The best things we ate and drank in February 2025

Knave of Clubs (Shoreditch) - Prawn Scotch egg

This new Shoreditch pub is already hugely popular, a fact that's helped by the pub food menu from ex-Allegra chef Patrick Powell. There's a lot on the short menu to love but these prawn Scotch eggs are top of the list - the prawn making a surprisingly great substitute for the standard pork. If the Scotch Egg Challenge ever returns - these will be in the running for sure.

The Wolseley (St James) - Eggs Benedict

For one of the Hot Dinners team, it was actually their first ever time visiting the OG Wolseley in St James. A breakfast mid-week visit, the restaurant was absolutely wedged - its popularity clearly sees no sign of waning. As for the food, a classic Eggs Benedict done to perfection set up the day nicely.

Krokodillos (Kensington) - Wild goat from Greece

Even given the team behind it, who are also behind Fantomas and Wild, we weren't sure what to expect of Krokodillos before visiting. It turned out to be a really excellent Greek restaurant with some standout dishes, none more so than this goat, cooked for eight hours and then covered with the most amazing space at the table. A must-have if you're visiting the restaurant.

Don't Tell Dad (Queen's Park) - Madeleines with orange and cream

Starting with a bakery and then becoming a vibey restaurant in the evening has clearly been a good approach for the extremely popular Don't Tell Dad. There were a few notably good dishes like their crab tart, but warm madeleines, cooked to order, are always going to do the trick for us.

Voyage by Adam Simmonds (King's Cross) - "Celeriac"

Adam Simmonds has brought something unique to the King's Cross Area, mixing Michelin-level panache with a stripped-back Scandinavian-style approach. Of the multi-course tasting menu, we were particularly impressed by this celeriac dish, showcasing how their vegetarian dishes (there is a full vegetarian tasting menu option) are particularly creative. This is salt-baked, roasted and fermented celeriac with shiitake, walnut and truffle and it's finished with a celeriac broth. 

Dear Jackie (Soho) - Roast delica squash, radicchio, taleggio, black winter truffle

A special truffle dinner brought us to known celeb-haunt Dear Jackie in Soho. Wiltshire Truffles joined forces with Dear Jackie chef Harry Faddy for a dinner which featured a lot of fresh truffles (even with dessert). Although the risotto with braised veal cheek was impressive, this salad which combined wonderfully roasted squash with truffle shavings was the best of the bunch. Martinis in the rooftop bar afterwards are also recommended. Keep an eye on their Instagram feed for future special events like this.

Jemma Harrison at Giacco's (Highbury) - Agnolotti del plin with chicken cabbage and marjoram

We'd been stalking chef Jemma (ex-Westerns Laundry and Koya) on Instagram and when she put up a photo of this dish she had planned for a two-weekend pop-up at Giacco's wine bar in Highbury we were smitten. The good news is that it ended up tasting every bit as good as it looked. Gemma is at Dino's in Leytonstone on 8 March for a one-off dinner.

Twickenham Stadium (Twickenham) - Beef & potato and cauliflower cheese pies

A trip to Twickenham to watch an England v France game (that proved to be a really great game) also came with a visit to their hospitality area for an undeniably extremely pleasant day. it is certainly not cheap at £1500, but if you are lucky enough to be invited like we were, jump at the chance. It also turned out that a million people on Instagram were also a little, shall we say, exercised by that price and the Guinness (it was always possible to ask for a fresh pint, just in case you were wondering). As for the food, it was an excellent feast by Tommy Banks but these post-match pies were the winners for us.

La Môme (Knightsbridge) - Truffle arancini & tuna tartare

This may not look like any arancini you've ever had before - think of it as more a loaf-style take on the traditional deep-fried rice balls, suffused with truffles and featuring a generous topping of raw tuna. It was one of the standout dishes at our lunch at The Berkeley's new restaurant.

The Blues Kitchen (Shoreditch) - Crispy chicken sandwich

You know it isn't all caviar and truffles here at Hot Dinners. We're just as partial to a good burger and this crispy chicken sandwich at The Blues Kitchen with hot honey, kewpie slaw and pickles very much hit the spot on a big night out.

Kwant (Mayfair) - Oolong

Star bartender Eric Lorincz’s genius take on the Irish coffee, as part of his Nikka omakase menu, featured Yoichi single malt, oolong tea and a foam topping of soy meringue. It was warm, cold, sweet and savoury and very, very clever.

Osteria Del Mare (Covent Garden) - Swordfish tagliolini with sun-dried tomatoes and aubergine

High-end Italian seafood spots are quite the thing in London at the moment but we'd like to take a moment and hold space for the wonderfully fugly but delicious pasta dish at Osteria del Mare. Think of all the really tasty things you find in the Med added to a pasta dish of deep intensity. 

Bar Valette (Shoreditch) - Fabada Asturiana bean stew

Probably the signature dish of the new restaurant from the Clove Club team, this bean stew features a fine mix of sausage, pork belly and black pudding and it's just perfect for a wintry night (even if it is supposed to be spring soon...).

Ivan Ramen at The Ned (City of London) - Iberico pork collar tsukemen

Ivan Orkin's residency at The Ned restaurant Kaia is on until the end of March so if you want to try some top-tier ramen this is where you need to book next. Our favourite bowl was this dish of dry noodles, topped with mushrooms, pork collar and a jammy egg and served with a suckling pig broth for dipping.

The Ship at Dunwich (Suffolk) - Haddock and chips

If you can't get a decent plate of fish and chips at a pub within earshot of the sea then things would be pretty poor. Luckily the seashore pub The Ship right by the beach in Dunwich serves up a very creditable one.

The Westleton Crown (Suffolk) - Fallow & Fire

An array of venison dishes served up at this Suffolk country pub neatly illustrated their local and sustainable ethos when it comes to food. From a full venison butchery by the kitchen came fillet steaks, pies, faggots and more.

Pinch Bakery (Suffolk) - Honey and bacon crullers

If we're anywhere in the vicinity of Alice Norman's Suffolk bakery then it's the law that we have to make a pitstop to get a box of her amazing crullers to bring back to London with us. We love the maple and pecan ones too, but the honey and bacon ones are our absolute favourite. 

The Newt (Somerset) - Whey-cooked lamb shoulder

From luxury hotel The Newt came this new 'low and slow' ready meal product range using produce from the extensive estate. This particular dish featured lamb from their own farm with chefs using buffalo milk whey from their own herd to tenderise the lamb through hours of slow cooking. It may be the best ready meal we've ever eaten.