Hawksmoor is my kind of restaurant. They do steak. They do it brilliantly: carefully sourced from the best supplier in the country, lovingly cooked and simply served with tasty sides. Their wine list is designed to match and their selection of puddings and whiskies is frankly dangerous. It’s a concept that just works.

When I heard they were launching a more casual venue I was very interested, when they announced they were doing a half-price soft launch I set a calendar reminder. At 11am the email duly arrived and I don’t think i’ve ever typed faster. They received thousands of responses within seconds, somehow they managed to decipher my frenzied keyboard smashing and offered me a table.

A short walk from Farringdon station, near Smithfields, they’re in a prime location. From the outside its quiet and restrained, just a large glass window and a discrete door. Inside you can sense the Hawksmoor heritage, there’s a leather banquette and big comfy chairs, but it’s much more relaxed. More importantly, it’s a great relief to see a restaurant opening without the exposed brickwork, silly tables and uncomfortable stools.

The menu plays to their strengths – it’s hunks of top quality meat, carefully cooked. They have a handful of dishes on the menu and a chalkboard of steaks. They serve a Hawksmoor-esque range of cocktails, interesting beer and reasonably priced wine – we went for a decent Bordeaux. The service is keen and friendly, if a little hap-hazard. However, it is a soft-launch so I’ll let that slide!

While we decided on the wine we ordered one of their nibbles – goats butter, anchovies and crispbreads. Very nice, though three pieces between two diners felt a little stingy for what is an incredibly simple dish.

To start we ordered the Brixham crab and the spare ribs. The crab was cut with little bits of chilli and served on lettuce with a buttery hollandaise. The ribs were beautifully cooked: soft, unctuous and with a gentle paprika spice.

For the mains we decided to go all out and had the rib-eye, the deckle and a beef rib. The rib-eye was ordered rare but came medium-well. When we mentioned this it was whisked away and after short wait replaced with a much larger steak, perfectly rare. It was pretty strongly salted, but I rather liked that. They took the steak off the menu and comped us our bottle of wine – no fuss and a generous gesture. Top marks.

The deckle was fab – it’s an unusual cut that comes from the muscle around the rib-eye fillet. It’s richly flavoured with a really nice texture. They cooked it very rare, but so long as it’s not mooing I’m fine with it.

The beef rib was wonderful slow cooked until fork-soft and beautifully sauced. The kimchi is something they’ve borrowed from their Hawksmoor burger. It’s really interesting – spicy and slightly effervescent.

For sides we went with beef dripping potatoes (crisp, fluffy and very good – if not quite up to the Hawksmoor version), skin on chips (which were damn near perfect, far crisper than the usual ‘rustic’ options you find elsewhere) and marvellous buttered broccoli.

For dessert we went with the popcorn ice cream and a cherry pie. The ice cream was a good soft serve, drenched in a caramel sauce and lots of topping. The cherry pie was really well made – delicate crisp pastry and sweet juicy filling. It’s crying out for a little booze, and I did find a couple of stones, but otherwise it’s great.

To finish we felt it was only right to sample the whiskies – two Ardbegs were a very positive addition to a damp Saturday afternoon.

They’re obviously still working out the kinks, but even from this early preview it shows huge promise. It’s a little more upmarket than Flatiron, John Salt or Pitt Cue Co, but without the price tag you’d associate with its big brothers. It’s a fantastic evening out without being an occasion. Grab some carnivorous friends and have a great time.

