Hush Mayfair

A classic in the area, Hush Mayfair has come back to the list of favorites thanks to its beautiful Italian-style courtyard, which will leave you feeling you are in lemon land without leaving London

WHY should you go? Because you have a bar, a restaurant and a beautiful courtyard (with heaters!) inspired in the Italian summer, all in one place. More over, it is tucked away in a mews style street, just a few steps from New Bond Street, so you can come after a workout in the city center or your casual shopping spree in the area. What’s not to like?

WHAT should you get? It was very difficult to choose from this menu as everything sounded so delicious! However, we highly recommend trying a couple of cocktails whilst nibbling on few olives and focaccia and diving into the truffle gnocchi and the roasted aubergine as mains as these did not disappoint by one bit! I don’t think we’ve tried such delicious and fresh gnocchi in years. Their desserts are also worth trying, specially the cheesecake and the lavender creme brulee.

Average price per person: £60 (including a cocktail and two glasses of wine!)

WHERE is it? 8 Lancashire Ct, London W1S 1EY

WHEN is it open? EVERYDAY guys! Everyday, from 12pm to 10pm.

Bella Lina, Pasta At Its Best

Lina Stores

Iconic Italian Deli in Soho opens its own restaurant in the city, with outdoor seats in the heart of the city

Italians have conquered another hood in the city, Soho. OK, not quite literally, but the opening of Lina Stores in Soho has definitely had an impact on my latest restaurant visits. 

The iconic delicatessen store on Brewer St has opened its own pasta and cicceti restaurant on Greek St, and its results are superb.

WHAT/ WHY SHOULD YOU GO? Because it feels truly feels like being in Italy. The restaurant decor is very hip and out of a Wes Anderson movie, and the handmade pasta is to die for.

As the Mediterraneans we are, we like ordering all of the things on the menu and share it between us. That way you get to try most things! For starters, we had the nduja con ricotta and some arancinis; and as soon as we tried these, we knew we were in for a treat. It was very difficult to choose only one pasta dish, so we went for three: the pumpkin, the ragu and the mushroom based. All three SHAMAZING. Obviously, we finished with some cannolis, cause you can’t leave without having one.

WHERE EXACTLY IS IT? 51 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EH

WHEN SHOULD YOU GO? Any day of the week except Sundays, from 12-2.30pm for lunch and from 5 til 11pm for dinner

Average price per person (including a bottle of wine, and tipping): £35

Hungry yet? Me too.

TCB xx

Hakuna Matata, Ikoyi

Happy FRIYAY foodie monsters!

Eventhough I've been back at work for a while, there's a different feel to it this week. Everybody is back at school, and I feel I have to do my homework too. 

Having a look back at where I've been for the past few months, I realized that I forgot an amazing hot spot that got me savoring my tongue for days. I am talking about IKOYI.

It is interesting to see how sometimes amazing spots go unnoticed, and I feel Ikoyi must be one of those. Despite being in the hot dinners scene for a good while, I feel it hasn't got the rave reviews/ attention it deserves. UNTIL NOW. Their service and incredible food has got them a Michelin star! The only African restaurant with a Michelin Star in London. YIKES.

We went there a few weeks ago to celebrate one of my besties birthday, and decided to treat ourselves (as we always do, ha) to a set menu. 

WHAT? Chef Chan has worked in pretty awesome restaurants in the past such as Noma and Dinner by Heston and you can see how his cooking delivers on this. At Ikoyi you’ll find elegant small plates that reminiscence of West African cuisine, all in fine-dining style. Our personal favourite was the crunchy plantain dusted in Scotch bonnet powder but the chargrilled octopus leg with spicy ndolé was also supeeeerb.

Little update: this restaurant has now a Michelin star!

WHERE? 1 St James's Market, St. James's, London SW1Y 4AH

WHEN? Anytime for lunch (3-5pm) or dinner (5.30-11pm), except for Sundays when it's closed.

They keep on changing the menu (a plus to come back) so I wouldn’t miss on the opportunity of checking this restaurant out!

Stay tuned for more

TCB xx