Where do chefs eat?
Seven chefs and their most frequented haunts
Hi! I thought I’d share this piece that I wrote for The Nudge a couple of months ago.
It includes a clutch of chefs who cook their hearts out for a living – whether in their own kitchens, under their own concepts or at restaurants that are rising through the ranks – and so when they go out to eat, it’s not something they do by halves. Their recommendations cover several London boroughs; some places you might’ve already heard of and some may surprise you.
And! There’s a couple of bonus entries at the end from two chefs who are very close to my heart. Enjoy!
I’m not a chef. Far from it.
But I know and have worked with a brigade’s worth of jobbing, hungry chefs who will never turn their nose up at a solidly good meal.
And I’m not talking haut cuisine or seven-course set menus. So often, it seems that after working 70+ hours a week, all a chef wants to eat – and craves – is something relatively simple, reliably delicious in a restaurant that has personality and doesn’t make a song and dance about how many dishes you should order per person.
I’m not a chef but I have cooked for chefs. Initially, I found it frankly terrifying. I’d boil pasta feeling as though the chef who’s work space I was stepping into was critiquing my technique; I’d chop an onion knowing I was doing it all wrong and being judged for it; I’d peel potatoes working as fast as I could while anticipating the peeler to be snatched from my hand because I was too slow.
At this point, I’ve made staff meal at Joyau more times than any chef, a) because I feel passionately that a happy team is a well-fed team and b) because I’ve learned that cooking for chefs doesn’t need to be a gastronomic feat of creativity and pretty plating. It just needs to be a bowl or a plate of food that’s been made with care.
Staffies aside, where do chefs eat when they eventually get time away from the stoves? We asked a handful of London’s most exciting chefs for their recommendations; some you may have already heard of, some of so good they’re included twice, some you have to venture beyond Zone 2 to find and some might surprise you. All of them however, come with a chef’s stamp of approval.
Joyeta Ng
Growing up in Hong Kong, Joyeta Ng has always had a sixth sense for good food. She trained as a chef in Japan and honed her craft during a seven-year stint at Tokyo’s two-Michelin-starred Den, followed by working at the Chairman in Hong Kong and Noma’s groundbreaking Kyoto pop-ups in 2023 and 2024. While most of her experience as a chef is in fine-dining restaurants, Joyeta’s style of cooking is, in her own words, “how a Chinese mother would cook for her nearest and dearest”. She’s currently heading up the kitchen at Poon’s Somerset House.
40 Maltby Street
This restaurant never disappoints. I love any of their fritters. Or if they have a tart/quiche/pie/anything with pastry on the menu I’ll always order it, because I’m then always rewarded with mouthfuls of satisfaction.
Planque
As someone who grew up eating rice, I love what Sebastian Myers does with his rice dishes – risotto-y but with crispy bits mixed in throughout. So far I have only tried their lobster rice and cockle rice – I still need to try their latest crab rice!
The Macbeth
This is a spot I only discovered recently and have already been twice within a month… I go when I crave hot chips and it’s also conveniently close to my house. Their chips look more like roasted potatoes but they’re deep fried and served with aioli. They also do delicious bifana and mini burgers and cheese borek. It’s great for a quick meal or a light bite.
Robin’s Ramen
Now that it’s getting cold I crave soupy things. Robin’s Ramen in Nottinghill does one of the best bowls I’ve had in London – it’s at the back of Supermarket of Dreams and the ramen uses very dreamy premium produce and it’s just executed really well.
Uncle Wrinkle
A Chinese spot that I wish I could inherit – it’s inspired me to open an Auntie Wrinkle one day. A mom and pop place and I love anything deep fried they make (prawn toast, spring roll, aubergine). It’s a Chinese takeaway menu but the couple (Mr and Mrs Wrinkle?) who run it are so lovely that it feels like you are eating in their home. They also have a mini ceramics gallery at the back of the restaurant, which is well worth checking out.
Zane Metcalf Cuenca (aka mopkitchen)
Currently whipping up a storm – and winning a spot on the Michelin Guide – Zane works as the Sous Chef at Don’t Tell Dad. He’s previously worked at The Camberwell Arms and Bubala and also has a side hustle cooking highly-kitsch dishes, inspired by the food trends of the 1970s adapted to the modern pallet. Think Abigail’s Party but with far better hosts than Beverley and zhuzhed-up devilled eggs.
Ramen Moto
Ramen is my comfort food and ramen moto is the best I’ve had in London, but I also love Tokoton ramen in elephant and castle – it’s very classic and run by a bunch of lovely Japanese guys.
Bouchon Racine
You can just never go wrong here.
Lao Dao
The lamb skewers are divine.
Cafe Déco
A restaurant I can’t speak more highly of.