The British restaurant scene in the 1960s was not a thing of beauty. Today, London is a culinary destination boasting some of the finest restaurants in the world and a dizzying array of cuisines. Back then it was a far gloomier a parade of dismal greasy spoons and poorly executed classics. Until, in 1967, a French restaurant opened which has arguably done more to transform the way we view eating out in the UK than any other. Le Gavroche, and the Roux family behind it, have had an enormous effect – introducing London to high quality French food and nurturing a generation of brilliant chefs. Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing to name just three. I’ve been desperate to visit for years, especially since reading “A life in the kitchen”. Sadly, Michel Roux Jr success hasn’t made booking easy but I finally managed to snag a table for my birthday. Situated in a townhouse, just off Park Lane, on the outside it’s quiet and unassuming. The friendly staff took our bags and ushered us down to the dining room. It’s like stepping back in time – soft banquettes, crisp white linen, velvet curtains. Just magic. While we perused the menu we were offered two canapés – a crab salad tart and a pigeon roll. The crab was light and delicate, with wonderfully crisp pastry; the pigeon dark, gamey and thoroughly delicious. In their evening, their menu is split into an ‘a la carte’ and a ‘menu exceptionnel’ – an eight course tour de force. By the time you’ve paid for three courses, you may as well go for the tasting menu and by the time you’ve factored in a bottle of good wine you may as well go for the wine tasting too. Le Gavroche is not cheap – my logic was, if you’re only every going to go once, do it properly. Soufflé Suissesse Cheese Soufflé Cooked on Double Cream This is an institution – it’s been on the menu for decades and rightfully so. It’s light texture and rich cheesy sauce are a great combination and the perfect way to start a meal. Champagne G. H. Martel – “Cuvee Victoire” 2007 Starting a meal with champagne is always a good idea, and this was a wonderful example – light, fruity and with a lovely creamy note that echoed the cheese. Terrine Marbree de Foie Gras aux Epices Gelee au Madere et Croque aux Champignons Spice Crusted Foie Gras Terrine, Madeira Jelly and Mushroom Toast The foie gras was perfectly cooked, very rich and beautifully set off by the mushroom toast. The Madeira jelly was a nice acidic foil – though my dining partner found it a little strong. Vouvray “Demi Sec” 2009 Domaine due Clos Naudin – This was a delicate, slightly sweet wine, very reminiscent of some good Germans I’ve tried. The sweetness helped cut through the rich fatty liver without hiding any of the flavour. Gratin de Crabe au Persil et Piment d’Esplette Snow Crab in a Light Hollandaise Sauce Flavoured with Parsley and Basque Chilli In an enormous oyster shell, perched atop a little mound of rock salt, this was a little taste of heaven – sweet creamy crab, light delicate sauce and the gentle suggestion of peppery heat in the background. It’s got to be one of the most balanced dishes I’ve ever eaten. Puligny Montrachet 2008 Bourgogne – Another stunning white, slightly sharper and full of citrus fruits and pear – a great match of the sweet crab. Filet de Maigre Parfume au Ras-el-Hanout, Fenouil et Riz Rouge de Carmargue Stone Bass and Pastilla, Scented with Arabian Spices, Fennel, Red Rice and Meat Jus The fish was beautifully cooked – just opaque. The ras-el-hanout was delicately applied, never overpowering any of the other flavours. The pastilla added some lovely texture and the fennel, something I normally avoid, was tender and fragrant. Le Soula Blanc 2008 Vin de Pays de Cotes Catalanes – Roussilon – This was a much bolder white with a slightly woody, almost smokey hint – matching white wines to spices is really difficult and they did a marvellous job. Joue de Porc Braisee et Fumee, Cromesquis de Couennes Braised and Smoked Pork Cheek, Crispy Belly Ravioli, Red Cabbage Condiment This is pig at its best. The smoke was delicate and autumnal, the meat meltingly soft and the ravioli deliciously crisp. The red cabbage was a lovely touch – acid, sweet and smooth. Morgon “Cote du Py” 2011 Beaujolais – I don’t normally drink Beaujolais – it’s too light