The Gourmand 24 hours: London’s gastronomic spring delights

Words by
Jemima Sissons

17th May 2018

Bring a good appetite and make your way around London with the help of our foodie itinerary, sampling the city's culinary treasures as you go…

9am Rise and shine in the sleek new kid on the block, the Ron Arad-designed Nobu Hotel Shoreditch. It comes with customised Natura Bissé amenities and kimonos in the rooms, as well as a house blend sake in the minibar. Intrepid gastronomes can indulge in the Japanese breakfast, which includes tofu, umami sea bass and miso soup.

Nobu

Lobby at Nobu Hotel Shoreditch

11am Fully restored, stride out to Great Eastern Street where the newly opened Sans Pere is a one-stop shop for buttery pastries, homeware and even an architectural studio. A short walk away, Redchurch Street is where Labour and Wait has a treasure trove of vintage-inspired pieces for the kitchen such as scrubbing brushes and aprons. And on the same street, feast your eyes on the fresh pasta at Burro e Salvia. For those who can spare an hour or two, it holds masterclasses for filled, basic or semolina pasta.

UNISON

1pm It’s time for a bite. Head for a walk into the City, where newly opened Temper City offers warming plates such as lamb scotch bonnet thali washed down with a homemade shandy. Alternatively, Caravan City has just opened and serves healthy salads and dishes such as fermented daikon, black salt and pickled ginger and whipped morcilla, house roti and herbs.

4pm There are plenty of buses through to Covent Garden. It might almost be time for a cocktail and the American Bar at the Savoy has just won Bar of the Year at the World’s 50 Best Bars awards. Try the Green Park cocktail, made with basil leaves and celery bitters.

5.15pm Early birds can take advantage of the excellent Scratch menu at Spring in Somerset House. Available from 5.30pm, it’s a steal at £20 for three courses. Although it uses up the day’s ingredients from the kitchen (and you must be out by 6.30pm), it’s an excellent choice for the jet-lagged and theatregoers.

fish dish Joe Allen

7pm Otherwise, head to the newly relocated Joe Allen on Burleigh Street with it’s “off-menu” burger, tinkling pianist and wall-to-wall theatre posters. The old venue was forced to close to make way for Robert De Niro’s new hotel, but the same jolly atmosphere remains. Or for those heading back to Shoreditch, the newly opened Smoking Goat is a winter warmer of a pit stop. Try the restorative smoked brisket drunken noodles.

10pm For a nightcap, head to Great Eastern Street and Scout, Matt Whiley’s “zero-waste” bar. At any one time, the seasonally dictated drinks menu features five beers, five natural wines, and 10 cocktails made from British ingredients and largely distilled, fermented and brewed in its on-site “Laboratory”.