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Cloth

Tucked away behind Farringdon's St Bartholomew the Great church in a historic building (that survived the Great Fire of London) once home to poet John Betjeman, Cloth restaurant and wine bar sees wine importers Joe Haynes and Ben Butterworth team up with former Lasdun, Levan and Brawn chef Tom Hurst to offer hearty, broadly Anglo-French fare and wines by ‘honest’ makers. Cloth offers an intimate, classic bistro feel with classic interiors that reference the building’s history - think wood-panelled walls and candles flickering away. Seasonal dishes celebrate the best of British produce - with highlights including Somerset hogget with grilled cos lettuce, smoked tongue and anchovies, and brown crab and Berkswell tagliarini.

Tollington's

The chef duo behind The Plimsoll (beloved local pub) and Four Legs at the Compton Arms - have opened this Spanish-style fish bar, championing Spanish-style dining and interiors. The premises (originally a fish and chip shop) has been refurbished and updated, but with a light touch. Original details, the tiling, the Formica tables, even the original chip fryers remain - and now features a charming assortment of art that hangs on the walls, Dishes are seafood focused - yet utterly unfussy. Expect the likes of chips with bravas sauce and aioli, devilled crab fritters, smoked eel omelette and pork neck with broad beans on the menu, washed down with Spanish wines, as well as a selection of vermouths and sherries.

Cafe Britaly

Richard Crampton-Platt and Alex Purdie (who met working at renowned regional Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo) have opened an ‘authentically Britalian’ restaurant in South London. This gloriously retro upscale all-day restaurant - on Rye Lane in Peckham - offers a menu of playful and nostalgic renditions of traditional Italian dishes alongside British classics updated with Italian ingredients. Spaghetti carbonara comes adorned with a greasy spoon-style fried egg, while the ‘Full Britalian’ breakfast includes fennel sausages, fried pizza dough, and beans inspired by the Tuscan dish fagioli all’uccelletto. Feel like you’ve stepped back in time with old-school interiors with bursts of colour from posters by great designers of the era, while green linoleum floors and banquette seating subtly reference the Italian flag.

Bistro Freddie

A classic bistro, offering a menu featuring the best produce of the British Isles, from the founder of Crispin in Spitalfields and Bar Crispin in Soho. Located between Shoreditch High Street and Old Street stations, in the space previously occupied by Turkish restaurant, Oklava, the 45-cover restaurant has a classic bistro feel - think starched white cloths, bespoke leather banquettes, a lacquered wood bar, and works from artists such as Ben Burgis adorning the nicotine-yellow walls. The food menu is overseen by Anna Søgaard who joins the Crispin Group from revered Manchester restaurant Erst. Anna’s menu offers classic, unpretentious, and comforting bistro-style dishes. As with both Crispin and Bar Crispin, there's a focus on small and predominantly independent wine producers and growers - on a classic all-French wine list. Pictured. 

The Devonshire

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