and sweet. This was an entirely different animal – full bodied and bursting with fruit. Easily my favourite wine of the evening! Supreme de Perdreau Rotie et Jus a L’Echalote Red Leg Partridge with a Brandy Shallot Jus and Wild Mushrooms I adore game and this was a masterclass. The meat was beautifully presented and perfectly cooked. The jus was incredible – rich veal stock simmered with fried shallots and a healthy slug of brandy. Heaven. I could eat that sauce all day. Chateau Cabezac “Belveze” Grande Cuvee 2007 – Languedoc –  This is my kind of red wine – big, strong and full of pepper. At six years old it had aged beautifully and had a silky smooth finish. Perfect with the partridge. Le Plateau de Fromages Affines Selection of French and British Farmhouse Cheese Their cheese trolley is quite a sight – provided by La Fromagerie it contains a dizzying array of French and British cheeses. We went for a very varied choice – erring on the strong and smelly side. The cheese was perfectly ripe, at a sensible temperature and served with great condiments. Lovely quince, crisp walnut bread slices and semi-dry grapes. Esprit de Chevalier 2007  – Pessac Lognan – Bordeaux – Bordeaux and cheese – wonderful. Rich, porty, with lots of cherry and leather – just make sure you ask for a top-up! Riz au Lait, Pralines et Poires Creamed Rice with Praline and Pears It has to be said, when I read the menu I was delighted – until I saw the dessert. Rice pudding!? Really? Nothing prepared me for what turned up. With an almost mousse-like consistency is was a revelation. Creamy, light and with a lovely pear topping. Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh “Symphonie d’Automne” 2011 – Domaine Bethoumieu – Sud Ouest – I don’t normally order dessert wine, but glasses like this make me wish I did. Sweet without being cloying, fruity without being brash. Heavenly. The fact that it came with a candle in the top was a lovely touch. Café et Petits Fours Coffee and Sweets The coffee was beautifully made and darkly roasted. The petit fours were perfect – a miniature carrot cake, a very good blackcurrant macaron, a glazed cape gooseberry and a lemon and poppyseed tuile. They also  served a small pot with hazlenut nougat and coffee chocolates. The whole meal was magical – I didn’t feel uncomfortably full at the end and the wine was perfectly paced. The service was absolutely flawless – kind, attentive and very knowledgeable. They paced the dishes beautifully and we never felt like we were waiting or being rushed. They knew a huge amount about the food and wine, happily answering our questions. With many celebrity chefs you’re never sure which of their empire they’ll be at on a given evening (if any). Michel Roux Jr still works at Le Gavroche full time, so I had my hopes up, but when he walked out of the kitchen I was still star struck. He takes the time to talk to every table and was happy to chat about Masterchef and the dishes they cook on the show. It really adds something to the meal and made my evening very special. Later, my utterly wonderful friend asked our waiter if we could have a look round the kitchen – after a quick check we were ushered in. A hive of activity, the kitchen is surprisingly small, 10-15 chefs hunched over their benches crafting culinary perfection. We had another chat with Michel and were shown round the various stations and teams. I was struck by how traditional is it – they use a conventional ice cream machine instead of a Pacojet and most of the cooking is done on the hot top instead of in water baths. In the corner an enormous vat of veal stock happily bubbles away – the base of most of their sauces. A great experience! If I had to sum-up Le Gavroche it would be: tradition, balance and service. It’s one of London’s most enduring culinary landmarks and with good reason. The food isn’t trying to be clever or innovative, it’s just top quality ingredients, carefully cooked, thoughtfully combined and served in a way that lets them do all the talking. Dining done like this is so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s a whole experience: service, décor, ambience, food, wine and company all working together perfectly. Yes, it’s very expensive and I don’t imagine I’ll ever go again, but it was absolutely worth it.

