It’s a British boon for Culinary Wonderland as we prepare to release The London Guide, a chef-approved handbook packed with insider tips on where to eat, drink and stay in London. The London Guide will be launched along with the Culinary Wonderland Shop, and the date is to be announced soon.
Everyone wants a chef by their side — metaphorically speaking — when they're travelling. What lies beyond the well-trodden path? Where do the world's best chefs eat and go, and what do they order? Do you know about the place where wheels of cheese are piled high, or where Greek food is having an awakening? We have the tea on the best, coolest, top-notch spots to eat, drink and stay in London.
Our members get the guide for free, or you can keep an eye out for it here.
As you wait, breath held, here's a round-up of our contributing chefs' and Culinary Wonderland editors' favourite places in London right now. These are the places chefs are talking about at the kitchen pass, where they can't wait to return.
What to Do in London
Perfumer H
In an interview with our Editor, Kate Gibbs, chef Heston Blumenthal once shared when he decided he wanted to be a chef. Or, more accurately, when he fell in love with food at a different level. It started when he was 16. In 1982, Blumenthal and his family went to a three-star restaurant in Provence, France.
“ I’d never been inside a Michelin-starred restaurant before and I was hooked,” said the chef. He explained that it “knocked me for six”.
“It was a wonderland. I bought the book Great Chefs of France by Quentin Crewe, and it was from there I started teaching myself high-school French and cooking.”
But arriving at that Michelin-starred restaurant, he felt the gravel under his 16-year-old feet. He ran his palm along the top of the lavender bushes growing along the path. The smell of the lavender, the feeling under his feet of the gravel — it moved him. It's these heightened senses that inspire many chefs to reach greater heights, to connect with diners on a different, sensory level.
It's this awareness of the different senses that took hold of Shannon Bennett in London when he discovered Perfumer H. At Perfumer H, British perfume maker Lyn Harris takes the senses to a new level. There are now 10 Perfumer H stores around the world, and the London store is something special.
“Wandering along Chiltern Street in Marylebone, and a friend pulled me into this beautiful store. Scent is so important to chefs,” says Shannon.
The handblown perfume bottles and room candles are uniquely coloured and engraved by renowned Master Glass Blower, Michael Ruh. There's a refill service too, so each handmade piece can be used and treasured for life.
Beeswax candle-making is an ancient practice, used by Egyptian and Roman civilizations. It has stood the test of time, and Perfumer H is part of a new generation of creatives who are putting their own twist on the craft. Candles at Perfumer H, with scents spanning Wood, Smoke, Ink and many other evocative and often natural themes, are harking back to the artform of beeswax scented candles.
Where to Eat and Drink
Agora, Borough Markets
Tucked beneath its refined upstairs sibling OMA, souvla-bar AGORA is where Borough Market meets the smoky soul of Athens. Enter through the steel-framed Crittall shopfront. There, a two-metre charcoal rotisserie turns whole animals sourced from Somerset and Cornwall. No-reservations AGORA is open from noon ‘til late. During a fast-paced lunchtime, guests pop in for a bite from the rotisserie at the counter. In the evening, it’s a more indulgent affair. Inspired by the vibrant street markets of Greece, AGORA is bold, unfussy, and good. Rolled lamb shoulder, marinated with garlic, lemon zest and oregano, melts into wood-fired flatbreads slathered with spinach tzatziki and crispy garlic. AGORA is the gritty counterpart to OMA’s romance — and we’ll take it by the skewer.
Monmouth Coffee Company, Borough Markets
Since long before third-wave coffee hit the caffeine scene, Monmouth has been fuelling Londoners with specialty beans. It was founded in the 1970s by Nicholas Saunders — who also established Neal’s Yard Dairy, and was fundamental in improving how Brits ate and considered food. Monmouth’s Borough outpost opened in the 1990s, well in advance of the market’s current cult status. It serves a range of roasted beans to take away, as well as single-cone filter coffee and espresso drinks. The beans are chosen from single-origin producers around the world, then roasted in Bermondsey. Monmouth doesn’t offer single-use takeaway cups; patrons are encouraged to bring their own cups or to drink in. It does offer reusable cups for £5, which can be refunded upon return. Find out more.