The best things we ate and drank in February

Alfi (Spitalfields) - King Prawns, chilli & garlic oil, lovage mayo

This self-styled "wine pub" opened before Christmas but only recently unveiled its restaurant and it's been worth the wait. The menu is full of excellent dishes and this one in particular showcases just how good the kitchen, led by chef Lorenzo Brigandi, is. Perfectly seared prawns backed up by a wonderful lovage mayo make this a must-order. 

Bruno (Victoria Park) - Reblochon and honey pretzel

There was a lot of excitement about Michael Sager's petite neighbourhood wine bar and a visit last week proved that buzz to be well deserved. Look out for a full Test Drive soon, but in the meantime cast your eyes on one of the key elements of the food menu - their amazing filled pretzels. Drizzled with honey this is a messy treat that's a perfect accompaniment to a great selection of wine. 

Farm Shop (Mayfair) - Beef tartare

Another well-received wine bar to open this month could be found in the heart of Mayfair. Beneath the Farm Shop deli, this is a notably old-school-style wine bar that really benefits from being right next to the Farm Shop butcher. The beef for this tartare comes from Durslade Farm in Bruton, the farm from the title, and is easily one of the best tartares we've had in a while. 

Chapel Market Kitchen (Islington) - Blue runner crab

This very newly-opened restaurant at the Penton Street end of Chapel Market is serving up some seriously good seafood with oysters being shucked and sashimi sliced in front of you. But this blue runner crab dish served with a simple, but extraordinary crab stock-based sauce, was the winner for us. Definitely a multiple napkin job.

Bocca di Lupo (Area) - Ossobuco 'in bianco' with risotto Milanese

Bocca di Lupo recently reached a milestone of 15 years in Soho and a recent visit showed that the restaurant is still going strong. Out of an excellent meal, this was the clear winner - a massive sharing dish of veal and risotto that was, to refer to an oft-overused phrase, packed with flavour. 

Fallow (St James) - Corn ribs

A return trip to Fallow in St James showed the kitchen on fine form, as ever, with the burger coming in for great praise (although we took an absolutely terrible photo of that). The signatures are still strong though, and these corn ribs definitely rate among some of London's best snacks. 

Baudry Greene (Covent Garden) - Sidecar and martini

Baudry Greene sees the team behind the 10 Cases continue their gradual takeover of Endell Street. Here the food is very much in the "drinking food" bracket with toasties, sausage rolls and more on offer (and we hear great things about their honey cake). But we reserve our top praise for their pitch-perfect versions of two cocktail classics. They do a great martini, but it's the wonderfully balanced version of a Sidecar which is something you have to order here. 

The Mitre (Hampton Court) - Cauliflower popcorn, chilli, spring onion, teriyaki dressing

Ex-Anglo chef Mark Jarvis in charge of all of the food at this hotel that's right next to Hampton Court. We'll have our Test Drive up later this week but in the meantime know that this little pot of cauliflower popcorn was one of the highlights of a great meal. We'd happily devour these in any bar in London. 

The Belvedere (Holland Park) - Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Cornish crab

Another crab dish made our best of the month list; this time it was this super pasta offering by chef Lello Favuzzi at Holland Park restaurant Belvedere. The colour alone should tell you everything you need to know about how it tasted, but in case you need us to spell it out, it's worth crossing town for.

Morchella (Exmouth Market) - Spanakopita

Another restaurant opening that's had a lot of fevered anticipation is this second offering from the team behind Perilla. Following the trend of Mediterranean restaurants opening in London, the restaurant has hit the ground running and everything on the menu appears to be worth ordering. If you can't get a table in the restaurant, then it's worth checking out their walk-in bar, where all the snacks from the menu are available, including this wafer-thin pastry delight filled with braised greens, spinach and feta cheese.  

Galvin La Chapelle (Spitalfields) - Dorset crab raviolo, dashi "buerre blanc", braised fennel, Baerii caviar

Also celebrating a milestone anniversary this year is Galvin La Chapelle, the Michelin-starred restaurant from the Galvin brothers which is celebrating its 15th birthday. In a meal of riffs on Galvin classics, this twist on the restaurant's signature dish, a lasagne of Dorset crab, was spectacular.   

Ormer (Mayfair) - Warm Iberico ham jelly

The standout from a five-course tasting menu at Ormer by Sofian, this dish really confounds your senses. It's a jelly, but it's also warm. Think essence of Iberico ham in a melt-in-your-mouth jelly and you've got the gist of it. Honestly, we're still thinking about it over a week after eating it.

Honey & Co Daily (Bloomsbury) - Tunisian stack - preserved lemon and harissa tuna, potatoes, red pepper and poached egg

The third Honey & Co restaurant in town is a place that's part bakery and deli, part restaurant. Here, there's a slightly different evening menu which uses the residual heat from the ovens used for baking during the day. There are some of their signatures, like the cheesecake, which are always worth ordering, but we particularly loved this dish, almost like having a brunch dish in the evening, which we fully approve of.