Dimly lit dreams
The Fat Badger, Battersea listings, best saunas, Maison François, Osip, The Newt, Jumby Bay Island, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Fat of the land
The Skinny: The first floor of The Fat Badger, which officially debuted a week ago at the north end of Portobello after being soft-opened for a couple of months, is a pub, dimly lit, wood-panelled, and renovated in the shabby-chic decor that is owner Public House Group’s stock-in-trade. Upstairs, an intimate restaurant serves a set menu of modern British fare. Like everything else PHG touches right now (see The Pelican, The Bull, The Hero), it feels like an instant hit.
The Vibe: The discreet entrance, round the side of PHG’s upmarket Italian spot Canteen, and marked only by an easily missed hanging picture of a badger, leads up the back staircase into the pub. The clandestine entry opens into a bar fit for casual debauchery — low lights, live music, the cosy space brimming with loud chatter between people who all seem to know each other, or the owners, or the chefs. The upstairs restaurant, beautifully renovated with an open kitchen, is less hectic but similarly buzzy.
The Food: Head chef George Williams — who cut his teeth at the River Cafe and Dorian before putting The Bull firmly on the map — leads the kitchen, showcasing the best of British seasonal ingredients. The cooking is simple, hearty, elegant, and confident. On the regularly changing set menu, an elegant fritto misto included red mullet and scallop punctuated by crisp slices of tart lemon and salty samphire, followed by an oyster topped with sorrel granita that went down like a dream. A beetroot-filled celeriac taco was earthy yet bright. For mains, a gloriously sticky turbot and a beef rib in bone marrow sauce were both crowd-pleasers of the highest order. For the finale, a smashing brown butter tart.
The Drink: Downstairs at the pub, the selection is modest but high class, with Portobello Pilsner and Deya on tap, and a fine selection of spirits and classic cocktails. Upstairs, the cocktails are more refined and ambitious, and the wine list, not for the faint-hearted, pairs exquisitely with the food.
The Verdict: The covert, almost members-clubby vibe may not last long once word gets out about the raucous fun, punchy drinks, and wonderful food behind that modest side entrance. But for West London locals, that’s no bad thing. With two restaurants on the site (though Canteen is strictly speaking a separate business) and a pub between them, for the first time since Pizza East closed on this site, 310 Portobello is on its way to becoming a beloved institution once again. –David Bard
→ The Fat Badger (Notting Hill) • 310 Portobello Rd • Book.
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Chef Stevie Parle preps Town in Covent Garden for May opening • Bar Kroketa team plans ‘most ambitious yet’ new restaurant in former Pizarro space on Broadgate Circle • Petition launched to save Veeraswamy • What is Bar Italia doing at Outernet? • Chef Thomas Straker signs lease for NYC restaurant • The rise of the ‘it’ shake.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale, four-bedroom properties in Battersea that recently came to market around £2.0mn:
→ Ursula St (Battersea) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 162 m2 semi-detached house • Ask: £2.0mn • architect-owned and designed • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Sarah Gerrett, Knight Frank.
→ Warriner Gardens (Battersea) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 375 m2 end terrace house • Ask: £2.1mn • south-facing roof deck and private garden • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: John D Wood & Co.
→ 21 Wycliffe Rd (Battersea, above) • 4BR/3BA/1R, 240 m2 detached house • Ask: £2.5mn • converted schoolhouse with garden and gated driveway • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Chatterton Rees.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Waltham Forest fastest place in England and Wales to sell a property • Espying Dries Van Noten’s first London boutique in Mayfair • Three ideas to energise British tech • How Thames Carpets in Oxfordshire went viral • What to wear to a summer wedding.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Nines
Saunas
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of London’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.