Speedboat Bar
If I’ve finished early on a Sunday and need somewhere to eat, my go-to spot is Speedboat Bar – it’s always delicious and has a great atmosphere.
Helen Graham
Giving vegetables main character energy is Helen’s raison d’être in the kitchen. After stints working at The Barbary and in Yotam Ottolenghi’s test kitchen, she joined forces with Marc Summers and set about creating a restaurant that made vegetables the star of each dish.
After a run of sold-out supper clubs, Marc found a permanent site for Bubala in Spitalfields with Helen taking the helm as head chef. Five years after opening, Helen stepped down in 2023 to pursue solo projects and now has a slew of kitchen takeovers and a soon-to-be-released cookbook under her belt.
40 Maltby Street
It’s one of the only places in London where you aren’t hurried out the door after 1.5 hours. Also, Steve’s cooking is some of the best in London and always makes me excited and inspired.
Mangal 1
My go-to and probably my most frequently visited restaurant ever. It’s cheap, absolutely delicious and it always has a great vibe.
Hanimeli
A lovely Turkish meze spot, I go for breakfast and get the whole spread.
Miga
Korean food with French style execution. It’s family run, the dad is the chef and the love and pride amongst the team really shines through. I always leave with such a full heart
Towpath
Canal side dining, rustic and ingredient-led. Very unique, very London.
Eric Wan
From finance, to Heston Blumenthal’s kitchen, to creating his own concept, Lá Lốt, to finding a permanent kitchen at the recently opened Tempo in Bethnal Green; Eric does not sit still and his Southern Vietnamese cooking carries the same energy.
His food dives into the vibrant, eclectic energy of the Chợ Lớn district, where streets are punctuated with food carts and the air is filled with smells of sizzling grilled meats, steaming dim sum and freshly brewed Robusta coffee.
Dim Sum Duck
The order is: beancurd skin prawn cheung fun, prawn & chive dumplings, and turnip cake. It’s always busy – so go early or prepare to wait – and always brilliant.
Udaya Kerala
Make sure to try the egg appam, mutton rolls, beef roast, and chicken biryani. But really whatever you order, it’s practically guaranteed to be packed with flavour and be so comforting.
Scenery Coffee
A house filter and one of their homemade brioche rolls (the fillings change weekly) and are always spot-on.
Naughty Piglets
Mostly for the jambon beurre with copious amounts of salted French butter. It’s simple and perfect.
Jemma Harrison
Jemma grew up spending weekends at her dad’s in Suffolk, where living next to a working farm piqued her curiosity about the land and its produce. That love of local fare, combined with a passion for the origins of historical recipes and the traditions of her Jewish heritage – especially Friday night meals – is the key component in her abundant cooking style. Well before pop ups were a thing, Jemma was working in some of London’s top restaurants, including Koya, Camille, and Westerns Laundry. She has a passion for regional Italian cookery, which she couples with her Jewish roots. Think potato latkes, chicken schnitzel, nostalgic desserts and an emphasis on super seasonal produce.
Jemma and her Kaunter concept recently wrapped up a four-month residency at Giacco’s. Whatever she gets up to next, it’s going to be good.
Linglings
When I do get the chance to eat out, I love to try something new and I love to go along to other chefs doing their own residencies. I recently went to Jenny is doing amazing things. She is extremely talented. Get the chicken broth.
Koya Soho
Is my absolute go to, particularly if I’m dining solo. I sit at the bar and slurp udon and munch tempura. It feels like a home away from home.
Babaan’s Naan
For a cheap eat, you can’t go wrong with their generously stuffed falafel wrap. I’ve probably had one every week since my residency at Giaccos!
Le Relais de Venise
That sauce. The chips. The double helping. The mustard dressing on the walnut salad and dessert platter. It’s all so reliably delicious and the space has a sense of occasion.
Maison François
Speaking of dessert platters, I’m a big fan of Maison Francois. The desserts especially are always executed beautifully and the dining room is really special too.
Wildflowers
A restaurant that has to get a mention. Aaron Potter really knows how to cook beautifully simple food with a punch of flavour and texture using fantastic ingredients – it’s like being transported to a chi-chi beach club without the extortionate prices.
Ramen Moto
I often have a ramen itch to scratch and this is the spot. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Their broths are authentic and delicious.
Jack Lawrence & Eleni Thoma
Jack and Eleni are the joint force behind the food offering at Joyau, which covers breakfast, lunch and dinner and our Sunday prix fixe menu.
Jack’s experience in professional kitchens began with a short stint at The River Cafe and then at Kensington Place (RIP) under Rowley Leigh, before pivoting to FOH and becoming a sommelier.
In my head, Eleni has lived seven lives. She’s worked all over London at Ombra, Towpath, Padella, Honey & Co, Potter & Reid as well as running her own catering business between the various lockdowns of 2020. She’s also a trained nutritionist and a horticulturist. In short, there is nothing she can’t do!
