WHERE’S MY CHEESE? – The GREAT British Food Tour 2014 (part 3)

London – A bit hungry? What’s on offer? A quick review…..

Over lunch I took the time to ask our expert hosts about the different types of eating establishments in London – spoilt for choice is an understatement

The GREAT British Pub and London Tavern

As you can imagine there are thousands of pubs in London. In fact there are around 7000.There is a growing demand for good pub food and, in fact, without the food element many pubs would struggle to survive as the drinking in British pubs is going through tough times. The exception to the rule are craft real ale beers. London now has 30+ microbreweries in operation producing these beers. Two of the top ones are the Meantime Brewery in Greenwich and Kernel Brewery in Bermondsey (part of Spa Terminus Food Development).In April you also see the opening of the East End Liquor Company. A new craft distillery is set to revive the East End’s spirits making tradition when it opens in Victoria Park next month.

Going back to the food element of pubs. For many years pub food comprised nothing more than a cheese sandwich and a packet of crisps. However in 1991,the first gastro pub opened in London called the Eagle, a run-down pub in Clerkenwell. The pub focused on delivering good food using good ingredients. No money was spent on the décor. It was all about the food. Young chefs who wanted to open their own businesses, but couldn’t afford spending a lot of money, saw this as an opportunity. The gastro pub also plugged a gap in the market. The new pub food appeared at a time when diners were looking for better food experiences, you could say ‘restaurant style food’ but in a pub. Within a matter of years London and Britain had embraced the gastro pub experience. In the 2014 Good Food Guide, its Editor, has told the British public to call time on the gastro pub. She now believes that pub food is of such a good standard that we don’t need the gastro pub label anymore. There is definitely some truth in that opinion. Gastro pubs and more recently pub food have evolved to easily compete with high street restaurants. One downside to the story is that food prices in pubs have jumped as the quality has gone up but many good pubs have successfully retained clients due to the delivery of a good food experience. In terms of the food offer, clients eating in city pubs could be everything from eating Spanish food to Thai and great British pub classics. I should also note forget to mentioned London’s first pub to receive a Michelin star – The Harwood Arms in Fulham.

A Chain and a Pop Up

Chain and concept restaurants have proved to have an enduring appeal to the London diners and British public. Some of the most successful ones include ‘Jamie’s Italian’ which has

seen rapid growth in recent years. Important to take note of Union Jacks (nostalgic British classics) and emerging as a new chain in Jamie Oliver’s food empire. Currently four across London. Also, the well-established chain called ‘Canteen’ celebrating traditional British dishes. The Italian theme has also been sustained through Antonio Carluccio’s chain of 20+ delis and caffes ‘Carluccios’. In Britain and London diners love going to well-known brands as they know what they’re getting. They have often been influenced by an interest in the culture and food of countries including Italy as well as tv programmes. A fast-food brand run by British chefs, and doing well, is Leon. They have focused on very accessible food that suit people who are ‘time-poor’. Here there is a big emphasis on sustainability and that food should be good for you. In recent years the owners of Leon have been working with the government on re-introducing food science onto the school curriculum. A very welcome development. Pizza is also coming of age for grown-ups. People are looking for good beer, good wine. Homeslice (Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden) is a good example of this trend. Recently addition to Harrods 25+ eateries is the upscale low-fat dining offer called ‘Salad Kitchen at Harrods’ – offering salads paired with meat and fish.

Pop-up restaurants have helped make food even more accessible to London diners. From the original pop-up restaurant days of Studio East on top of the Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre and Pierre Koffmann at Selfridges, pop-ups have become a real tour de force. Just this month and into December there are a number of pop-ups in town including ‘The Servants’ Supper’ at Ham House (West London); KERB street food in Maida Vale and Kurobuta, all-day Japanese on the trendy King’s Rd, Chelsea. You can keep up with pop-ups news via websites like ‘London Pop-Ups’ with information about bars, restaurants, supper clubs and underground restaurants. The latter first started by a lady who calls herself Ms Marmite Lover. For the best supper clubs in London The London Foodie(Luiz Hara) has a regular blog. Luiz is part of a growing band of amateur cooks who offer an alternative to going to a restaurant. His events take place in his home offering French and Japanese food.

Short of Time?

Another big trend in London food is the appearance of tapas food and noddle bars. These are very popular with office workers who pop in for lunch or meet for a quick meal in the evening. Alan Yau pioneered a number of successful food businesses developing this concept. The other thing is that you rarely end up with a big food bill. Some of the best examples of this food include Barrafina in Soho, Shoryu Express and Brindisa Food Room which opens this month in Brixton (South London). Along with this type of food experience is more social dining where people will share long tables rather than sitting at individual tables. Good examples here are Busaba Ethai offering Thai food. You have also seen this concept of restaurant layout used in other well-known places includes Canteen and Sir Terence Conran’s Albion Café.

All day dining

Again, to respond to the needs of today’s diner, many restaurants have moved to offering food all day. The Wolseley Restaurant and Café on Piccadilly is one of the finest examples in central London. It offers everything from breakfast to lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. One of my favourite places to meet friends. It follows in the grand European tradition of a café-restaurant. Their latest Viennesse themed restaurant opens in Marylebone soon. Other central London all day dining can be experienced at places like and Bishopgate Kitchen in Spitalfields. Bathazar in Covent Garden and Shake Shake (near the Royal Opera House) are other good examples. Expect this trend to continue.

Small versus Big

This is an interesting new trend in London. Some recent examples are the vast premises of Berner’s Tavern at the London Edition Hotel,W1 (owned by Chef Jason Atherton – and definitely worth a visit) versus the mini-restaurant in Notting Hill called Marianne (recently opened by a Masterchef finalist). In Marianne there are just 14 covers. Both places have proved very popular with diners.

Time to finish for now – GREAT dessert we’ve got to get moving – will tell you more over tea later….