I’ve started working away from London during the week, which is limiting the amount of time I can spend cooking, but despite this i’m still finding plenty of opportunities at the weekends to experiment – here are a few of the things i’ve rustled up recently.

Beef Wellington

I’ve been playing around with a Beef Wellington for ages – this is my latest version. I love the combination of beef, pastry, mushrooms and bacon. I cook each element separately to ensure that they’re all perfect, no soggy bottoms here!

Pork Belly and Puy Lentils

This is another Tom Kerridge dish – unfortunately there’s a typo in the recipe which makes the brine far too strong, even so – the dish was very, very good. I love the combination of rich, fatty pork and delicate, earthy lentils. The sharp, tangy cabbage salsa adds much needed freshness and a little citrus zing.

Grouse, Fondant Potato, Game Chips and Bread Sauce

I’ve never tried grouse before but when I saw it on offer in my favourite butchers, The Ginger Pig, I had to pick up a brace. They’re a medium sized game bird with an intense, fragrant flavour. I simply pan fried it, before finishing in a hot oven. The fondant potato was another first and worked beautifully – buttery and delicious. The bread sauce is the perfect foil to the strongly flavoured meat and ands a nice creaminess. The game chips bring texture and hey – who doesn’t like chips!?

Chocolate and Ale Cake

This is another Tom Kerridge – a rich chocolate cake with dark beer in the mix and a rich gooey icing, served with a beery whipped cream. I really liked it, but I got a mixed response from my tasting panel. Some found the combination of beer and chocolate a little strange, others loved it!

It seemed to go down pretty well with Tom too…

Some might say its cruel to post about a foodie event after it’s finished, but in my defense, I’ve been really busy!

It’s well known that I’m a huge Shake Shack fan – it’s fast food with feeling. I’ve never made it to Munich for Oktoberfest – but luckily last week Shake shack brought it to Covent Garden. Apparently this is a regular fixture the other side of the pond – every year for two weeks they introduce a special menu based on Bavarian classics.

I sampled a good range of their specialities – a great burger with a German brat inside was a delicious experience, their curry wurst was a little light on curry but still fab – the star of the show was their Apfelstrudel milkshake. Thick, spicey and heavenly.

They also introduced a limited edition stein – sadly this is just a pint rather than the traditional litre, but their beer is still fantastic. Custom brewed by the Brooklyn beer company – Shackmeister ale is superb: light, refreshing and delicately hoppy.

I like making things. From jam to beer, bread to marmalade, cider to sausages. There’s something deeply satisfying about putting time and effort into creating something greater than the sum of it’s parts. There was a time when every house would have had a stash of home-made preserves, every pub would have brewed it’s own beer and the pig at the bottom of the garden would have kept the family in meat during the winter. Given that it’s so easy to pop to a supermarket and pickup a jar of marmalade or a pack of bacon the knowledge of how to actually make these things is slowly fading. Among dedicated foodies there’s a growing trend of getting your hands dirty and giving it a go – DIY Food – and that’s exactly what Tim Hayward’s newest book is about.

It’s a fascinating read – I adore cookbooks which dedicate as much space to the theory and background as they do to the recipes. Tim’s book covers everything from simple bread making to complicated charcuterie. Each recipe is explained, often with variations and ideas depending on what equipment you have available. Some are very simple (bread, bacon) relying on a few unusual ingredients and a little patience, others are a lot more complicated and require a bit of investment.

After reading the book and looking longingly at the drawings for smoking sheds and charcuterie cages I had to be realistic and settle on some things that I could achieve in my tiny flat – even if you don’t have a huge amount of space, there’s definitely plenty of recipes here for you.

Bacon

Who doesn’t like bacon!? But how many of us actually know how it’s made – a quick straw poll of friends indicated that it was “to do with salt” or “sort of dried”. They’re both actually right – people have been preserving meat for years and this is one of the simplest ways. Grab a piece of pork and stick it in some sugar and salt, then let it sit for about a week et voila. Now admittedly this will make it turn a slightly gray colour – getting that lovely pink requires proper curing salts which contain sodium nitrite, but these are easily available from sausage and charcuterie shops online, a friendly butcher may even let you have some.

My bacon turned out great – it was intensely meaty with a great texture. Next time round i’m going to balance the salt and sugar slightly, but otherwise it was really good!

