The best things we ate and drank in September 2024

Bébé Bob (Soho) - Chicken Schnuggets

There's a new collaboration at Bébé Bob, the Bob Bob Ricard spin-off, where they've brought in Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana) to create a cocktail menu alongside a new range of bar snacks. Both caviar and trout roe feature heavily, and these "schnuggets" (mini versions of their chicken schnitzel) are wonderful (as are the new cocktails). Look out for a Test Drive from us soon. 

64 Old Compton Street (Soho) - Spaghetti carbonara

We visited the kitchens of 64 Old Compton Street this month to find out just how they cook their spaghetti carbonara. We'll have a video of this soon, but in the meantime, this turned out to be a really excellent plate of the classic pasta dish. 

Marks & Spencer - Halloumi in blankets with hot honey

"Christmas in July" is now "Christmas in September" as the supermarkets start to unveil this year's festive offering. Looming large in the M&S plans this year is their hot honey which makes an appearance in these excellent pigs in blankets alternatives. Elsewhere, the new Turkey Feast Dip (essentially the components of a turkey feast sandwich in dip form) and the double-wrapped pigs in blankets are also winners. Expect the party food to start appearing in shops in late November. 

Oh Gee's (Shoreditch) - Potato crisp chicken

This is the latest evening pop-up at The Hoxton Grill (which also has Eggbreak popping up during the day). It comes from South Korean chef Byung Tae Ahn and his 101 Chicken in New Jersey. Mainly all about Korean Fried Chicken, the star of the show is the potato crisp chicken, which won the chef first prize in a Netflix competition. It's easy to see why, it's some of the crunchiest chicken we've ever had. 

Burger & Beyond (Shoreditch) - Steak tartare tostada

Another pop-up this month sees best-selling author and social media superstar Laurent Dagenais creating a new menu for Burger & Beyond. The main event is his pineapple & chilli butter fried chicken burger but we particularly loved this tartare dish, featuring 45-day-aged tenderloin, shoestring fires and capers. The ice cream and olive oil is also excellent. If you want to try the menu, you have until the end of the month.

Kolamba East (Spitalfields) - Sea bream in coconut

Already a big hit in Soho, Kolamba's second restaurant sees them taking on a larger space in the City, with a completely overhauled menu. While we were fans of the hot butter soft shell crab, the wonderful sauce in this sea bream dish made it the pick of the bunch. 

Mary's (Mayfair) - Monkfish Tempura

Mary's sees Jason Atherton reinvent what was the Pollen Street Social site into a new grill-focused restaurant. While the steak was very good, it was the other dishes and starters that really stood out as showcasing some excellent talent in the kitchen. Top of the list was this somewhat unassuming monkfish tempura coated in some of the best tartare sauce that we have ever encountered.  All in all it was a really great combination. 

The Emory rooftop bar (Belgravia) - Negroni Balestrini

Previously only open to hotel guests, the arrival of top Argentinean bartender Renato 'Tato' Giovannoni for a two month pop-up means that this rooftop bar is now currently open to the public. The compact space has fantastic views across both Hyde Park and Green Park as well as cocktails from one of the best bars in the world. Yes, there is a martini that includes London rainwater, but this deeply smoky negroni was the best of the night. 

Lolo (Bermondsey) - Crisps, caramelised onion & 100% paleta Ibérica 5J lazy tortilla

José Pizarro has once again struck gold on Bermondsey Street with Lolo, which balances well against the more formal Pizarro and the José tapas bar. The section to pay particular attention to here is the "lazy tortilla" part - like a deconstructed tortilla but topped with crips and Iberico ham. It's wonderful and there's plenty more to enjoy at Lolo. 

Sesta (Hackney) - Scotched olives

Sesta has had a lot to live up to, following on as it does from one of London's most unique restaurants, Pidgin. But by moving things in the direction of a neighbourhood restaurant and keen to establish signature dishes, they've started incredibly well. Something that's sure to stay on the menu is their version of a scotch egg with the egg part replaced by olives. It's one of our best snacks of the year so far. 

Sol's (Bayswater) - Roast chicken with lemon, chilli and chickpeas

Part of the recent resurgence of Bayswater, Sol's feels like an East London wine bar that's been transplanted to the west. It's a lovely, cosy spot and there's a short food menu to accompany the wine, including this rich chicken dish which had clearly been cooking in this broth for a while, soaking up the juices. A great thing to try as the colder nights draw in. 

Leydi (City of London) - Künefe - kadayif pastry stuffed with pistachios & kaymak, orange blossom syrup

This City restaurant saw the return of Selin Kiazim to the London restaurant scene, opening a modern Turkish restaurant inside the new Hyde London City hotel. There's an awful lot to love about the extensive menu here, but top of the list for us was this incredibly rich kunefe, dripping with orange syrup. 

METT (Marbella) - ALL the sushi

Five days of sunning ourselves at the new seafront luxury METT hotel in Marbella gave us a lot of time to work our way through their multiple restaurants and bars. And that enabled us to come to the conclusion that enjoying a glass of chilled Minuty rosé and some unbelievably good tuna crispy rice served in a beach shack is the best way to spend a lazy September day. 

Tragabuches (Marbella) - Organic tomatoes with tuna

Top Spanish chef Dani Garcia has a clutch of restaurants in Marbella, but we wanted to try out this more laid-back spot, set in from the seafront. Here it's all about the best Andalusian produce that money (and good contacts) can buy and these meaty Spanish tomatoes topped with tuna tartare in a pool of excellent olive oil really summed up what this restaurant is trying to do.

La Escollera (Estapona) - Tortillitas de camarones

With an unprepossessing terrace overlooking the harbour car park in Estapona, La Escollera doesn't have much in the way of roadside charm. But what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in amazing seafood at almost embarrassingly low prices. Some of our favourite things from a dinner here were these shrimp fritters. Perfect with a 2-euro glass of cava.