The best things we ate and drank in August

The Portrait Restaurant (Trafalgar Square) - Parmesan Custard, Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Crostini

If you can see Parmesan custard on a menu and resist ordering it, then you’re made of tougher stuff than us. We were back at Richard Corrigan’s The Portrait to celebrate its first birthday and this memorable riff on the flavour profile of a Caesar salad was our favourite dish from a great dinner.

Goodbye Horses (Islington) - Eggs mayonnaise 

At new N1 wine bar Goodbye Horses there was no mention of the straw fries topping the plate of eggs mayonnaise when we ordered it, so it came as a very welcome surprise. Here the ‘mayonnaise’ was more of a hollandaise which only enhanced it in our eyes.

40 Dean Street (Soho) - Tempura courgette flower

There’s always room in our life for an old-school Soho Italian and this month that space was perfectly filled by a lunch at 40 Dean Street. A simply massive courgette flower was stuffed with ricotta, battered and deep fried and further enhanced with a generous drizzle of honey.

Waterman’s Arms (Barnes) - Aubergine, merquez and yoghurt

Sitting out on the balcony overlooking the Thames at the Waterman’s Arms we were particularly taken with this dish where the roasted aubergine was topped with crumbled merguez for an additional kick and served with a pool of yoghurt to ameliorate the spice

Bar Antoine (Mayfair) - The Pursuit

There aren’t that many posh Mayfair bars that boast a capacious terrace adjoining Hyde Park, so Bar Antoine which is part of Pavyllon at the Four Seasons London already has that going for it. There’s plenty here to entice those swerving alcohol, but if you aren’t then this Vodka/Mezcal mix will go down very nicely.

The Devonshire (Soho) - Scotch egg

We’ve been back to the Devonshire several times since its opening, but this time we were down in the pub to give its bar food menu a good going-over. We weren’t surprised to find the Scotch eggs were great and you should definitely give their cheese toasties a try too

Whyte’s (London Fields) - Finger burners

There are only a few days left to try the Basque menu at Whyte's (which changes its menu every month). These "finger burners" are actually barbecued lamb chops, although they're covered with honey and burnt onion powder making them unmissable. 

Cornus  (Belgravia) - Hand-rolled spaghetti, Cornish Lobster with N25 Oscietra caviar and Amalfi lemon

A great (although very pricey) new addition to Belgravia, there's a lot of attention to detail to the cooking at Cornus. That's perhaps not surprising from a chef who previously won a Michelin star when he was at Angler restaurant. There's an intense bisque flavour from this starter dish that's already a must-order on the menu. 

Fazenda  (Bishopsgate) - Rump of lamb skewers

Definitely an offering for carnivores the rodizio lunch at Fazenda features a parade of grilled meats arriving at your table until you throw in the towel. We enjoyed beef, chicken and even grilled pineapple at our lunch, but we’re still thinking about how great the lamb was in particular.

Marceline  (Canary Wharf) - Ravioli Dauphiné with Comté, crème fraiche and brown butter

Right beside Hawksmoor in Wood Wharf (and in an identical building (from the outside, anyway), Marceline has brought a surprisingly good-value classic French bistro to the area. The must-have dish is this regional French take on ravioli, served in an uncut sheet. If you go to Marceline, it's the one thing you must order (and probably put on your social feed too...).

HG Walter (AREA) - No Drama x HG Walter Smash Cheeseburger Box

Created for National Burger Day (but on sale until 2 September) is this smash burger collab that you can get delivered to your door. In addition to the patties made with HG Walter beef you get everything from the American cheese slices down to diced chives and onion and a house burger sauce.

Lyle’s  (Shoreditch) - Summer Vegetables with Smoked Cod's Roe

Back at Lyle’s in honour of the restaurant hitting its 10th anniversary the simplicity of this crudites platter belied the attention to detail from that amazing cod’s roe through to the courgette slices that had been confited in olive oil.

Stem + Stem (Mansion House) -  Roasted quail, chicken and suffer truffle sausages with mint yoghurt dressing

Tucked down Bow Lane this new florist, wine bar and restaurant has a chef whose background includes working for the Roux brothers, Clare Smyth and more. These delicate sausages on the snacks section of the menu were just one element of a superb dinner.

Bleecker  (London Bridge) - The Nacho Burger 

In retrospect, heading to the brand-new Bleecker for this year's one-off special on the day it opened should have prepared us for queues, but they all handled the pressure with aplomb. This special was a team-up with Tortilla, topping it with Tortilla's guacamole, pickled onions and pico de gallo salsa. Although you can't get this one any more, their standard cheeseburger was as wonderful as ever, reminding us why we always hold them up as one of the very best burger restaurants in town. 

No 23 (Fitzrovia) - Mezcal martini and tomato tostada

This connected but standalone bar at Carousel now serves up a punchy menu of Mezcal-focused cocktails and a short bar food menu. Everything we tried was great, but if forced to pick a favourite it would be this icy martini with shallot-infused vermouth paired with an elephant’s ear tomato tostada.