Fried Chicken

This is a little guilty pleasure – I’ve got a thing for fried chicken. There’s a whole section at the back of Food DIY looking at recreating classic take away dishes at home. The advantage being that you can use first rate ingredients and control the amount of salt. He uses a really nice blend of spices and just a hint of MSG to give a very moreish flavour. Top chicken!

This isn’t a book for everyone – but even the laziest foodie will enjoy flicking through and learn a huge amount from doing so. I found it strangely inspirational – step outside your comfort zone and give it a go!

“Food DIY” by Tim Hayward, RRP £25, is published by Fig Tree – Penguin and available now in all good bookstores.

I hold my hands up – there’s no way this review is going to be objective. I’ve been desperate to get my hands on this book since I heard about it months ago. I adore Tom Kerridge. He’s my kind of chef, he picked a wonderful concept – pub food – and turned it into something marvellous. My visit to the Hand and Flowers is a very strong contender for the best meal I’ve ever eaten. The staff, the menu, the atmosphere, the food – it was all perfect. It’s now a life ambition to give him a hug.

Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food is his first foray into books. He wrote every word of it himself and it shows – his passion for quality and simplicity shines through. Normally when I review books I read them cover to cover, mark a couple of recipes I like and cook them up. This was far harder, I got about half-way through and realised i’d marked almost every single page. He just makes food you want to eat.

The book is split into several categories – breakfasts, soups and salads, starters and snacks, fish, meat and puddings. There’s also helpful sections on equipment and basics. The ingredients are straight forward and sensibly measured while the descriptions are very easy to follow. The recipes are cleverly picked to cover a really broad range – from the wonderfully simple to the slightly daunting, though there’s nothing that should be out of the reach of the keen home cook. I decided to take on some of the more ambitious dishes and really enjoyed the challenge.

Curried parsnip soup with pickled apples
This is just wonderful – it showcases wonderful British produce while giving a nod to our obsession with the curry. You make a curry powder using a range of traditional spices (I used my home-made garam masala as well) which goes into the soup directly, as well into a flavoured oil. The apple is lightly pickled – I was a bit sceptical of this step but it really really works. The acidity is wonderful.

Plaice poached in red wine with slow cooked onion and salt baked carrots
I’m a huge fan of fish in red wine – I normally do turbot, but plaice is much better value! With this recipe you cook the onions for around eight hours to bring out the sweetness and the result is a really intense, slightly smokey onion hit. Back it all up with a lovely balsamic and red wine sauce (with some cheeky marmite thrown in) and you’ve got something really special. I added some mashed potato, but it really didn’t need it. Though they’re not shown, I did make the onion ring garnish too – they add some great textural contrast.

Rum and date cake with caramelised bananas
This is the perfect dinner party dessert – I mixed up the cake and had it ready to bake in the moulds – then it’s just a case of popping them in the oven and sorting the bananas. Using the melted sugar to glue the slices together is really cunning. The end result is fab – light, gooey cake with a delicate rum hit and tonnes of toffee and date. The perfect pud for a rainy day.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of this book – expect to see several more recipes turning up over the next few weeks! It’s a wonderful addition to any collection and perfect for people who want to put a special spin on some great british classics. Tom’s passion is evident on every page – it’s the kind of cookbook that puts a smile on your face and a hunger in your belly. Top stuff.

Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food, by Tom Kerridge, RRP £20, is published by Absolute Press and available now. A BBC2 television series will follow shortly.

Rick Stein is my kind of foodie – he travels the world getting very enthusiastic about delicious food and great experiences. I adored his latest TV series where he went around India for three months in search of the perfect curry. Over the course of several episodes he explored the regional variations, trying to get an understanding of what Indians see as the quintessential dish. Using authentic ingredients and techniques he’s captured his findings in a wonderful new book – Rick Stein’s India.

