Fresh cuts
Zima Notting Hill, Belgravia listings, Floffal, Kiln, Curtis Pitts Deer Services, best hot cross buns, Lyla, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Eastern infusion
The Skinny: The second location of Soho’s modern Russian and Eastern European restaurant Zima initially debuted in Notting Hill in February before pausing its opening due to flooding. It eventually re-opened on April 5, much to the delight of the surrounding west London neighbourhood.
The Vibe: The Notting Hill outpost is intimate and warm, with colorful folk art adorning the walls and equally colorful jars of nastoyka lining the shelves. The service is thoughtful and discerning, with cutlery and plates replaced between courses, but the atmosphere is distinctly relaxed. There’s no pretense here — just good food and a communal buzz.
The Food: Classic Eastern European dishes, like borscht and beef stroganoff, are on the menu, of course, but Zima’s culinary approach is exceptionally nuanced. The traditional Zima, a selection of six starters, is the best way to begin if you’re uncertain — the Olivier potato salad, doused with salmon roe, is particularly memorable, as is vinegret salad with beets and pickled mushrooms. The main dishes include hearty options like the creamy stroganoff and chicken kyiv, but the dumplings (pelmeni sibirskie) shine brightest. Filled with beef and chicken, the dumplings are perfectly chewy and served with chicken broth and sour cream. (Order the larger portion, even if you’re dining solo.) For dessert, the medovik, a layered Russian honey cake, is tangy and light, while the syrniki, rich fried pancakes, are balanced by accompanying sweetened condensed milk.
The Drink: Nastoyka, a traditional infused vodka, is the standout offering, and Zima has a long list of flavor choices, from cherry to horseradish. The wine list spotlights more traditional European selections alongside Georgian wines primarily from Tbilvino. There’s a strong cocktail list, which focuses on blending nastoyka and vodka, but Zima also makes space for an array of non-alcoholic choices, including zero-proof cocktails and homemade sea buckthorn lemonade.
The Verdict: Surprising and satisfying in equal measure, particularly for those dumplings. –Emily Zemler
→ Zima Notting Hill (Notting Hill) • 9 Blenheim Cres • Mon-Sun 12-10p • Book.
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Big Momma group sets over-the-top Italian Barbarella for Canary Wharf • Chefs behind NYC’s lauded Atomix planning Korean BBQ spot Kiji to open next year in Mayfair • UK’s oldest Indian restaurant Veeraswamy may close in June when lease expires • Al fresco dining making a comeback in Soho this summer? • Break my fast oh Lord, but not yet.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Belgravia that recently came to market:
→ Cliveden Place (Belgravia, above) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 170 m2 flat • Ask: £3.65mn • open views, underground parking space • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: Reem Dougramaji, Harrods Estates.
→ St. Michael's Mews (Belgravia) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 251 m2 house • Ask: £5.25mn • low-build contemporary with patio garden and balcony • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: Bertie Hare, Knight Frank.
→ Headfort Place (Belgravia) • 4BR/3BA/1R, 375 m2 house • Ask: £6.95mn • four floors with separate cinema room • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Foxtons.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Swedish sauna boat docks at Canary Wharf, opens next week • Is this property developer building on your roof? • New and extremely satisfying real-time tube map • My search for a vintage leather jacket.
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Chopping block
FLOSSY PHILLIPS • butcher, chef, scavenger • Floffal
Neighbourhood you work: Mayfair
Neighbourhood you live: Camberwell
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m a butcher by trade, and this runs parallel to my independent work as creator of Floffal, which seeks to re-inspire and re-invigorate the bits in and around food, how it's found, and our feelings towards it. I guest-chef and run various events across the year, all celebrating offal and foraged or 'scavenged' food. If I’m working from home with Floffal, I’m usually developing dishes with ingredients I’ve scavenged or sourced throughout the week. I'll spend the morning making lists or plans in the lead-up to an event, writing about past dishes, and researching individual ingredients and recipes to see how I can apply my own offal approach. There may be a few emails or phone calls with collaborators for future projects, too.
When I’m not working on Floffal, I’m at my day job at Butcher Shop in Mayfair, which is part of Farm Shop. I arrive just before 8a and say hello to the animals in the walk-in and the counter, then change into my steel-cap boots. It’s very peaceful this time in the morning, particularly when I’m on my own.
Like butchery itself, laying a counter can be meditative. You have to be focused; otherwise, frankly, you’re in danger. It’s a kind of choreography and curation of different cuts, presented so the customer’s eye can easily read through the options. It’s part of my job to educate and demonstrate the makings of meat. After all the labour and care that goes into breaking down a carcass, you want to present it in as refined a way as you can.
I’ll make sure the counter is full and set, do the temperature checks, put a fresh batch of beef mince through the machine (it smells fantastic), then trim up another fillet or bone out a fresh sirloin or rib-eye for steaks throughout the day. I replenish the sausages, stick the ticket pins into each item and wipe down the surfaces. I’ll always check if we have orders to fulfill and plan the rest of my work accordingly.
What’s on the agenda for today?
If I’m in the shop, it could be sausage-making (or boning out large pork joints ready for further sausage-making) in anticipation for the weekend. We use fresh, individually weighed out seasonings and ingredients to hand-make the sausages from scratch.
