Some London Recs + Squash Soup

And a wine pairing/shopping recommendation!

Hello! How’s everyone doing? I just arrived in LA to see my family (and cutie niece!) for the upcoming holidays, which is a sunny contrast to London’s weather, and jet lag has been a touch rough with some 2:30 am wake ups. This resulted in me arriving at the grocery store before it opened, loitering awkwardly in the parking lot (see below). I was also overdressed as I was expecting cold winter, forgetting this was LA.

Two days apart: overheating in LA on the left, chilly in London on the right.

London will always have a soft spot in my heart, probably because I lived there during a fun time in life with a great group of friends and a job that took me all around Europe, so it is full of wonderful memories. While I was an incognito hotel/restaurant/spa inspector (a dream job for someone in their late 20s/early 30s as it involved constant travel and staying in really nice places and eating at really nice restaurants), my friend, who also did the same job, and I had a shared document called “On the Road Recs” that listed all of our non-work related recommendations from our travels. It was mostly restaurants, bakeries, cocktail bars, coffee shops that were good to do work in and so on, for us to visit when we weren’t reviewing or 'on the clock’. (She was the one who created the shared document, so I can’t take credit for that work of genius.)

It was simply done in an excel sheet, more quick little notes to each other and ourselves to remember for next time. We would update it in a separate column, if we had been more recently to say whether it was still good or perhaps had dropped off. It was the type of trusted and helpful recommendations that are invaluable, similar to the list you likely ask your friends to send you when you visit a destination that they know well. It was really helpful, especially since the legendary Chowhound message boards disappeared.

I’m probably dating myself by mentioning them, but does anyone remember those forums?! They are now long defunct and were elementary in their format, which kind of added to the charm, but they used to be a gold mine of restaurant recommendations around the world. The posters had no monetary or ego-driven incentive to add such lengthy and detailed posts—there were no Yelp Elite-like status or money to be gained by posting that I knew of. It was really a free-for-all to share information from people who really, really cared (would they be annoying in real life? Quite possibly. But they had strong, and often very valid, opinions about food).

And what information it was! My sister and I used to scour it in our early food exploration days, cross checking posts and posters as you quickly became aware of who you aligned with. I don’t think I would feel confident sharing my recommendations on there until now… and even now, it would make me extremely nervous—that’s how serious and intense these people were. More in an intimidating than scary way. The company was bought in the early 2000s and, frankly, I don’t think there has been anything similar or as good since (Here are two pieces about the history of it, from The New York Times and Eater).

The Baring (the cabbage was sooo good!) + Jolene

That’s why I tried to start something similar, which some of you might remember, in 2018/2019, a “members group” of sorts online, where you could share travel + restaurant recommendations with other people who loved food, travel and learning about destinations. Members could invite other members so they were somewhat vetted and the message boards were simple and similar to Chowhound. Spoiler alert: I no longer do this, and it didn’t really work. Probably for a variety of reasons, but I think because A) It’s hard to incentivize people now to upload/offload their recs all in one place as it takes quite a bit of time and there are a lot of other distractions, especially online. B) It’s much easier to put it on social media or on a notes app on your phone (like I do now) than it is to log in and type it somewhere else. C) We already spend so much time online, I find myself wanting to decrease the number of apps or things that require me to do more. 

Anyway, I learned a lot from the experience, as I suppose we do from all failures and rejections.

Highbury Fields + a great bookstore

This is all a lead up to some London recs that I would send to you if you asked where I ate and liked on recent trips (plus some old-time favorites as well). I stuck mostly to Islington, which is where I stayed and explored on this trip as it was relatively new to me, as I lived west when I was there, but also included some east and central suggestions, too. It is by no means a list that covers all that thrives in the that giant city that is London, but I hope it is of some help to you or a friend. Have fun if you go and please share any of your favorites as well! Xx 

Bakeries + Coffee Shops in Islington

Popham’s Great pastries and a few locations. I have not tried their pasta restaurant but goodness I want to after these photos.

Jolene Love their sourdough. They also have a few locations.

