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:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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...

Kerbisher & Malt - Arabica Bar & Kitchen - Polpo

It's been a quiet 2 months for Matt The List.  At least, that's what the blog activity suggests.  In fact, a brave select team recently returned from a 24 day food & drink tour to New York. Toronto, Chicago & Minneapolis, fatter, poorer, happier.  This was swiftly followed by a trip to Edinburgh, Inveraray & Islay for haggis, seafood & whisky.

However, we can talk about all that another time (i.e. once all the maps, photos & notes are sorted out).  If you are heading to any of those cities soon and need tips, leave a message - we ate everything.

In the meantime, here is a round-up of three excellent meals that I had all the way back in June in quick succession.  Warning: Photos may cause salivation, especially Arabica's Knafeh.

Wednesday June 25th - One of the rare outings to be made at the same time as a World Cup fixture (remember that?) was a trip to Kerbisher & Malt's latest "modern fish & chips" outpost in Clapham South. Locals would probably rather I kept quiet about the lovely stretch of food & drink on Abbeville Road, but a spate of openings including Comensal & Bottle Apostle suggest that the secret is already out.

The front of K&M doesn't scream chippie so you may well walk past it if you aren't careful.  I suggest getting a pint in The Abbeville opposite beforehand to get your bearings.  Much like The Fish & Chip Shop, K&M has gone for a sleek but slightly too dark interior for my liking - a little more natural light wouldn't hurt in both.

I found my way to a corner table with fellow foodie Leyla (of The Cutlery Chronicles) and we promptly ate our way through the tempting menu.  Battered haddock, breaded plaice, fish finger butties, onion rings, chips, mushy peas and a fennel & dill salad all got washed down with Meantime beers & cups of wine in no time. 

It's all reasonably priced with the options of haddock, cod, plaice, pollock & coley ranging from £5.80-6.90. The fabulous butty and the sides (particularly the onion rings) impressed more than the fish itself which could have done with more seasoning, but it's all definitely a cut above your local chippie.  Calamari & whitebait are left for us to try another time.  Tartare sauce & lemon mayonnaise added some extra flavour, whilst red curry sauce didn't quite do it for us.

Kerbisher & Malt is simple, filling, tasty, family friendly, easy to recommend and it won't break the bank. Most of the time, that's all you need!

Browse the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Friday June 27th - Two days later, I found myself eating out again, this time at the new permanent home for Borough Market regulars, Arabica Bar & Kitchen.  They have got themselves a wonderful, large, airy room right that opens out on to the heart of the market, round the corner from the superb Rake pub (which we may or may not have retired to after the meal).

Where to start? Well, I could talk about every delicious dish but I would soon be out of my foodie adjective depth.  My companion from the previous meal at K&M goes in to more detail on Arabica on her blog here. 

The exciting range of Lebanese 961 beers were sadly not available so we turned to the excellent wine list instead.  A few minutes in, and our table was full of small plates, including a Lebanese Lamb & Beef Tartare (Kibbeh Nayyeh) bursting with flavour, delicious air-dried Hereford beef (Basturma) and some delicious dips.  The Hummus and Smoked Aubergine dips were a little on the stingy side, as was the bread, but there was plenty else to go around.

Kibbeh Nayyeh - Lebanese lamb and beef tartare, olive oil, red mustard leaves, tropea onion and mint - £9

Basturma - Anatolian-style air-dried Hereford beef with baby leaves, flowers, olive oil and lemon - £8.50

Moutabel - Smoked Aubergine, Tahini, Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon - £5.50

After several good decisions from the Dips and Raw / Cured parts of the menu, many more plates arrived from the Fried, Charcoal, Stove / Grill, Salads and Veg / Rice / Pulses sections.  Healthy portions of semolina-crumbed squid and whitebait didn't last long.  Lamb and Spinach Kibbeh (croquettes) were hard to share for more than one reason.  And Chicken & Pistachio kebabs & Beef Onglet on a smoked barbecue salad managed to impress even when split 5 ways.