Between them (with a bit of background support from yours truly), they are the brains behind the menu and the care in every dish we serve at the bar.
Jack
Vasantha Vilas
You’ve got to start with pani puri – it’s the ideal, crunchy, coridander-y bite. A dosa for the table as they’re quite big; the saag palaak which is equal parts health (from all the spinach) and indulgence (from all the ghee), a roti and a few rounds of chai.
Noble Rot Lambs Conduit
The bread and butter at Noble Rot is unrivalled – three different types with generously salted butter. With that as your jumping off point, you can really land anywhere on the menu and know that you’ll be pleased with whatever is presented to you. Don’t leave without ordering the baked-to-order madeleines – see also: St John –they’re so perfectly buttery and nostalgic.
Oyster Shack & Seafood Bar
If you have a car – or any means of getting yourself to the inner reaches of Epping Forest – and a free afternoon (between Thursday-Sunday), go for a walk and a seafood-laden lunch at the Oyster Shack. On the surface, it’s very much a shack. But it’s belied by the fact that’s it’s a slick operation with impeccable service.
You’ll probably have to queue but let me tell you, it’s worth it for that first bite of the scallop and bacon bun. The mango chutney prawns are also delicious as are the oysters.
Brawn
A restaurant that never seems to miss. We celebrated our official marriage here last August, with a meal of rabbit rillettes, roast chicken and baked nectarines. For most of the afternoon, we were the only ones in the restaurant, lapping up the sunshine and drinking Champagne. It was a perfect long lunch I hope to repeat often.
The Eagle Farringdon
Order a Guinness, scrounge for a seat and pick anything of the menu. The food is rustic, hearty and not trying to be anything else.
M&S
More of a bad habit than anything else, but I have a weakness for a prawn sandwich and find it almost impossible to walk past any M&S without grabbing one of their Best Ever Prawn sandwiches and a packet of crisps, obviously.
Eleni
Polentina
Hard to find restaurant/canteen inside a clothing manufacturing workshop in Bow! Polentina is functionally a workers canteen and feeds the employees working in the garment factory, before it opens to the public for lunch and dinner. This reminds me so much of working in Rome, when we would feed the dipendente (employees) before opening the doors to the customers. After they had all left and we were all cleaned down, then we would eat. It is so important to have a nourishing meal during the work day, especially when you’re working with your body and your hands, it is also a really key time to catch up with your friends or your colleagues, and I love that Polentina gives the employees of the factory a space and time to do this.
The food is also beautiful, uncompromising super regional Italian cooking that isn’t afraid to showcase lesser known cuts and ingredients.
The Eagle Farringdon
I bought the Eagle’s cookbook for an obscene amount of money before I even visited the pub to eat. Knowing that so many incredible chefs have cooked in the kitchen and gone on to set up their own restaurants, it has become somewhat of a chefs place to eat! It’s noisy, you can’t book for under five people, you have to wrestle your way to the bar, and be prepared to share a table with other people, knocking elbows as you eat, but it is well worth it, always delicious, fun and comforting for the soul. The kitchen is layout is open, and you are encouraged to ask questions about the food rather than google what you don’t recognise! They are famous for their steak sandwich, but I’ll always choose whatever dish they have with a bean or a pulse, this is where they really excel! It is also great for solo dining, my favourite meal I’ve had was a whole bream with Cyprus potatoes swimming in all the cooking juices, lemon and oregano.
HT Harris Delicatessen
This is a favourite of mine from when I used to study in town. There is no menu, they have a counter for you to choose from and make your own sandwich, and usually two to three pasta dishes on each day. I’ve only ever seen the owner working there alone, pulling espresso’s, making and toasting sandwiches, serving and cleaning tables, all by himself! My favourite is a toasted chicken escalope ciabatta with mozzarella, basil and tomato, crispy, cheesy and comforting to the max!
Neco Tantuni
This place has recently been discovered by those outside of Enfield and had its moment online (Jonathun Nunn, Guardian), but it’s been a steady favourite of ours since we moved to Enfield many moons ago! The lavash is what really makes this tantuni stand out - I’m told its freshly made every hour! If you take it away to eat, they bundle it up with a few lemon wedges, pots of pickles, yoghurt and rich tomato sauce. My Turkish friends instruct me to squeeze a little lemon on to the tantuni before every bite! If you eat it in, try the yoğurtlu tantuni, which is sliced and topped with yoghurt and brown butter. The lamb is my favourite.
Artusi
There aren’t many places I’d travel from Enfield to the depths of Peckham for, but Artusi has a warm place in my heart! A true neighbourhood restaurant focused on Italian-inspired cooking and wine. No fads or trends, just solid cookery using beautiful ingredients.
Until next time, have a good one!