Southpaw Coffee They also sell wines and some cute little things.

Ottolenghi, I love their granola! But also everything else.

Food shops + Farmers Markets

Superette, the well-curated store where I bought a lot of condiments and items

Nourished Communities

Farmers market Sunday 10-2 at Chapel Market (You can search here for a London market near you)

Neighborhood Restaurants

Trullo, Italian from the team behind Padella in Borough Market

Western’s Laundry, great neighborhood restaurant that has thoughtful, interesting and well-executed food. Love it.

The Baring, a Gastropub and a quiet, relaxing neighborhood restaurant, great food on a quiet, pretty street

Tamil Prince, wonderful Indian in a former pub, so very casual setting. (My friend told me they just opened up Tamil Crown, so will def try that next time!) 

Sunday A cafe, lunch spot that is very popular on the weekends

The Draper’s Arm, pub, good food and cozy spot to hang out

The Albion, pub, maybe not the best for food, very cute for drinks though!

Pig + Butcher, for Sunday roast and good pub for food.

Afghan Kitchen, tiny spot with limited seating but absolutely delicious.

Towpath Cafe (seasonal) on the canal and so cute. There is no bathroom though, so make sure you go before you stop in. 

Some Central-ish London Recs

La Fromagerie (two locations)

The Palomar Such a great restaurant and they own the pub a couple doors down so you can have drinks there before. Same owners as the Barbary. 

Duck Soup A tiny space with a couple of outdoor tables, I’ve always had a lovely meal here.

Hopper’s They have a few locations now, but I’ve only been to the Soho one.

Honey & Co They have numerous places in London, and I have only been to two, which I loved, but I also love their cookbooks (photographed by my friend Patsy Niven) and, I have not met them yet, but I’ve only heard the best things about the owners.

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen Absolutely delicious food in a former yoga studio space that I used to go to, and the inside is calm and happy. Imad himself is incredibly kind and generous—his cookbook has a collection of essays that are so beautiful and expand on the topic of kindness and caring for others that we have sort of touched on here back with some of the book recs.

Sabor

Jikoni (I actually didn’t get to go to this time because I was a bit under the weather, but it looks so good and I’ve only heard the best things.)

Trishna (sister to Gymkhana, both great but a bit fancier in setting)

The Noble Rot, has a few locations now

Bar Termini, tiny bar, go for the negronis!! 

Swift cocktail bar, they have a few now, but I’ve only been to the Soho location

For fancy cocktails at hotels: Likely because of the aforementioned job, I have a weakness for fancy hotel bars. Check out: Duke’s bar for their martini. Coburg Bar at the Connaught, almost shockingly expensive, but drink service is fantastic, and they will always refill the complimentary snacks. Donovan Bar at Brown’s hotel is also cute, more modern, and I think it’s where the first telephone call was made (?) and lots more history. 

Other East-ish Recs

Brawn

Leroy’s

Brutto, Florentine Italian

Manteca (I haven’t tried this but it’s on my list!)

Little Duck the Picklery (also on my list but I didn’t get a chance to go)

P. Franco

The Marksman, pub with a great Sunday roast

Ombra

Leo’s

Cafe Cecilia

Smoking Goat

Bouchon Racine, (seems hard to get a reservation and on my list)

Satan’s Whiskers, my friend introduced me, and it was great! Excellent martini + negroni

Coupette, cocktail bar

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One-pot sausage, squash and mushroom soup

Same soup, two different ways (one with delicata + mushrooms, one with kuri + chard)

I know no one comes to London for the weather, but I actually find the cloudy skies and slightly chilly weather refreshing. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a real winter in a couple of years, but I also find it very good for productivity. When the sun is shining and it’s a glorious day, I feel the anxious need to be outside, doing something, taking advantage of the day, whatever that means. Now, when it rains, I feel a little silent moment of thanks and think, Excellent! A perfect day for writing and cooking. 

This is a loose recipe, the kind of dish you can make when you’re craving soup and want to throw in whatever is lingering in your fridge or pick up a few ingredients to make this, versus a recipe that you have to follow to the letter for it to work. 