In terms of Floffal, I’m figuring out the line-up for future events. In February, for the second year in a row, I held an event called ‘For the love of (Fl)offal,’ centred around Valentine’s Day. It featured five courses of hearts with five wine pairings, curated with my long-standing and beloved collaborators at Veraison Wines. I develop each course, taste and pair it with the wines in a session before the date, then host an intimate offal insight for guests, talking them through each course. This year, I brought a whole raw ox heart out for a DIY tartare exercise for my guests.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I eat out for the food I could never recreate at home. Kiln in Soho is my favourite place I’ve found (so far) in London. I never turn down the opportunity to go there. Speedboat is also excellent, fun and casual enough for a spontaneous midweek meal out.
I tend to graze through the day, which isn’t best practice, but I don’t enjoy physical labour on a full stomach. I have to feel energised to butcher, but certainly not to the point of digestive sluggishness. If I’m not going out, I’ll forage through the fridge, eating leftovers from a Floffal cooking day. I might swing by The French House in Soho, or Veraison Wines back in Camberwell for a drink with friends.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Before I was a butcher, my degree and career background was centred in arts and culture so I’m always on the look-out for an exhibition to visit over the weekend. I attended the Francis Bacon show at The National Portrait Gallery last November. Bacon (naturally) is a favourite artist of mine. It was, as he always is, sensational.
Any weekend getaways?
I was very fortunate to be brought up in Dorset, in a very rural area. My mother now lives in West Lulworth, by the sea and the famed Jurassic Coast. When I can, I try to get down there for a few nights — Dorset inspired and educated much of the ‘scavenger’ in me, as did my mother. There’s always the anticipation of a roadkill supper or foraged ingredients to cook with that I don’t really get in London.
What was your last great vacation?
At the beginning of January, I went travelling around Southern India with my mother and sister. In the space of two weeks, we covered Mumbai, Goa, Kerala, Thekkady, Pondicherry, Chennai, and back to Mumbai. It was intense, and there wasn’t much meat, but I insisted on having curry at least once a day. We ate lots of sambals, as that’s traditional Keralan fare, and also fish. I did manage to find some offal in the way of ‘mutton liver roast’ at a restaurant on a stop-off between Thekkady and Pondicherry. We stayed on a houseboat in Kerala and spent time sighting an eagle catching a fish, and so many other birds, wildlife, and farmland. It was incredibly peaceful, and we had food prepared for us from scratch by a crew member.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I bought tickets to see Fontaines DC at Finsbury Park in July. I can’t wait.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love Curtis Pitts Deer Services for venison and game, and I’m always on the Great British Chefs website, searching for recipes or stories.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Sat Night
Beck • Royal Albert Hall (South Kensington) • Sat 730p • arena A, £84 per
Manic Street Preachers • O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Shepherd's Bush) • Sat @ 7p • stalls standing, £112 per
Int'l Ska Festival • The Chosen Few, Marcia Aitken, Roy & Yvonne • The Electric Ballroom (Camden Town) • Sat @ 6p • GA, £45 per
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Hot cross buns
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of London’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.
St. John (Covent Garden & Spitalfields, above), quintessential buns w/ zip of crystallised ginger
Toklas (Covent Garden), zesty, sweet, w/ spiced tea-enriched dough and candied citrus peel
Fortitude Bakehouse (Bloomsbury), sourdough spiced buns, brown sugar glaze
Pophams (Islington, London Fields, Victoria Park, above), croissant meets hot cross bun
Bread Ahead (Borough, King’s Cross, Chelsea, Kensington), hearty, traditional buns w/ glossy finish
TOAD Bakery (Camberwell), classic buns from beloved neighbourhood bakery
The Dusty Knuckle (Dalston & Harringay), vegan buns w/ spice and citrus
Layla (Notting Hill), spiced brioche buns w/ hit of citrus and ginger
Jolene (Newington Green), chewy treats made w/ naturally farmed flour and ideal balance of flavors
GETAWAYS • Edinburgh
New classic
Each of Stuart Ralston’s restaurants in Edinburgh is worth visiting — Tipo for pasta, Aizle for seasonal fine dining, Noto for eclectic Asian-inspired sharing plates. But Ralston’s crown jewel is also his newest, Lyla, which has occupied an elegant Georgian townhouse in the Scottish capital for the last year.
The experience starts in the wide-ceilinged, first-floor drawing room with a glimpse of fridges where meat, line-caught turbot, and fist-size scallops are aging. A Krug champagne trolley rocks up, then it’s straight into snacks: a flat disc of Alp blossom cheese, onion, and quince that tastes like a posh Mini Cheddar, and a burst-in-the-mouth tartlet of cured sea bream topped with Exmoor caviar.
Then it’s down to the main dining room, a formal setup with crisp tablecloths and a view of the open kitchen at one end. The first bite comes with Lyla’s signature cocktail, a stunning samphire martini, also available as an excellent non-alcoholic (Seedlip) version. Then we work through a series of seafood-focused dishes like Scottish langoustine with burnt apple, and the aforementioned giant hand-dived scallop, cooked and topped with N25 caviar and sauce choron. While the majority is fish-focused, there’s a show-stopping wagyu main, which arrives with a choice of Japanese knives from a wooden box.
Service is discreet — there’s nothing performative — with the emphasis on the outstanding food. Lyla trends classic and formal where style and aesthetics are concerned, but the menu itself is modern if not boundary-pushing, and at the heart of one of the more special meals you can have in Edinburgh. –Laura Price
→ Lyla (Edinburgh) • No. 3 Royal Terr • Wed-Sat 7-8p, Fri-Sat 1230-130p • £165 per • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Lifestyle group Miiro opens its first London hotel in Templeton Garden • Chef Harriet Mansell’s Lilac restaurant in Lyme Regis will close for good in August • The Orient Express’s first hotel opens in Rome • Capturing the first flight in Air France’s new La Premiere on video.
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