Food of London. Kathryn Hawkins
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of the first of the grand designs was Quaglino's, which Conran modeled on the Parisian brasserie La Coupole. It was spectacular; it was pricey; it also served good food. Conran judged that Londoners were ready to appreciate the theater and fun of eating out, and were no longer just concerned about portion sizes and price. Conran continues to build an empire of expensive but well-managed restaurants to this day.
A revolution was also happening at the other end of the price scale. Cheap fast food in London had previously been dominated by second-rate pizza and pasta places, or kebabs and burgers; there weren't even many good sandwich bars. Then, in 1986, Pret a Manger opened its first sandwich bar, selling ready-made but high-quality sandwiches, and now there's one on every major street in central London. In the 1990s, espresso chains took over the high streets, though these are more clearly modeled on (or even owned by) State-side chains, such as Star-bucks. Asian food in London had previously been dominated by Chinese takeaways and Indian curry houses, but in 1992 Wagamama created a huge stir when it opened its first branch. Food from the Far East had previously been "ghettoized", but Wagamama's intriguing mix of Japanese-style noodles mixed with Southeast Asian flavors was a huge hit. The restaurant is cheap and theatrical. The huge, minimally designed space features shared bench seating, fast turnaround, and quick-moving lines (no bookings are taken). Alan Yau, its creator, sold the growing chain, then went on to set up Busaba Eathai (which does a similar thing with Thai food) and, in 2001, opened Hakkasan (a very glamorous Chinese restaurant serving dim sum at lunchtime).
Besides the mass-market budget restaurants and the big names like Conran, there is also a quieter revolution going on in London's kitchens. It started a long time ago, arguably with the cookery writing of Elizabeth David in the 1960s. However, it took until the 1980s for her Mediterranean approach of using the finest ingredients and preparing them simply to start appearing on smart restaurant menus. Previously, London's top chefs had been pursuing the Michelin route—using the decades-old French approach of lots of butter, cream, meat, and reduced sauces. French haute cuisine was becoming less appealing to a more health-conscious public.
Early pioneers of the so-called "Modern British" cooking included Alastair Little opening in Soho in 1984, and, also in 1984, Sally Clarke who introduced "Cal-Ital" cooking to London (having learned her approach from Alice Waters in Berkeley, California). Soon their style of cooking became the norm. However, the term "Modern British" is a misnomer; there's not much that's typically British about ingredients like lemongrass or harissa, or cooking techniques like char-grilling or searing. The term "Modern European" is now usually preferred (and it's much the same as "Contemporary American" or "Modern Australian" cooking). If you singled out London's top 100 restaurants, around 70 could be categorized as "Modern European".
The British still like their pubs, even though by the 1980s many London pubs were owned by a handful of brewery chains selling mass-produced, insipid, or badly-kept ales and lagers. The reaction to this was not a groundswell of people clamoring for real ales; instead they switched to other drinks—bottled beers and pre-mixed alcopops—where at least the quality was consistent. A few pubs continue to champion real ales and even microbrewed ales, but one of the biggest changes is that London's pub owners have realized that there's money to be made by serving customers good food as well as drink. One of the first and most influential gastropubs was The Eagle in Farringdon. It strived to be a happy mix of both pub and dining area, so there was no pressure to just eat or drink; the beers were good, there was even a decent wine list, and the cooking was an unusual style of Iberian-inspired dishes. It was a huge hit, sparking a wave of spin-off gastropubs and restaurants, such as the much lauded Moro. London's gastropubs go from strength to strength. Some of the best meals I've eaten this year have been in gastropubs, not chi-chi restaurants.
The Chef at Satsuma, in Soho, shows of a bento box.
The Blue Posts consist of four pubs in Soho, London, which serve a number of well-cellared and popular beers.
London is a genuinely exciting place to eat out, because there's something for everyone. If you like budget "ethnic" restaurants, there are delightful cafes like the Sudanese Mandola in Notting Hill, the Vietnamese Viet Hoa in Hoxton, the Burmese Mandalay on the Edgware Road, or the Turkish Mangal in Dalston.
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