The book itself is very extensive, covering everything from street food to that rarest of dishes – an Indian dessert. Every dish has a thoughtful introduction, explaining the background of the recipe. The ingredients are easy to find in any indian supermarket, but if you don’t have one of those on your doorstep you might struggle! As in all things – the internet is your friend and several popular online spice merchants even have Rick Stein sections now. In order to give the book a proper workout, I tackled four dishes simultaneously inside two hours.

Naan

One of my favourite things about Indian food is the variety of breads – I’ve tried making naan in the past and ended up with an inedible rock hard dough. Rick’s recipe is relatively straightforward, though the dough ends up very loose – I used my Kenwood to knead it, but you’d definitely struggle to manage it by hand. Once left to rise you simply bake it in a dry frying pan, letting it singe slightly on each side to give it the appropriate smokey note. It took a couple of attempts to get the thickness right, but the end result was delicious.

Tarka Dal

The quality of vegetarian food was one of the key revelations of my own trip to India. I ate some stunning lentil dishes and I was really keen to give this a shot. It’s very easy to do, with the tarka (a fried garnish that’s drizzled on at the end) being the only challenge. Do be careful not to overcook the lentils – I followed the timings carefully and was only just safe. I really liked the final dish, it had a lovely earth tang.

Aloo Gobi

Potatoes, cauliflower and spice – what’s not to like? Another relatively easy dish – this worked really well. I really like chilli, but the amount the recipe suggested was almost too much for me, if you don’t like your meal breaking you out in a sweat i’d halve the amount of chillis and chilli powder.

Chicken Pulao

I didn’t have the strength to tackle the more complicated biryani, so I settled for it’s simpler cousin. You make a fragrant stock and then poach the chicken thighs in it. Once cooked through you set them aside and briefly fry the raw rice before throwing everything back together and letting it gently cook. It was absolutely delicious – I’m not a big fan of tumeric so I might switch that for saffron in the future, but it was still really lovely.

Trying to define Indian cuisine is a pointless exercise – there’s endless regional variations and nuances. Rick Stein offers a way in here, a way to tap into that gorgeous medley of spice and texture. It’s the tip of a very wonderful iceberg. While it may not be that authentic, it’s an awful lot of fun. There are hundreds of recipes to try here and once you’ve got the basic ingredients (and a healthy batch of his excellent garam masala mixed up) you can manage most of the dishes with relative ease. The variety makes it excellent for a dinner party, especially if you need to cater for those awkward vegetarians. Break out the spices and get cooking!

Rick Stein’s India by Rick Stein, RRP £25, is published by BBC Books and is available from all good booksellers.

British culinary heritage gets a bad rap. While the French can hark back to the golden years of Escoffier and Careme – us Brits tend to think of our past kitchen exploits as bland and over-cooked. In recent years several chefs have made an attempt to revisit this view and popularise some of the many unappreciated traditional dishes. Fergus Henderson at St. Johns has been cooking unusual bits of animals for years and Dinner By Heston Blumenthal gave Ashley Palmer-Watts the chance to showcase how great our food history can be. Situated amid a triumph of British architecture, the Gilbert Scott Hotel in St. Pancras is the perfect place to show off our food.

The Gilbert Scott Book of British Food collects an array of these great british classics, as interpreted by Marcus Wareing and Chantelle Nicholson. The book is split into several categories, covering cocktails, starters, mains, desserts, brunch and afternoon tea. The recipes use standard ingredients which you shouldn’t have much any sourcing, they’re measured in a sensible fashion and the methods are relatively straight-forward to follow. Like many of my favourite books they’ve chosen a really broad range of recipes with plenty of quick dishes while their ‘chef’s table’ section will challenge even the most confident home cook (the less ambitious can just enjoy drooling at the gorgeous photography). So far, so good – what do the recipes actually turn out like?

Bacon Olives

A deceptively simple dish that has the advantage of being very easy to prepare in advance – perfect for a hectic dinner party. It’s herby sausage mix, wrapped in bacon and served with a simple salad. The end product tastes really nice – I loved the honey/mustard dressing, it’s a great foil to the pork, but it does feel like it’s lacking a little something. A bit of black pudding crumbled over the top and a fried quails egg would transform the dish.