Wine Pairing! The wonderful Allegra Angelo from Vinya Wine & Market in Miami, a talented sommelier and friend, has kindly written a wine pairing suggestion for this soup. I would either search for her notes online, ask your local wine shop or order from Vinya itself if they deliver to you (that’s what I did in Miami—their monthly wine club was such a treat). 

“This dish is big on spice, not hot spice, but a cozy wintry spice which plays well with red wines that have soft, melt-away tannins. Touriga Nacional is Portugal’s noble red grape. It’s known for being a powerhouse in the Douro Valley, but when it grows in the higher altitudes of the cooler Dão region, it takes on a more Beaujolais-like personality — vibrant and feathery, lovable, and way too gulp-able. This expression from rising star, J.Cabral Almeida called “Musgo” (named after the moss that grows in the Dão), brims with violets, pink pepper, and a wild rainbow of berries. The acidity is juicy, more than austere, and the palate glides, rather than hangs. A wine as colorful and complex, as a good homemade soup, this little moss goes a long way.”

Broth vs water note: If you have a vegetable or chicken broth, then you can use that instead of the water or a combination of the two. 

Squash variety note: You can use any type of squash here or even sweet potatoes, if you like. I like choosing squash varieties that don't need to peel the skin—delicata, kuri, acorn and honey nut—but you could use other varieties and peel them. All squash skin is edible, but some isn’t as enjoyable when eaten. Here, it cooks long enough for the skin to be soft and tender, with some of the meat melting off of the skin, thickening the soup. Squash is notably hard to cut, so don’t worry about the size too much as you can always use a wooden spoon to make them smaller once they soften in the pot. 

Leftover chard note: You can stir in the leftover chard when you’re reheating it up next time. Finishing it with a squeeze of lemon would also be great. Kale or spinach would also work here, too.

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• Salt

• 3 spicy Italian-style sausage links, pork, turkey or chicken, removed from their casings (about ¾ pound)

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated or thinly sliced

• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

• 2 medium delicata squash, halved, seeded and cut into half moons or other type of squash (about 1 ½ pounds), halved, seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks

• ½ pound mushrooms of your choice, woody stems removed (optional)

• ½ large bunch rainbow or Swiss chard, leaves cut or gently torn into 1-inch ribbons, stalks trimmed and tender part cut into ½-inch pieces (optional)

• Generous handful of orzo or rice

• 1 lemon or lime, halved

• 1 packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, gently torn

• ¼ cup packed dill leaves (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, season with salt and cook until they start to soften, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break up the pieces into small chunks and crumbly bits, stirring occasionally until no pink spots remain, 5 to 7 minutes more. Season with the cumin, turmeric and a few rounds of pepper, the garlic, ginger, half the sliced pepper, if using, and mix to combine, about 1 minute.

2. Add the squash, then cover with water by at least ½-inch so they are submerged (you can always add more water later if it looks too thick). Season lightly with salt and raise the heat to bring the liquid to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer with small bubbles rippling across the surface. Add in whatever add ins you are using (see Step 3).

3. Add ins: Stir in the mushrooms, if using, and add a handful of orzo* (if you have small hands, add two handfuls). If you are using chard, add the stems now with the orzo and the leaves during the last 5 minutes of cooking, stirring until they are wilted.

4. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash and orzo are both tender and you could easily halve the squash with the wooden spoon in the pot (helpful if some pieces are larger than you’d like), and the broth is starting to taste really good to you, 30 to 40 minutes. We will add citrus, which will help the flavor even more.

5. Stir in the cilantro to wilt, then squeeze in half of the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon or salt as needed. Ladle into bowls, then top with the remaining peppers and dill leaves, if desired. A round of black pepper would also be quite nice. 

*Note: You can add the orzo later to cook until al dente, but I kind of love that it expands and soaks up the broth so it’s super soft, but that’s up to you!

Thank you and have a lovely Thanksgiving for those of you cooking and eating! xx