractive multi-coloured bulbs strung up all over the place.  The traders are mostly familiar faces (Spit & Roast, Smokestak, Breddos Tacos, Yum Bun, Rola Wala, B.O.B's Lobster, Sorbitium and more), and it is good to see Morito tapas & mezze bar from Exmouth Market getting involved.  I won't go into all the details about everything that we ate, though I greatly enjoyed by Baba G's Biryani Burrito from the Bhangra Burger team. Here are some photos to whet your appetite: 

On the bar front, they have the reliable Rotary Bar for giant cocktails, craft beers and wine, but the Summer Gin Store has been replaced by the Winter Whisky Bar complete with over 50 bottles to choose from and a random whisky generator for the indecisive.  For more exciting wine, there is the excellent Street Vin stall with a restaurant quality list including a Magnum of the week.  Finally, there is the Hot Bar which offers several warming drinks such as Hot Buttered Rum, Hawker Hot Chocolate (laced with Cognac and green Chartreuse) and Hot Applegrass (with Zubrowka, lemon, ginger and apple juice).  This seems like a great idea as soon as you walk in, but not so clever 15 minutes later when you are down to your t-shirt and after a cold beer as it is pretty hot inside! I do feel that they possibly haven't made the right call making it indoors.  Whilst they have done wonders with the site, it isn't quite as magical as their Dalston Yard effort, and I personally am a big fan of layering up and braving the winter winds with a mulled wine in one hand and an oversized German sausage in the other. However, the 2am late license is a huge improvement from previous installments and something that most outdoor Christmas markets can only dream of.

Our locals disappeared to some terrifying sounding club night, leaving Lauren and I far from home, so we decided to get the bus over to the new players on the night market scene, Night Tales, before hopping back on the Overground.  They have set themselves up in a car park in Dalston Junction, a stone's throw away from the last Street Feast site (whose signs are still up), and are open every Thursday-Saturday in the run up to Christmas. Opening times are Thursday 6pm-11pm, Friday 6pm-midnight are Saturday 4pm-midnight, and there is again £3 entry though I'm not sure when it applies. Up to date information is available on their Facebook page - click here.

Unlike Street Feast, they have decided to stay outdoors, and the atmosphere is all the better for it. Crammed under a large canopy are several bars, including a Negroni station and a raised Mezcal mezzanine (changing to a Shake, Rattle & Stir Gin Bar next week), and some fantastic street food traders.  They have done well to secure the services of BAO, Rainbo, Le Petit Paris, Patty & Bun and Pizza Pilgrims.  They also have the Smokey Tails boys fresh from their summer popup in Hackney Wick, who come with the added bonus of DJ Seth Troxler.  As well as top DJs, they will also have live music including an African funk band tomorrow (Saturday 23rd November) which sounds right up my street.  We grabbed some BAO, a couple of deadly Mezcal concoctions and some hot cider and soaked up the buzzing atmosphere.

Which one you prefer out of Hawker House and Night Tales will be down to personal taste.  They are both wonderful places to spend an evening, though Night Tales just edges it for me by staying outdoors. There is plenty of room for both of them in London - who knows how many there will be this time next year. Let me know what you think!