Charlotte Collins's Food Black Book
It’s impossible to pick a favourite restaurant in London. Instead, I should probably choose my most frequented – Osteria Basilico on Kensington Park Road. My husband and I worked hard to become known there – we probably eat there once a week. It’s proper, cosy Italian food done right – it’s always filled with Italians which I take as a mark of authenticity. In the summer, we sit outside, drink enormous Aperol spritzes and eat tuna tartare. In winter, it’s a glass of red and a veal ragu with tagliatelle.
I don’t go to bars and pubs very often – my money tends to go on food instead. But whenever I have friends visiting from out of London I go to Zetter Townhouse in Marylebone – in the winter, it’s the cosiest spot with the best cocktails. If it’s date night, the Claridge’s Bar is the obvious choice.
Dark Habit is my local go-to in Queen’s Park. It’s a hole in the wall with a couple of trestle tables and a barista machine, but the team makes the best black coffee. They also plant a tree for every bag of coffee or box of wine sold. It also incongruously stocks niche, artisan wines, which adds to its charm.
For date night, my hidden gem is Cepages in Notting Hill. It’s a little French wine bar that does a couple of sharing plates, and it ticks all the boxes – rickety wooden chairs and tables, melting tapered candles, stacked books along the shelves – but in a completely sincere, authentic way.
Smokehouse in Islington makes – hands down – the best roast in London. It’s no frills, with all the trimmings and comes with an incredible spicy bloody mary – my absolute favourite. I also spend a lot of time at The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead Heath during the autumn. A big table outside with lots of friends, a baked camembert and scotch eggs to share followed by a big roast chicken and sticky toffee pudding is pretty much the perfect Sunday.
I also love Prawn On The Lawn – another Islington favourite. It does a Sunday fish roast which will blow your mind. In lockdown I craved their potatoes so badly I DM’d the restaurant and had them send me the recipe. They have a no-nonsense, but still very elegant, private dining room downstairs – just one big wooden table and festoon lighting – which I’ve long had earmarked for a celebration at some point.
I take real pleasure in takeaways. My most frequent is Taqueria – its smoky roadside chicken tacos would probably make it onto my final supper menu. The Big Mamma group has just opened Napoli Gang on Ladbroke Grove – its doughy pizzas are the ultimate indulgence. I love collecting a Homeslice from its Marylebone store, too – it’s on Deliveroo but you don’t get the enormous pizzas that way. I often order Dishoom – I’ll never not get its signature 24-hour black dahl. I’m also a fan of Big Mums – I even have the app on my phone – and I’m obsessed with pre-ordering batches of the homemade samosas.
I’m sometimes very naughty and order in at lunchtime on a busy work day. Secret Sandwich Shop is my go-to. It’s a Japanese inspired concept – simple, slick, boxed-up sandwiches on incredibly light, fluffy Tokyo milk bread, with delicious fillings – the turkey, lettuce and tomato with basil mayo is amazing, and there’s a crispy green version with salt and vinegar McCoy’s inside that I must try at some point.
If I’m hungover, I’ll order from Eggslut. I always go for the brioche bun with soft scrambled eggs, chives, caramelised onion, cheddar and sriracha mayo. Sometimes I add hash browns, but it’s invariably a step too far.
For a casual, affordable supper, it has to be Le Relais de Venice l’Entrecote. Describing it doesn’t do it justice – it only serves steak and chips – but the sauce has to be tasted to be believed. It’s the juiciest, most decadent, delicious meal, served alongside a crispy green salad coated in mustard. You often have to queue for two hours to get in – which should tell you all you need to know.
For something similar with less of a queue, I really like Le Petit Beef Bar in Chelsea. It’s a relatively new opening for a group which has restaurants all over the world, but it does a steak frites to rival Entrecote’s. The tempura corn with black pepper mayo is also worth the visit.
I can’t talk about brasseries without mentioning Soutine, a local favourite in St John’s Wood. The bill tends to rack up, but I love a Friday night supper tucked into one of the plush red banquettes in winter, gorging on French onion soup, steak frites and tarte tatin. In summer, a glass of rosé on the street outside really hits the spot.
Is it basic to say Cecconi’s is one of my favourite London restaurants? I don’t care – I think it works whatever your mood. Once a month or so we show up without a reservation and have a Diet Coke and bowl of cacio e pepe at the bar – it’s a £25-a-head meal, which is pretty rare in London. For special occasions, it’s a round table with friends, crab ravioli, honey-drizzled ricotta, tuna tartare and Lady A on tap.
We eat a lot of pasta. Scalini for Sunday lunch is still a treat, but for a blow-out, it has to be Milo’s. They’re pretty obnoxious and the bill is offensive, but I’d do silly things for the fried zucchini and aubergine with a mountain of tzatziki and taramasalata. For similar vibes but a slightly more palatable price point, try Meraki – it does a giant potato latke with shaved truffle and a fried egg which you’ll go back for time and again.
My husband and I always say we could just pop back and sit at the bar with one dish and a glass of wine. But it’s something we’ve never actually done. I dream about a quick trip to Scott’s for a very cold glass of Montrachet and six oysters, or just one lychee martini and the venison puffs from Yauatcha or BBQ octopus in white miso and a glass of something sparkling at Hide. Maybe one day…
Few places do great Middle Eastern food these days, but Carmel is a recent Queen’s Park opening from the team behind Berber & Q which takes a great crack at Israeli fare. The flatbreads are incredibly doughy, the shakshuka is excellent, and the hummus comes with a big dollop of curry powder which I’ve been recreating at home because it’s so good. It has a real outside/inside vibe. It’s great for brunch but – local tip – the terrace gets the sun from around 5pm onwards.
Outside the city, Heston’s pub in Bray, The Hind’s Head, is a favourite. Next to The Fat Duck, it’s been a working restaurant since the 1400s, so it has impossibly low ceilings and some original features which give it lots of charm. There’s a frozen apple dessert that lives rent free in my mind.
My fridge is a pretty reckless assortment of items. I’m not one for a big weekly shop, and I tend to mainly buy items I can pick at as opposed to those that make real meals. I have a monthly subscription to Paxton & Whitfield – they send four cheeses each time and I love the pot luck of it all. My favourite find has been Mothais Sur Feuille, an impossible-to-contain goat’s cheese wrapped in a chestnut leaf. Sounds pretentious, tastes incredible.
Cheese is a big part of our lives, so I’m always stocked with the necessary companions – celery, a decent chutney, dates and truffle honey. We’re lucky to have a lovely little deli on our high street and we buy its black olive and sundried tomato tapenade in droves. They also handpress olive oil there, and we walk our jug down there every so often to have it filled. I also love stocking up at Prezzemolo e Vitale, an Italian supermarket – it’s where I buy fresh pasta, perfect tomatoes and burrata for entertaining.
For more from Charlotte, follow her at @CharlotteLeahCollins.
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