Once August strikes, there’s a thirty-one-day countdown until the back-to-school routine kicks in. Even for those of us with no nut-free lunchboxes to make, August still stands as summer’s last hurrah, and needs to be made the most of. As such, it consisted largely of one too many martinis with our chips, binge-watching Asma Khan doing her thing inside her all-female kitchen, and peeling ourselves off the couch to discover the latest London hotspots, of which there were many. Here’s our Food Network Favourites, Part III of summer.
The Recipe
Tom Kerridge's recipe for his Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel first appeared in Series 2, Episode 10 of Secrets of the Pub Kitchen last July. Unlike the ingredients that make it, this recipe doesn't have an expiry date. Over a year later, it’s still one of our most visited. Tom says how much he loves how pasta shapes are designed to work with different sauces, and claims that rigatoni in particular "is brilliant for chunky tomato-based sauces as both the hollow tube and the ridges on the outside carry the flavours from plate to mouth. And the subtle aniseed flavour of fennel is the star in this dish."
The Show
The Fridays we did spend at home were spent in front of the television, watching the people's princess, Asma Khan. In July, news spread that her critically acclaimed restaurant, Darjeeling Express, had moved to a larger, two-storey site on the edge of Chinatown. If you never visited her location in Kingly Court, Secrets of the Curry Kitchen gives some context to her roaring success, showcasing the stories behind the recipes, and the women behind the team. It's empowering, heartwarming, and appetite-inducing. You can catch up on Discovery+.
The Chef
Last month, the restaurant group behind Soho hotspots ALTA and MOI appointed Robbie Jameson as Group Executive Chef. It’s an exciting move for the Scottish-born chef, who joined ALTA following a stint as head chef at Humo in Mayfair.
Since taking on the role, Jameson has overseen the culinary direction of both restaurants: Northern Spanish-influenced ALTA and MOI, which draws on the flavours and techniques of Japan. While the cooking at both is centred around the wood-fired grill, Jameson’s new menu brings a more informal, easygoing style to the table, with a wider selection of snacks, small bites and skewers, alongside a weekly changing selection of maki, temaki and nigiri. We popped by to have a taste and can confirm: this is a man who knows exactly what he’s doing.
The Newbie
On our radar during August was Jackie's Counter, a new New York-esque diner that opened in Notting Hill in the middle of the month. In a brave move, the couple behind it, Andy and Nati Perritt, opened with an aim of bringing a piece of The Big Apple to London. So far so good West London locals flocking each morning for their breakfast bagels, £1 drip coffee, and reubens. It's yet to become a late-night martini and dessert bar, however the next phase of their opening is on the horizon. For now, we're happy with what we've got.
The Restaurant
What do you think of when someone suggests dinner at a Mexican restaurant? Bold colours, mariachi music, restaurant-provided sombreros? ABC Kitchens has none of these things. In fact, its interiors look as though they've been taken straight out of Vogue Scandinavia, and the food is designed to be savoured with considered table manners.
Presented in such a setting, one is struck by the realisation that we've been reducing Mexican cuisine to a fun night out. At ABC Kitchens, familiar ingredients are treated with a level of care that feels closer to fine dining than soakage for margaritas. The menu is a thoughtful exploration of Mexico's diverse flavours, making its case quietly, elegantly and convincingly, the heirloom beet carpaccio being a prime example.
Of course, there are the usual fan favourites, too, such as the barbecue pork tacos, topped with red onion and a habanero chilli relish, alongside the char-grilled beef tenderloin with chimichurri and lime. ABC Kitchens strips Mexican food of its clichés whilst amplifying what makes it good. I implore you to give it a go.
The Trend
August saw many learning to acquire the harsh taste of martinis. Why, you might ask? Sheer sophistication, glamour, and quite frankly, the desire to take part. For those that need something to minimise the taste, we saw the iconic drink being paired with an equally elegant batch of fries. It's a pairing we couldn't quite envisage taking off, let alone taking the city by storm, but it did. Here's our favourite fixes to take the trend into the new month.
Connaught Grill – The historic grillroom hidden inside one of London's most storied hotels prepares its fries almost like a hash brown: grated and pressed into a terrine, before being cut into perfectly symmetrical rectangles the following day and fried until crisp. The dip, of equal importance, is a smoked garlic sauce, a fitting accompaniment to a truly grand potato. The setting is elegant and, as you'd expect from a Mayfair establishment, the martinis are sublime.
Bar Finch – The new all-day aperitivo bar and restaurant from Charles Finch, now open on Cork Street in Mayfair, serves its chips in abundance on silver trays. They're crisp, evenly seasoned and arrive in quantities generous enough to avoid a quarrel. Salty, satisfying and best paired with one of the restaurant's signature cocktails, they're a welcome option for those who want something to ease themselves into the martini.
Café Boheme – For a martini and fries nightcap, look no further than Café Boheme. Crispy, golden and served until 3am on Fridays, they're just as good on their own, shared with friends over a Martini, or alongside the brasserie's French classics. At a more reasonable hour, pair them with Moules marinière, Poulet or Entrecôte with béarnaise for the closest you can get to Paris without leaving central London, with a side of people-watching.
