Promoting a different take on food and wine, this bar and restaurant showcases artisan products from Britain, France, Italy and Spain. There’s a strong emphasis on natural and organic wines created from the best grapes planted in rich soils, with no additions or fertilizers used during the process. The extensive wine list is organized by region - from Alsace to the Alps, Périgord to the Pyrenees, Nantes to Nevers - with staff offering recommendations if you’re feeling spoiled for choice. Food is top-notch and spans the Continental and Mediterranean palate. Feast on delectable scallops and charcuterie. With furniture, paintings and pictures all brought over from the country, it’s no surprise the décor and feel is distinctly French. Bon appétit!
Mildreds is a casual, vegetarian restaurant in Soho, with an intimate air and popular following. 1950s diner-style Formica furniture and vibrant wall paintings rustle up a relaxed atmosphere. Healthy and wholesome, the inspired variety of international veggie and vegan dishes, in hearty portions, will keep you coming back. The energizing detox salad with chick peas, bean sprouts, organic carrot and raisins is deliciously filling. Veggie burgers are garnished with black olives or white beans. The menu also features rejuvenating juices such as watermelon, pineapple and pear. As lunch hour looms, the restaurant becomes squashed with Soho suits, so takeaway is an advisable option. Two tables are placed on the pavement, where you can catch a little sun.
Opened in 2004, 222 Veggie Vegan has since then caught the fancy of non meat eaters and is one of the popular vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the city. From the all-you-can-eat lunch buffets to the a la carte dinner menus, the dishes are made from natural and fresh ingredients that are nutritious as well as tasty. Though tiny in size, its high ceiling and lanterns lends it a charming appeal. Drop in for a bite, who knows you might become one of their fans.
The ambiance at Dans le Noir? is as unique as its recipes. Located in the chic Farringdon area of London, this restaurant, bar and lounge offers guests highly modern French cuisine in a trendy setting, with separate 'light' and 'dark' areas on the premises. You can choose to have a drink at the well-lit bar, followed by a meal in the pitch dark dining area. The purpose of this is to allow your taste buds to dominate the sensory experience. Opt for the Surprise Menu; you never know what's going to be served, and can try to guess what you're eating in the dark! If you like experimenting with your food, this is definitely the place for you. Live the darkness!
Tucked away in the plush Fetter Garden Square, Natural Kitchen is an industrially stylish yet rustically furnished cafe and restaurant serving organic food stuffs. Part modern cafe and gift shop, its unusual appearance is set off with large wooden tables covered in thin silver foil. The open space is crammed with tables surrounded by a wicker fence, the kind that you might expect to find in an allotment. Aside from the hot food dishes, salads, sandwiches and paninis, you can savor tasty toffee, miniature packets of biscuits and small pots of homemade jam.
This discrete, long-standing Kensington restaurant is famous for its prix fixe menu and creative food. The food at Clarke's may be unpretentious, but it is also rather expensive. The set three-course dinner menu changes daily. From grilled lamb to venison with polenta and red cabbage, you can expect contemporary British favorites. The first floor leads out on to small courtyard garden and the ground floor is brightly filled with modern art and huge floral displays. It's a buzzy rather than a raucous place that usually attracts the older set. You also buy tarts and bread from the shop next door.
Beige-colored sofas, light-colored walls, a soft pale green, and copper-golden tinted wall art all contribute to the room's luminosity and elegant design. Put your best foot forward and come for a special date night here. Customers are drawn here by the amazing taste of each bite, which gives a burst of tastes, the friendly staff, and the calm atmosphere. The dishes are prepared using the finest seasonal ingredients grown in the on-site kitchen garden, and they are delicious. This multiple-award-winning restaurant's contemporary British fare will sate all of your cravings.
On a Plate is a local restaurant, bar and café that prepares English dishes using locally-sourced ingredients. It has built contacts with nearby butchers, bakers, vegetable and fruit sellers to offer items cooked using fresh ingredients at reasonable prices. Many ingredients are also organic. The menu includes sausage baguettes, egg mayonnaise, sweet chili chicken, roast ham and cheddar cheese. This eatery is best known for wine tasting sessions where experts guide participants in sampling red, white, rosé and sparkling wines. It also has an innovative art program in which the photographs or paintings of upcoming artists are exhibited on the restaurant walls every month, often leading to sales of the works. As the artworks change every month, no two visits to this café are the same. Guests can also hire the place for private parties.
Located on Talbot Street, is a specialty restaurant called NAMA- Artisans Raw Foods that has taken the concept of healthy eating to another level. This unique restaurant serves all things raw, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. They have special raw food meals, desserts, cold-pressed juices and cleanses that offer a world of nutrition. They also conduct raw food workshops and courses for those interested in this alternative lifestyle. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, NAMA is an ideal place to have a nutritious snack anytime of the day.
Touted to be one of the most popular live music venues in town, Hideaway truly lives up to its image. Featuring different bands and performers every week it makes for an interesting evening. Giving a platform for new and aspiring artists and performers, Hideaway helps flaunt their talents while entertaining its friendly clientele. For more details, call ahead.
Brawn is a corner restaurant specializing in pork dishes and organic wines. Its plain white interiors are in stark contrast with its exteriors made of red brick. On Sundays, the restaurant hosts a prix fixe menu for GBP 28 per person. A back room can be rented for private parties.
Chick 'n' Sours gets its name from its two signature items: sour cocktails and fried chicken. It sources poultry from organic Cornish and Yorkshire farms, where the chicken are fed a natural diet of herbs. It is the ideal takeaway joint for fried chicken and soft serve in a variety of flavors. If you choose to dine in, the whimsical decor provides a charming backdrop for relishing fried chicken. The combination of half-brick walls, tiled floor, cobalt blue ceiling, intriguing portraits and table legs shaped like tree barks forms a quirky sight. This eatery is a favorite with both kids and adults in Hackney.