In our new feature, starting this month we'll be picking out the very best food and drink that the Hot Dinners team has enjoyed most over the past month.
SOLA - Shoyu - Kindai bluefin, avocado, tosazu and shimeji
A return trip to SOLA allowed us to see how the restaurant has developed since getting its Michelin star a couple of years back. The menu is always adapting and one of the newer dishes is this exemplary tuna creation made using Kindai bluefin tuna which is the world's first sustainably farmed bluefin tuna. It's presented as both sashimi and tartare with tiny cubes of tosazu jelly and more. Look out for our Test Drive very soon.
The Croquetas Challenge - Prawn croqueta with prawn aioli and Sicilian prawn tartare
We had a lot of croquetas as judges at the final of the 2023 Croquetas Challenge, but it turned out to be an easy choice to pick the winner. This seafood ball of joy came from the home team at Salt Yard Borough.
Story Cellar - Snail bolognaise on toast
We've been eating a lot of snail dishes in London recently and this one at Tom Seller's small but perfectly formed Covent Garden wine bar went straight to the top. With the richness cut through with that wild garlic butter it's a standout dish.
Doran Family Vineyards supper club - Barbecued pork belly with rolled tenderloin stuffed with white pudding and served with summer slaw
As longstanding sponsors of our annual Murphia List, we've known about the great South African wines that the Doran family produce for some time. However this month we finally got the chance to attend one of their monthly supperclubs. Dad and vineyard owner Edwin talked us through the wines while his son (and chef) Tom did a stellar job serving up a four-course dinner with matched wines.
The Grill by Tom Booton - Fried semolina with Gouda and salami
The Grill restaurant at The Dorchester has been through something of a soft revamp to bring the name of its star chef front and centre. The restaurant is delivering some spectacular dishes right now, but this plate of snacks came top for us. "Melt-in-the-mouth" may well be something of a cliché to use these days, but it's perfectly apt when describing these.
Angelina at Taste of London - Courgette flower tempura filled with miso mascarpone and finished with caviar
For our second session as judges this month we headed to Taste of London where our panel tried almost 20 of the festival's best dishes. This was a hard-fought contest, but the ethereal lightness of Angelina's entry won the day. It's also available as an added extra to either of the menus at Angelina Dalston right now.
Blackrock Cottage in Galway - Spring lamb roll with crushed peas and mint
Back home with family on the west of Ireland for a couple of weeks, we took the opportunity to visit the current hot thing in town. Blackrock Cottage took over a dilapidated cottage on the seafront of Salthill and turned it into one of Galway's top restaurants, winning many plaudits along the way including a rave review from the Irish Times. This crunchy spring roll was one of the highlights of the meal.
Magpie Bakery in Galway - Raspberry and elderflower maritozzi
The hottest new bakery in Galway comes from the team behind the Michelin-rated Éan (and the now-closed Loam. Practically everything had sold out by the time we tipped up at lunchtime, but we managed to grab a few of these light-as-a-feather pastries.
Ballymaloe House in Cork - Roast East Cork lamb with rosemary membrillo aioli, swiss chard and roast oyster mushrooms
We'd been planning a pilgrimage to this cookery school, hotel and restaurant down in East Cork for more than 20 years. Our dad celebrating a milestone birthday proved to be the trigger to booking dinner which more than lived up to expectations - it's a truly wonderful place. Not pictured - the amazing seventies-style dessert trolley that does the rounds at the end of the meal.
Noble Rot Mayfair - Duck egg custard tart
A return visit to the newly opened Noble Rot Mayfair proved a few things. Firstly, it's doing storming business in Shepherd Market. Secondly, knowing about the bar space on the first floor is very useful if you're looking for a place to drink in the area. And lastly, the custard tart is as amazing as ever and may well be London's best.
Bellanger - Cherry & pistachio semi-freddo with a maraschino cherry compote
A visit to our nearest Wolseley Hospitality Group restaurant, Bellanger, which has just unveiled its new look after quite the revamp ended with this fabulous dessert. It's nutty, boozy and creamy - and you can pretend those maraschino cherries are part of your five a day. Winning.
Made in Oldstead - BBQ box with stellar miso glazed sweetcorn
Now that we're in peak barbecue season, many of the restaurants still doing delivery services have switched up to offerings that suit the grill best. Both the honey and miso pork rib eye and black garlic glazed short rib were amazing, but we're actually still thinking about how good the sweetcorn was.
Larry’s - The McBean dirty martini
As followers of Hot Dinners will know by now, we are partial to a martini. But, it's surprisingly hard to find a well-made one in London. This stellar version at the new cocktail bar by Daisy Green, underneath the National Portrait Gallery, was unbeatable. It's made with Highclere Castle gin, Gattertop Botanical No 7 vodka and Asahara Nigori Umeshi with a drop of black olive oil in it. Best of all both the bottled cocktail and the glass it's served in have been kept in the freezer, so you can enjoy it at the perfect temperature. Look out for a full write-up of Larry's soon.
Claridge’s Restaurant - Grilled native lobster with Jersey Royals and sauce Americaine
A very early preview (we were in for lunch on day one) of this five-star hotel's new restaurant allowed us to work our way through much of the menu. We were urged to order the lobster dish and we're glad we listened - it's a whole, deshelled lobster served up with the most intense sauce. This, and a glass of Pulingy Montrachet would be a perfect pairing.
The Bull & Last - Picnic hamper
The current decent weather in London means that the picnic season has kicked off in earnest this year and this package from The Bull and Last should definitely be on your list. Their excellent sausage rolls feature (pork and veggie options) alongside Cobble Lane charcuterie, burrata that's properly creamy, truffled cheese, smoked salmon and more. We should give a final shout-out to their own elderflower soda which was very refreshing in the heat. It's all available to order and collect from the Highgate pub.
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