Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fish Central
149-155 Central St, EC1
T
020 7253 4970,
W
fishcentral.co.uk;
!
Old Street; map p.150.
Straddling
the Barbican/City and Clerkenwell's council estates, this
friendly chippie/fish restaurant attracts hungry diners from
both. The cod or haddock with chips are pretty good, but it's
the likes of chargrilled squid, fresh scallops and oysters that
give this place the edge. Mains £8-20, express two-course
lunch £6.95.
Mon-Sat 11am-2.30pm & 5-10.30pm.
Medcalf
40 Exmouth Market, EC1
T
020 7833 3533,
W
medcalfbar.co.uk;
!
Farringdon or Angel; map
p.150.
A turn-of-the-twentieth-century butcher's shop
converted into an effortlessly stylish, appealing Modern
British restaurant. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the daily
changing menus offer deliciously simple dishes, such as
dressed Dorset crab with Jersey Royals or goat's curd and St
George mushroom tart, using the best ingredients. Mains
£13-20.
Mon-Thurs & Sat noon-3pm & 6-9.45pm, Fri
noon-3pm & 6-10.20pm, Sun noon-4pm.
The Modern Pantry
47-48 St John's Square, EC1
T
020 7553 9210,
W
themodernpantry.co.uk;
!
Farringdon; map p.150.
A brace of elegant Georgian
townhouses make a nice setting for this contemporary café
with a smart dining room upstairs. Chef Anna Hansen, a
Kiwi alumni of
Providores
(see p.368), brings Pacific Rim
and fusion flavours to dishes from liquorice and tamari-
marinated venison haunch to wild garlic, roast celeriac and
pecorino fritters with pear tonka puree (…us neither). The
simpler café offers good value (breakfasts won't hit £20,
and there's a weekday two-course lunch menu for £21.50).
Takeaway deli foods, too. Mains £15-22.
Café:
Mon
8am-11am & noon-10pm, Tues-Fri 8am-11am &
noon-10.30pm, Sat 9am-4pm & 6-10.30pm, Sun
10am-4pm & 6-10pm; restaurant: Mon noon-3pm,
Tues-Fri noon-3pm & 6-10.30pm, Sat 11am-4pm &
6-10.30pm, Sun 11am-4pm.
Ì
Moro
34-36 Exmouth Market, EC1
T
020 7833
8336,
W
moro.co.uk;
!
Farringdon or Angel; map
p.150.
Lovely, warmly decorated restaurant that's a place
of pilgrimage for disciples of Sam and Sam Clark's Moorish/
Iberian/Middle Eastern cuisine. The daily changing menus
are outstanding, especially the lamb dishes and their
speciality lemon yoghurt cake, and service is friendly; it's
best to book well in advance. Tapas (around £4) are served
all day Mon-Sat. Mains £16.50-19.50.
Mon-Sat noon-
2.30pm & 6-10.30pm (tapas available 2.30-6pm), Sun
12.30-2.45pm.
St John
26 St John St, EC1
T
020 7251 0848,
W
stjohnrestaurant.com;
!
Farringdon; map p.150.
Former smokehouse close to Smithfield meat market that's
famous for Fergus Henderson's perfect, utterly simple,
execution of traditional British dishes - often involving
unfashionable animal parts - on a menu that's as pared
down as the dining room itself. There's a less expensive sister
restaurant in Spitalfields (see p.378). Mains £17-24.
Mon-
Fri noon-3pm & 6-11pm, Sat 6-11pm, Sun 1-3pm.
Sushi Tetsu
12 Jerusalem Passage, EC1
T
020 3217
0090,
W
sushitetsu.co.uk;
!
Farringdon; map p.150.
A
really good, very fashionable, sushi bar that specializes in
super-fresh
nigiri
sushi, sashimi and hand rolls. It's hugely
popular, and as it seats fewer than ten it's di
cult to get in,
but for once the hype is justified. Sushi from £3; there's a
£20/person minimum for lunch, £30 at dinner. Reservations
advised, as much as a month in advance; they can't
accommodate groups larger than four.
Tues-Fri 12.30-
3pm (last seating 1pm) & 6-10.30pm (last seating
8.30pm), Sat 6-10.30pm (last seating 8.30pm).
24
THE CITY
CAFÉS
Café Below
Church of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, EC2
T
020 7329 0789,
W
cafebelow.co.uk;
!
St Paul's or
Bank; map p.170.
A rare City gem: a cosy, good-value
café-restaurant, in a wonderful Norman church crypt,
serving home-cooked modern Mediterranean food, with
lots of veggie choices, on daily changing menus. Simple,
tasty hot breakfasts, too. Lunch mains from £6.50; takeout
is cheaper.
Mon-Fri 7.30am-2.30pm.
De Gustibus
53-55 Carter Lane, EC4
T
020 7236 0056,
W
degustibus.co.uk;
!
St Paul's or Blackfriars; map
pp.156-157
. Award-winning artisan bakery in the heart
of the City, offering sandwiches, bruschette, croques-
monsieurs and quiche to eat in or take away, along with
espresso and herbal teas. There's another branch in
Borough Market.
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm.
T
020 3640 7310,
W
duckandwa
e.com;
!
Aldgate;
map pp.156-157.
The improbable juxtaposition of
swanky City location - the view, from forty floors up, is
amazing - and funky, hipster comfort food (the signature
dish features wa
es, duck confit, fried duck egg and
mustard maple syrup; £17) somehow works. Many menu
items, from the spicy ox cheek doughnuts to crispy pig's
ears and an all-day foie gras breakfast are adventurous, but
there are simpler options too. Prices (small plates from £9),
for the location, aren't too bad, and the hours make it a
useful late-night, or breakfast, destination.
Daily
6am-5am.
L'Anima
1 Snowden St, EC2
T
020 7422 7000,
W
lanima.co.uk;
!
Liverpool Street; map pp.156-
157.
Amazingly good southern Italian and Sardinian food
in a highly designed, icy-cool dining room. You can't go
wrong here, whether you choose fresh pasta (nettle
stracci
with veal ragout and pistachios, maybe, or spaghetti
chitarra
with lobster, herbs and black anise seeds), or a
RESTAURANTS
Duck and Wa
e
Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2
