Welcome back to Gohar World's restaurant city guide! We're sharing our favorite food spots worldwide and, today, we're headed to London. Every other week, read up on the must-try meals and menus in the cities that we love to visit.
This week, we're sharing our itinerary for a perfect day of dining in London - family-run cafés, modern British menus, and classic landmark restaurants.
A FAMILY-RUN AFFAIR
CAFE CECILIA
Café Cecilia is a casual, neighborhood restaurant in east London founded by our friend Max. Intimate yet familiar, the menu is inspired by his mother's home cooking. It features dishes including Guinness bread, sage and anchovy fritti, and deep fried bread and butter pudding. The café, named after Max's grandmother, is almost a family-run affair.
The staff is dressed in custom uniforms by his sister Simone Rocha (her first foray into menswear), while the restaurant is adorned in artwork by their father and Max's six-year old niece.
Max visited New York last vear and hosted a sidewalk dinner at our studio. Laila and Max cooked poached trout along with a few Café Cecilia staples. We ended the night with sparklers and some champagne.
32 ANDREWS RD, LONDON E8 4FX
A PERFECT DAY IN LONDON
ROCHELLE CANTEEN
The Rochelle Canteen serves classic British fare at the most beautiful square in London. Established in 2004, the restaurant sits in the converted bike shed of the old Rochelle School. Its tucked-away location offers a retreat away from the city and the perfect day in London.
The Canteen's courtyard looks out to the trees of the Arnold Circus and are filled with tables for customers to sit at during sunny days. The kitchen offers a seasonal lunch and dinner menu with a focus on locally-sourced ingredients, including fresh seafood, meat, and vegetables. Despite its numerous accolades, The Rochelle Canteen lets its food speak for itself - a result of both quality produce and thoughtful cooking.
16 PLAYGROUND GARDENS, LONDON E2 7FA
A RESTAURANT THAT BELONGS IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD
BRAWN
Located in a converted warehouse at the end of Columbia Road, Brawn is a cosy East London restaurant that focuses on small plates and natural wine.
The menu evolves with the seasons, but consistently features European-inspired meat and pasta dishes. Must-try's include the veal ragù (if available) and any dish featuring Cantabrian anchovies.
Braun's wine list is also exceptional, comprised of mostly natural or bio-dynamic bottles. Arrive for Sunday lunch - in time for the flower farmer's market - and then snag a window table to linger at for the rest of the afternoon. Braun feels like a restaurant that belongs in every neighborhood.
49 COLUMBIA RD, LONDON E2 7RG
A MULTI-SEASONAL MENU
LYLE'S
Lyle's brings together a local network of farmers and fisherman with a modern, produce-driven British menu. The food changes throughout the year: vibrant in Spring and Summer, comforting in Fall and Winter. The menu is designed to showcase what's best on any given day in London: fresh fish is couriered from Cornwall, while the team drives to the south coast to pick fruit every summer.
The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Tea Building in Shoreditch, housed in an industrial space that also serves as a coffee shop in the mornings.
Lunch features a relaxed à la carte menu, while dinner is offered as a four-course tasting menu. Our favorites include the wild duck breast, and the monkfish and pink fir potatoes with preserved gooseberries.
TEA BUILDING, 56 SHOREDITCH HIGH ST, LONDON E1 6GY
A LONDON INSTITUTION
RIVER CAFÉ
The River Café is a long-standing London restaurant and landmark that has served unmatched Italian fare since 1987.
Originally opened thirty years ago by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers as a canteen to feed the employees of Ruth's husband's architecture firm, they eventually turned the site - part of an oil storage facility - into a restaurant. Despite its humble beginnings, The River Café is now known as one of the most beautiful dining rooms in London. It's location along the Thames makes it the perfect spot for a sunny Sunday lunch or a special dinner.
While the ingredient-focused menu naturally changes with the seasons, there are a handful of signature dishes that remain constant. The chargrilled squid with chili and wild rocket has been on the menu for decades, as has its infamous chocolate nemesis cake (the gelato is also a must-try).
The River Cafe has been an institution of London's food scene for decades and will continue to be for many more. It has trained some of the most talented chefs worldwide today, who have gone on to open landmark restaurants of their own.
THAMES WHARE, RAINVILLE RD, LONDON W6 9HA