Semoline Crumbed Cornish Squid - With Fennel and Sumac - £9.50

Makale Samak with Tarator - Crispy whitebait dusted with roasted cumin - £6

Chicken and Pistachio Taouk - Marinated in cardamom, honey and green chilli - £9

Sugar Cured King Prawns - With smoked garlic oil, urfa chilli and fennel salt - £11

Beef Onglet - With Smoked Barbeque Salad & Watercress - £9.50

Mjederah - Warm lentil and bulgur wheat pilaf with crispy onions and tahini salad - £6

Sayadieh Royale - Pan fried pollack with rice, tahini salsa and toasted pine kernels - £10

Three options from the Clay Oven section of the menu arrived last and nearly finished us off.  The standout was the Armenian-style Lamachun, a beautiful flatbread smothered with spiced lamb, tomato, onion, peppers and pine kernels.

Armenian Style Lamachun - Flatbread with spiced lamb, tomato, onion, peppers and pine kernels - £6

Suzuk Pide - Turkish pizza with smoked red pepper sauce, spicy sausage, haloumi cheese - £7

Three cheese Man'ousheh - Flatbread with haloumi, akawi and Westcombe ricotta - £6

18 plates or so later, we made it to dessert. Make sure you do too, and order the eye-catching Knafeh - warm, melt-in-mouth Levantine cheese pastry with orange blossom honey and crushed pistachio. There was a bit of a spoon scrum for this one, though the Levantine ice cream (Booza) provided a distraction. I have also heard good things about the Arabica Affogato and the Baklawa, but we had run out of space. A Turkish Coffee was the fitting way to finish, with a Pistachio Delight on the side.

Knafeh - Warm Levantine cheese pastry with orange blossom honey and crushed pistachios - £6.50

Booza - A unique Levantine ice cream made with Chios mastica, delicately perfumed with orange blossom water and served with lashings of green pistachios - £5

Turkish Coffee with Pistachio Delight

The menu is packed full of things you will want to eat, so I suggest going with a few friends and getting as much as you can!  As you can see from the multitude of photos, it is a feast for your eyes as well as your stomach.  Portions are small for the price, but the quality is definitely high enough to make one forget.  Highly recommended.

View the photos on Matt The Tumblr - Set 1 / Set 2

Browse the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Saturday June 28th - Last but not least, ahead of my trip to Venice, I squeezed in a lunch time visit to Polpo in Notting Hill to sample Russell Norman's take on a bacaro (Venetian restaurant / bar that mostly serves small plates or cicheti).

After a Negroni & a Cynar Gin Fizz passed the first test, we ordered some food.  The table of 6 split neatly into meat eaters and veggies, and there was plenty on the menu to keep both parties happy.  The mixed Cicheti plate is definitely the way to start, covering fried stuffed olives, arancini (fried rice balls), crostini ("little toast" in Italian) and more.

Be sure to also dip in to the excellent meatball section - I especially recommend the spicy pork & fennel variety.

The veggies' Spinach, Parmesan & Soft Egg Pizzetta made me temporarily jealous but we retaliated with scallops supported by peas and rabbits hidden in endive, not that they cared.  The menu changes so you won't necessarily find all of these dishes if you visit, but I'm sure the replacements will keep you happy.

After just the right amount of savoury snacking, we moved on to dessert.  Feeling indecisive, we decided it was safest to order pretty much everything on the menu.  Small pots of strawberry and basil pannacotta & tiramisú soon made way for flourless orange & almond cake and a stunning nutella pizzette.

There are now four Polpo branches in London, but the quality doesn't seem to be diminishing.  The food was hard to fault, service was exemplary and prices are very competitive.  It doesn't manage to capture the atmosphere of eating out in Venice, but they've certainly nailed the cuisine.  Arabica Bar & Kitchen may have been slightly more thrilling, but you will leave Polpo content with more cash to spare!