ARC Community Sauna (Canary Wharf), polished, clubby retreat w/ daily classes, weekly DJs
Revitalise Urban Spa (Hackney Downs, above), infrared saunas for deep recovery, hand-crafted copper ice baths
Hackney Community Sauna (Hackney Wick), casual, open-air setup great for spontaneous conversations
Sauna Social Club (Peckham), event-based sauna, music, good company
Sweat Lounge (Chiswick), minimal, modern, wellness-driven vibe, nestled in one of London’s prettiest neighbourhoods
Rooftop Saunas (London Fields), skyline views, post-sauna plunge, and golden-hour magic make for dreamy date spot
Banya No.1 (Hoxton), real deal for Russian banya lovers; authentic steam, invigorating treatments, and best bowl of borscht in town
Sweheat Sauna (Docklands), Nordic-inspired, all-season outdoor sauna w/ warm, welcoming atmosphere
Sauna & Plunge (Old Street), private, exclusive setup in heart of city for workday breaks
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Concierge service
JULES PEROWNE • founder & CEO • Perowne International, Navigator
Neighbourhood you live in: Brackenbury Village
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m early in the office, unusually calm after a 6.30 session with my pilates instructor. My son is happily at nursery. I’m in our St James’s townhouse regrouping after a week of being on the road. I travel about half of the month, so a day in the office is a welcome treat. Magazines are piled on the desk — HTSI, T+L, design magazines.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today is about my team. Because of my travels, these days are intense immersion on what’s happening with clients — what they need help with, or a launch that might be trickier than expected. And usually on a Thursday there’s some kind of fabulous lunch at Maison François nearby with a client, journalist, or cool brand we want to work with. Then it’s back to put my son to bed and spend some quality time with my husband. And often on Thursday evenings, we drive to the countryside to our cottage on our family farm.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
If I’m in London at the weekend, I tend to stay west — around Kensington and Chelsea or Chiswick. I also love my clubs 5 Hertford Street and Maison Estelle if I want to get dressed up with some glamour. But as a family we love our local pub in W6, The Andover. In the countryside, we head to Nest Farmhouse or host a dinner party for friends.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Leisure for me is walking on the beach in Norfolk. Holkham is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (where Shakespeare in Love was filmed). I love going to the rugby, playing tennis, and doing pilates. I’m also about to take up padel.
Any weekend getaways?
Other than my cottage, The Newt in Somerset or Gleneagles. Something natural and connected to nature.
What was your last great vacation?
Jumby Bay Island in Antigua. My favourite beach resort. It’s an island of the most beautiful collection of private homes and cottages. Deeply chic and hidden away from the world.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A new Dior handbag. They do bags better than any. And my vintage SL 380 Mercedes. My husband bought it for me for my wedding present. It was created in 1981, the same year I was born.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Grudge Match
Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn • Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham) • Sat @ 5p • floor AA, £342 per
The Flaming Lips • O2 Academy Brixton (Brixton) • Sat @ 7p • stalls standing, £102 per
Social Distortion • O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Shepherd’s Bush) • Sat @ 7p • stalls standing, £218 per
GETAWAYS • Bruton
The OG
Merlin Labron-Johnson has been a key player in the explosion of Somerset’s food scene. Five years after opening Osip in charming Bruton in 2019, the chef has launched version 2.0 of his farm-to-table restaurant in much larger premises just a 10-minute drive away.
In many ways, the new Osip still has the feel of the 300-year-old coaching house it sits inside, with low ceilings, wooden beams and mind-your-head entranceways. But the difference is evident in the main dining room, where a modern extension houses a slick open kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rolling fields.
With the team growing all their own vegetables, the emphasis is very much on the produce. Raw carrot, tomato, and radish are served with fresh flowers and dip, in the style of upstate New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The menu changes based on what the land brings, but courses might include a soft beetroot taco with smoked crème fraiche and grated venison heart, or a ricotta dumpling with yellow courgette and smoked whey. This is prime Somerset apple country, so it’s worth trying the cider (or at least a glass of crisp apple juice, the best I’ve ever tasted).
Though tables are laid with white linen, the service feels relaxed, the 15 courses arriving in just the right amount of time. The menu hits the right balance, too — I walked away feeling happily full but not stuffed.
At just two and a half hours from London by train, it’s easy to visit in a day. There are also brand new guest rooms for an overnight. It's worth visiting Somerset for many other reasons, like The Newt hotel and Briar, the restaurant now occupying Osip’s old site. But (at least in Somerset) Osip continues to stand alone, as a true destination restaurant that connects the land and the plate. –Laura Price
→ Osip (Bruton) • 25 Kingsettle Hill BA10 0LN • Thur-Sun 12-230p, 6-930p / Tue-Wed 6-930p • £165 per • Book.
GETAWAYS LINKS: The sweeping appeal of North Devon • SAS bringing back European Business Class on short-haul flights • New Gulf carrier Riyadh Air, launching later this year, reveals 787 cabin interiors • In Prague, anticipated new Brutalist hotel Fairmont Golden Prague begins welcoming guests.
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What London hotel do you always recommend for out-of-town guests?
Tell us about your favourite driving-distance getaway?
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