If you’re looking to travel to London, a trip is not complete without indulging in the city’s gastronomic offerings. Tasting or set menus for the table to share offer a fun way to experience the city’s best flavours, from fine dining and multi-course meals to a selection of plates chosen by the restaurant.
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On a recent trip to London, I ate my way through these five seasonal menus, from Sollip’s Korean-inspired courses and Bubala’s vegetarian dips and small plates to the experience at Cycene in three separate areas of Blue Mountain School. Read on to discover what each establishment offers.
Cycene
The unassuming entrance to Blue Mountain School may be missed, but once inside, there is no doubt that what Cycene (the restaurant the multidisciplinary concept houses) offers is one-of-a-kind. Meant to emulate the feeling of dining within a private home, it serves a seasonal, nine-course menu that begins at the ground floor bar with an apértif alongside house-made bread and broth, before moving to the kitchen where the first set of snacks are served.
The dining room, on the floor above, sits only 16 per evening, and the restaurant is helmed by head chef Taz Sarhane. Highlights from the current menu include a dish of lobster with San Marzano tomatoes and samphire, as well as the sweet-savoury dessert that incorporates fermented banana and cashews below a lapsang parfait.
Cycene
Address: 9 Chance St, London E2 7JB. +44 20 7739 9733
Sollip
Korean flavours and seasonal British ingredients make the experience at the modern Korean restaurant Sollip so unique. Located in Bermondsey, the restaurant is helmed by South Korean chef Woongchul Park and his wife Bomee Ki. The current tasting menu begins with beef tartare paired with housemade aged gochujang, finished with cured daikon and truffle cream. Daikon also makes another appearance in the form of a tarte tatin with toasted barley, roasted potato, and burnt hay.
Sollip
Address: Unit 1, 8 Melior St, London SE1 3QP. +44 20 7378 1742
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Endo at The Rotunda
After a hiatus due to renovations, Endo at The Rotunda has just reopened its doors to the public. Helmed by the eponymous third-generation sushi master Endo Kazutoshi, the restaurant sources its soy sauce, rice, and vinegar from Japan, but makes use of local British produce when it comes to its seafood. We had a pre-opening preview at Three Sheets Dalston in the form of an evening of nigiri paired with the bar’s cocktails.
Endo at The Rotunda
Address: 8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Ln, London W12 7FR. endoatrotunda.com
Three Sheets Dalston
Address: 510b Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AB. +44 7718 648771
Kolae
Located in Borough Market, Thai Grill Kolae comes from the same people behind Som Saa in Spitalfields. The southern Thai restaurant makes its coconut cream in-house, which is incorporated into much of its offerings, from grilled meats to curries. If you’re spoiled for choice, try the feed-me menu, which boasts tiger prawns with calamansi lime, soy-braised pork belly, and stone bass curry.
Kolae
Address: 6 Park St, London SE1 9AB. +44 20 3325 3933
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Bubala
My Instagram feed has been filled with videos and photos of Bubala’s famous hummus, and for good reason—the dip is silky smooth and topped generously with a well of warm burnt butter. The sharing menu comes with a selection of mezze and small plates, which include the aforementioned hummus as well as labneh with confit garlic and za’atar, best mopped up with the house-made flatbread.
Bubala
Address: 65 Commercial St, London E1 6BD. bubala.co.uk
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