VINTAGE SALT

London, UK

For the past few summers, Selfridges has created a pop-up restaurant on their 5th floor rooftop in Oxford Street. This year, Vintage Salt has taken over. Intended to mimic a Cornish fishing village, with maritime design and a seafood and grill-based menu, I went for weekend lunch with a friend, and I was happy to have been able to book a table online just the day before. You start appreciating the little things like this after living in London for a while. As I got into the restaurant's own lift accessed from the fragrance department, the seaside theme was already evident. The friendly waitress, dressed as a sailor, directed me to a table in the narrow outdoor space. From initial impressions, I got the sense that everyone one was there for a special occasion to try it out, and maybe it's not the kind of place that you'd return to, however it's possible that the atmosphere is a bit cooler around dinner time. I started with ancient loaf with hand churned butter. This was listed as one of the starters on the menu, and not as a side. The crispy crust and soft bread was among the best I've ever tried, I could almost have had it as a main as well. As an aperitif, I ordered the Dirty Sea Martini;  a vodka martini with some pieces of seaweed at the bottom of the glass. It was refreshing and interesting, but it smelled a bit too much of the sea, almost fishy. The cocktail menu generally looked interesting, and I'd like to go back one evening and try more of their drinks and one of their Champagne Popsicles.  

For mains, my friend ordered the Beef Burger with truffled fries on the side, and I went for the Camden Hells Fried Fish & Chips. When the food arrived I got a slight pang of food envy, as the burger looked amazing with a thick slice of cheese and an avocado topping. However, she said the meat was quite dry, and not as good as it looked. The fish and chips were pretty much what you would expect, the fish seemed fresh and the sides were tasty, but it didn't stand out as very different from what you would get served at a pub. Being a popular spot, the reservation email made it clear that you can only keep the table for 90 minutes. At the end of our slot, a crowd waiting at the bar had built up, but fortunately the waiters didn't put any pressure on us to leave. The staff seemed to have been instructed to not let a single drop of rain fall on the guests, as every time there was a cloud, they would close and reopen the roof. Luckily the weather stayed sunny and we took a quick peek at the London view before heading back down to Selfridges for some shopping. 

www.vintagesalt.co.uk

B.O.B'S & Co

London, UK

B.O.B’s & Co is a pop-up restaurant in the Rising Sun pub near St Paul’s Cathedral. Soon after we heard about it, we gave them a call, and surprisingly it was possible to book tables! They said that they get a lot of walk-ins, as people have become so used to the no-reservation policy in London. We went up the side entrance of the pub, into a warm and cosy space, which had an air of impermanence to it, due to the fake-brick wallpaper and the shared loos. We started with some drinks while looking over the menu. The cocktail list was short but good, with classic drinks such as Negroni and Old Fashioned. We ordered deep fried oysters, tuna sashimi tacos, seared scallops with mushrooms, and of course a lobster roll each. The food arrived very swiftly, and we finished it equally fast. The tuna tacos were so crispy and fresh tasting, and the scallops were perfect. The deep fried oysters were served on a bed of seaweed that the waitress told me was not for eating when she saw me starting to attack it with a fork. I wouldn’t say that fried oysters make for a very flavoursome dish, but it is fun to try as a novelty. The lobster rolls came as our main course with fries on the side. The bread roll was too charred, and they could have held back a bit on the sauce. The lobster meat itself was really good, but overall this lobster roll does not compete with the likes of Burger & Lobster in London or Ed’s Lobster Bar in New York. We did thoroughly enjoy our meal though, and I’d definitely go back. When we had cleared our plates, the friendly waitress described their two desserts of the day, neither of which sounded like our types of sweets, so we decided to have another portion of the amazing tuna tacos to finish off the meal. Our evening was complete when they kindly allowed us to take a pair of their foam lobster claws. 

www.bobsandco.com

KUROBUTA

London, UK

What started as relatively low-key pop up restaurant on Kings Road has quickly become one of London’s most sought-after dining destinations, with tables booked weeks in advance. Kurobuta is a gem of a place, rare in its breed in London’s food jungle, serving fresh quality Japanese fusion food in a cozy and comfortable setting. It’s indeed very fitting to its location; it screams Kensington and Chelsea, in that it is small, charming, charismatic and the people are just beautiful boasting the latest designer fashions as they walk through its small inconspicuous door. Kurobuta came to my attention by coincidence while walking on Kings Road and I stopped to chat to a friend I ran into, otherwise it's very easy to miss as its store front is very low key, which let's face it makes it even more endearing. I immediately booked a table. As I write this post I have been to Kurobuta twice already within a 2-week time period and the culinary highlights include the Tuna Sashimi Pizza that comes served with a truffle ponzu sauce. The flavours of this dish ignite fireworks in my mouth. Next up are the Wagyu beef sliders at £20 for two, which are bite-sized patties of pure delight and quality; the texture of the beef is unparalleled. The Maki Rolls are also phenomenal, their take on the spicy tuna roll is refreshing and equally delicious; on both dining occasions the spicy tuna was ordered twice! The beef fillet tataki and yellow tail sashimi were also excellent and spurred flurries of joy and delight; each bite drew a smile on my face. We also ordered spare ribs and pork hirata buns, neither of which were good. In an otherwise perfect meal, these pulled the impression down. Special mention must be made however to a snack that is so often taken for granted and overlooked in Japanese restaurants: Edamame. The edamame here is unmatched by any that I have had; it's flamed with Sake, lemon, butter and maldon salt. An innovative approach to such a simple dish, this is testament to the finesse and reinvention of many dishes prepared at Kurobuta. With many new restaurants always opening, Kurobuta jumps to being one of our London favourites, and we are just anxiously awaiting our next meal there and very much look forward to their main restaurant opening in summer. An interesting fact: none of the chefs are Japanese.  

   

www.kurobuta-london.com