View the Polpo photos on Matt The Tumblr

Browse the menu and follow Matt The List on Zomato

Matt The Tumblr latest:

Wapping Market (organised by the clever folk behind Brockley Market) is now open every Sunday from 10am-2pm - Wapping Wall, E1W 3SG - Photo Set 1 / Photo Set 2

First look at cosy new café in Battersea - La Moka Café

New salads & specials at fantastic deli in Battersea - Park Road Kitchen

Polpetto

Monday 10th February - After a boozy wine tasting at Central & Co with Pacta Connect Wines (more on that later), Maggie, Natalie and I were in dire need of some food.  Conveniently, Florence Knight's Polpetto has finally landed in Berwick Street and the crowds haven't found it yet.

Florence Knight

Londoners have been impatiently waiting for Polpetto to return after it was moved on from the little room above The French House.  The Berwick Street site fortunately has room for 70 (compared to 23 last time!) but I'm sure it will be packed soon enough.

Polpetto - Berwick Street

We mulled over the menu with refreshing Rhubarb & Rose Bellinis and a Cynar Gin Fizz.  The rhubarb swizzle garnish was so good that we asked for a separate bowl of them.  We eventually made our minds up, ordering 5 large plates and 2 sides between three of us which proved to be the right amount.  This was helped by the delicious complimentary focaccia made on site, and a plate of fresh tomatoes that the kitchen was eager to show off.

Polpetto - Tomatoes, Rhubarb Bellinis and Menu

Scallops, cauliflower & lardo was a great success - the cauliflower crisp worked perfectly with the soft scallops.  Beetroot, Gorgonzola & poppy seeds was another favourite, bursting with flavour. I'm always excited when Hare Pappardelle is on a menu, though less keen on sharing it with others - thankfully there was plenty to go around.  The Bacon chop, whitty pear butter & walnuts portion is also generous considering the £9 price tag.  

Sides of Pink fir potatoes & cuckoo flower and lentils were smartly matched with particular dishes, and good value at £3.50.  The Wet Polenta doesn't sound appealing but we heard positive reviews from other diners.  All of the savoury dishes came to an impressive £15/head - make sure to come in a group to make the most of the sharing menu.

Polpetto - Hare Pappardelle, Bacon Chop, Scallops and Mussels

We couldn't resist ordering from a tempting dessert menu.  Maple tart, Fried pecorino & honey, and Milk pudding with rhubarb & rose soon arrived.  I preferred the "no added sugar" Maple Tart, but all three were well received.  We appreciated a subtle rather than overpowering hit of rose in the wobbly Milk Pudding, and the Fried pecorino & honey works well, even if it is not the most attractive dish of the evening. It was noticeable throughout the evening that presentation was never over the top, allowing one to focus on the wonderful cooking underneath.

Desserts at Polpetto - Maple Tart, Milk Pudding & Fried Pecorino

Our only criticism of the evening was that service was so efficient that there was no time for wine!  No sooner had our bellinis arrived than the food started piling up.  A little more time after ordering might be advisable, but we had already tasted our fair share of wine earlier in the evening so it didn't bother us greatly. 

Valentine's Day at Polpetto?

Polpetto - Photo Credit : Carol Sachs

I would head over to Polpetto sooner rather than later if I were you, as I'm sure people will be queuing by the weekend.  Save room for dessert!

Polpetto - Berwick Street

I should quickly mention the wonderful wine tasting that we dropped into before Polpetto.  Central & Co kindly invited us down to try out some fantastic wines from the Adriatic with Pacta Connect Wines.  The charming Judith and Trevor presented us with several Croatian, Slovenian & Italian wines, and taught us a thing or two along the way.  

The unfiltered boxed Castello di Lispida particularly impressed, especially as the carbon footprint is minimal and you can carry 13 bottles worth with ease in two hands. A quick look at their website tells me that they have a wine bar in the castle itself - time to book flights to Padua methinks.

A far-too-easy-drinking Cattunar Chardonnay is Pacta's best seller and Judith described it as their ABC converter - one for the Anything But Chardonnay crowd.  I also tried my first Orange wine - an unusual dry wine made from grapes that have spent more maceration time in contact with grape skins.

Wine tasting with Pacta Connect Wines at Central & Co

Thanks to everyone at Pacta Connect Wines and Central & Co for hosting such a lovely event!