All tagged Highly Recommended

CUUBO

The other is at least its equal, featuring a lightly tart, chilled and loose lemon custard with a salted ricotta ice cream float and pistachio and biscuit crumbs for sweetness and crunch. These are both contenders to be my favourite dessert of the year… READ MORE

Brawn

The BBQ’d squid could only be better if I could hear waves breaking on a beach; it’s easy on the bite, with delicate slices of full flavoured tomatoes, but it’s fruity Taggiasche olives and a citrussy salsa verde that take full charge of the palate… READ MORE

Pasture

We’re advised steaks are cooked ‘French’, so ordering it medium means it sits perfectly between medium and medium rare ensuring enough of the fat marbling has pumped succulence into the aged-tenderised meat, under the caramelisation of its fired crust. It’s pure carnivore heaven… READ MORE

Poli

It’s the holy trinity of perfectly cooked, pink meat, a huge, billowing Yorkshire pudding and a glossy gravy that’s way, way more than just a pretty face. As gravies go this is like a grand cru; with a fine bouquet, then releasing its complexity in the mouth with a finish to savour… READ MORE

Rabbit

A pile of creamy, sweet white crab meat on top of an English muffin, floating on a cloud-like toffee-buttery hollandaise and topped with the ‘sour fizz’ of pickled lemon and lightly bitter salinity from sea rosemary and sea purslane. It must be their biggest crowd-pleaser.… READ MORE

Little Duck The Picklery

I’m not nearly so honourable when it comes to the next plate that offers up a fresh take on mozzarella, with stewed flat piattone beans and sweet datterini tomatoes, fresh mint and topped with the crunch of fried breadcrumbs. It’s a dish that offers a titanic blow for blow battle of textures and flavours… READ MORE

Ducksoup

The lamb neck fillet has been flash grilled, so it’s gorgeously pink and tender, with its juices running into the bed of creamy lentils with perfect bite. With delicately sweet and grassy, early season asparagus and salinity from olives pushes itself forward as dish of the day… READ MORE

Café Cecilia

The bright pink, medium rare onglet boasting a fire-licked crust is as melt in the mouth as meat gets, with an almost spicy peppercorn sauce emboldened with cream and brandy served with chips that offer perfect crunch, despite being smashed into the gravy for dredging purposes… READ MORE

Riverine Rabbit

Chakalaka is every bit as good as it sounds; beans in a softly spiced and lightly sweet tomato sauce. A swirl of whipped goats cheese offers the perfect earthy tart limelight to meltingly moist lamb combining with crispy shards and a lick of hay smoke… READ MORE

The Bun and Barrel

My tempura battered soft shell crab brings the same joy from the matchstick potato and buttery sweetness of the demi-brioche bun. The subtle flavour of crab is bolstered by mango and chilli salsa, shellfish mayo, pickled cabbage, picked white crab meat and lemon… READ MORE

Plates by Purnell's

Build-your-own anchovies on toast starts the belief that we’re looking at very well priced food. A generous pile of superior quality anchovies—meaty, firm and packing umami with the saltiness—sit on top of fresh tomato reduced almost to a sweet puree and then also a zesty, tangy and fragrant salsa verde… READ MORE

Westerns Laundry

I’ve ordered two of the raw black bream because I just know one won’t be enough. It delivers on its promise with melt-in the mouth freshness heightened by hints of orange in EVO oil and unexpectantly sweet and tart rhubarb and perky piquancy from green peppercorns. I nearly order a third… READ MORE

Tropea

By sight alone I know it’ll delight and it does exactly that; with perfect on the bite, caramelised grilled octopus, crispy potatoes, and a decent dollop of ‘nduja aioli providing a light kick of heat, and with sweetness coming from roasted Calabrian peppers and Sicilian datterini tomatoes… READ MORE

Brat x Climpson's Arch

The hake collar is the meaty, fatty bit of a fish at the pectoral fins, behind the gills and when grilled over hot charcoal, the skin gets all crispy. With no hidden little bones, they’re perfect for dipping in the dreamy accompanying custard-like aioli, topped with burnt onion dust and chives… READ MORE

Upstairs at Grace + James

A supermodel-gorgeous, rotund slab of porchetta with golden crunchy crackling around fatty, succulent belly and lean loin in equal measure, stuffed, rolled and slow roasted. It’s sweet and savoury flavours amplified by the fresh zing of gremolata loaded with peppery parsley, garlic, lemon and grassy olive oil… READ MORE

Bright

A plate of thin slices of raw grey mullet, covered in a briny seaweed laden oil, tempered by lemon zest provides a boost to the fresh delicacy of fish. It’s gone quicker than a tray of free Jägerbombs in Fresher’s week, but I refuse to entertain even a glimmer of disappointment and order another straight away.… READ MORE

The River Café

Generous slabs of seared, dissolve-in-the mouth meat, with salty crunch from crisp fried rashers of pancetta, sitting on top of a stew of slow cooked tender broad beans in their skins, artichoke petals and greens, with freshness from lemon and sage. It’s a dish that’s pure spring… READ MORE