Suffolk Stew

I picked this because if uses one of my favourite meats – mutton. A nice gentle simmer gives it the chance to soften up and release all that wonderful gamey flavour. The recipe is easy to follow, though I found straining out the meat before you reduce the sauce a little fiddly. You need to make sure you buy (or prep well in advance) your pearl barley as it takes over an hour to cook from scratch but only goes in the pot for the last few minutes. Regardless of my pulse dilemmas – this is an excellent stew. I love that it avoids the classic beer or red wine – letting the flavour of the mutton show through.

Caramelised Banana Bread

Another dinner party dish – this is very easy to cook in advance and finish between courses. Made from layers of brioche, cooked banana and custard it’s a wonderfully British dessert. The quality of the banana is absolutely key – if it’s not mostly black it’s not ripe enough. While I really enjoyed the buttery, custardy goodness – my test subjects weren’t all fans but if you really like bananas then you should be fine!

I’ve only scratched the surface of the book but I’ve really enjoyed it – traditional British cooking represents a different kind of challenge to the way we prepare food now. Next time you’re doing a dinner party, instead of scouring the four corners of the globe for an exotic theme, why not pick something a little closer to home?

The Gilbert Scott Book of British Food by Marcus Wareing and Chantelle Nicholson, RRP £25, is published by Bantam Press and available in all good bookshops.

Pizza is a wondrous thing. From the dodgiest takeaway to the swankiest trattoria there is a whole spectrum of deliciousness. For Italians it is almost a religion – the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana sets stringent rules on the preparation of a “proper pizza” from the ingredients to the cooking method – all is set in stone. When in Italy, eating pizza outside Rome and Naples is like eating cornish pasties in Newcastle – not necessarily the best idea. Pizza in London has for years been a similar experience – the preserve of Pizza Express, Dominoes and Pizza Hut, but no longer – a raft of independents have sprung up offering a vastly superior product.

Pizza Pilgrims represent the dream for many foodies: throwing in the towel on “proper London jobs” they went to Italy – bought a little van and went on a literal pilgrimage to that greatest Italian culinary gift – the pizza. Having mastered the art they returned home to London and setup their stall on Berwick Street Market.

After much critical acclaim (and providing many excellent lunches to this blogger) they’ve finally made the jump to bricks and mortar. Perched on the corner of Dean Street – cheekily opposite a huge Pizza Express, their first restaurant is immediately welcoming.

The sizeable queue snakes down the road outside – the fact that people are prepared to queue an hour for something most have delivered hints at the quality of the product. They’re happy to serve drinks in the line and on a busy Friday night we were seated pretty quickly. The staff are wonderful – they practically reek enthusiasm, loving the challenge of running Soho’s newest star.

Inside the decor is cut from the same cloth as most new trendy eateries – though they definitely get points for using a fusball table as an actual table. I also really like the fact that (our table at least) was really well lit – you can see the food you’re eating!

Their menu is pleasingly spartan. A handful of thoughtful, authentic choices with carefully chosen ingredients. The drinks menu is similarly sparse – go for the house red, not only is it available by the litre, but it’s has a lovely rustic quality with enough body to stand up to a decent pizza.

We ordered two – their signature nduja and a ‘friarelli and salsiccia’ bianca (a pizza with wild broccoli and fennel sausage, without the tomato sauce).

So what’s the pizza actually taste like? Heavenly. Their oven does a marvellous job of baking the pizza – turning it from raw dough to puffy crisp perfection in seconds. The crust is divine, with just the right hint of smokey char. It’s quite a salty mix, but it really works to show off the flavour. The toppings were brilliant – the nduja has just the right kick, the tomatoes are sweet yet tart and the mozzarella is brilliant. I love the bianca – without the tomato you get a very different experience, something creamier and more delicate.

