A new twist on the London Bistro
Ain’t no doubt, the London food scene is epic. So, before cross-globe travel meant time away from the capital, I had the pleasure of visiting two very different restaurants, with one common theme – bistro…
Think French bistro, think rustic, traditional, old fashioned even? Not with chef powerhouse @claudebosi1 at the helm. Westminster based @soccabistro is one slick operation - raw scallops and langoustines, Angus beef carpaccio, roasted turbot with Marseille style potatoes, sweet Swiss chard pie, and olive oil ice cream with madeleines.
Unsurprisingly, it was a “f*ck that’s delicious” moment throughout, as I tried and failed miserably to work out how the chard pie was made before eating it all. I’m not sure your local French bistro will be serving raw Orkney scallops with blood orange any time soon, but if you want a treat, and the opportunity to taste nostalgic French flavours in the hands of a talented team, then it’s time to book a trip to Cote d’Mayfair.
One of my best and oldest pals is vegan, so, as soon as I knew they were returning from Glasgow for the weekend, I booked @naifsrestaurant - a vegan bistro in our old Peckham stomping ground.
Our sharing menu included fried winter tomatoes with aubergine cream, sauerkraut fritters, smoked potatoes, and radicchio and celeriac salad, which was delightfully fresh against the various crispy, crunchy, yummy things on offer. Excellent service and stonkingly good natural wines meant we tottered off into the night very happy indeed.