They offer a handful of desserts – we went for vanilla gelato with salt and olive oil (strange, but rather nice) and a Nutella pizza ring (a real guilty pleasure – don’t tell the Italians).

They’ve managed to turn what many see as a commodity product into something unique and special. The whole experience is wonderful – relaxed, comfortable and very very tasty. It’s like going round to a friends house. Just a friend that happens to cook the best pizza in London. Go.

Brixton is recovering from an unsavoury reputation and at the forefront of this is food. South London is teeming with young professionals with plenty of disposable income and an insatiable appetite for trendy grub.

The covered markets in Brixton have been transformed into a Mecca for the aspiring foodie. Great butchers nestle alongside independent coffee shops and catering suppliers. Given that it’s so close to the tube there’s no excuse not to go, but what should you try when you’re there?

Honest Burger
These guys have been on my ‘to do’ list for a while, colleagues have raved about their high quality burgers and delicious chips. Their Brixton outpost is small and intimate, with the seemingly ubiquitous school stools and aged wood decor. I ordered their signature burger and a homemade lemonade.

The burger was well cooked (if a little over the medium-rare they advertise) but the beef was really good quality, sourced from the excellent Ginger Pig. The bun was great, light and soft but with enough body to hold together. The fillings were stellar – it’s definitely worth going for the bacon. The whole burger hangs together well, is possible to eat neatly and certainly beats out places like Byron.

The chips are cooked skin on and served with rosemary salt. They’d been well fried with a crispy exterior and a light puffy inside. It was much better than similar offerings from Five Guys, though they were crying out for some really nice homemade ketchup.

Honest Burger do great work, as a burger experience its up there with Shake Shack, MEATmarket and Patty & Bun. The independent burger scene is going from strength to strength and the results are so much better than the high street chains – branch out!

Wishbone
We’ve had gourmet hotdogs, gourmet burgers and gourmet pizza. It was only a matter of time before someone did gourmet chicken. Wishbone is a relatively new restaurant that offers good quality fried chicken in a trendy bar environment. Again you’ve got the retro bar stalls and aged wooden tables.

I ordered a batch of their buffalo wings – five nicely sized wings with a blue cheese dip. They took a little while to arrive and when they did the smell of raw vinegar almost made me choke! The sauce is very sharp with far too much acidity. This is almost offset by the blue cheese but it doesn’t really work. It’s a shame – the chicken was cooked beautifully, moist with a lovely crunchy skin, but the sauce lets it down.

Franco Manca
Pizza is a simple thing – in Naples you’ll be lucky to see anything other than the margarita – bread, tomato, cheese and basil. It’s simple and delicious. Several pizza restaurants have opened recently offering something more authentic than the traditional takeaway and more exciting than Pizza Express.

Franco Manca is at the forefront of this movement, their Brixton market location is spread across two units. I can understand the need to keep tables free, but sitting single diners with other groups when there are empty tables seems a little mean. Their menu is simple and uncomplicated – a handful of pizzas and some interesting wines. I ordered their organic house red, an unusual italian wine which showcases strong mineral flavours rather than fruit, it was delicious!

The pizza I went for was their basic margarita. It’s a decent size and has the authentic puffy crust you’d expect from a traditional oven. The dough was good but a little bland – Pizza Pilgrims have a fantastic dough with a lovely salty sourdough tang. Franco Manca’s just tasted a little flat in comparison! The tomato sauce was fine but the mozzarella could have been creamier.

That’s not to underplay their pizza – it’s a step up on pizza express and in a whole different league to a takeaway. But compared to what Pizza Pilgrims can achieve in the back of a van, it’s a bit of a disappointment.

Conclusion
Brixton is going from strength to strength – the revitalised market is the perfect breeding ground for new and exciting restaurants. While there is certainly still room for improvement from Franco Manca and Wishbone, Honest Burger makes it worth the trip on it’s own.