Urban Junkies London
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Tue 26 March, 2013
 
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UJ RESTAURANT SUPPLEMENT MARCH 2013
 
We've done the newbie restaurant circuit for UJ's second supplement and the verdicts are in. Breakfast is stealing its crown back from brunch, chargrilling is the new frying, vegetables are in the spotlight and pop ups are going permanent. And that's just the start. London, what will you throw at us next?
 
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BREAKFAST
 
The Rooftop CafÉ – Eggs from a height
 
 
 
28 London Bridge Street, SE1 9SG
020 3102 3770 | @ExchangeLDN
 
In a sentence
Panoramic views with a side of eggs – this is London Bridge's soon-to-be worst kept secret.
Vibe
Laid back, colourful and bright, this is a dining room made for breakfast (though we suspect dinner is equally charming). We especially liked the bustling, open kitchen, which makes you feel like you're in mum's kitchen.
Flavours
Head chef Magnus Reid (of Hackney Pearl and previously St John) channels the simplicity of his alma mater when it comes to breakfast. The fluffy eggs and dry cured bacon are pure, unadulterated goodness.
Top Tip
Bag a window seat and you're laughing. They're currently building a greenhouse on the terrace for late summer nights.
Highlight
Avocado, chili and lemon on toast. It's our new favourite AM staple.
 
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MARKET
 
Bar Tozino – Get your bodega on
 
 
 
Lassco Ropewalk, Maltby Street, SE1 3PA
info@bartozino.com | @BarTozino
 
In a sentence
Barcelona incarnate, fans of La Xampanyeria in Barceloneta won't be disappointed.
Vibe
Español, through and through, from the hanging jamóns and cava-lined shelves to the chatty chefs and raucous clientele using every visible surface to lay their tapas.
Flavours
Bar Tozino prides itself on its edit of Ibérico hams and rightly so; they have Joselito on the menu (enough said). The Teruel, a nuttier, saltier cut, is also great. The menu changes daily but, if available, go for the hearty chorizo and chickpea house stew and the morish huevos rotos and migas ("crumbs"). Tortilla and pan con tomate go without saying.
Top Tip
Don't come here expecting to eat sat down. Do it the Spanish way or arrive early for any chance of getting a golden bar stool.
Highlight
The MM Brut Selección Especial Cava (at £4 a glass!).
 
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BAR SNACKS
 
Hawksmoor Air Street – French dipping via The Great Gatsby
 
 
 
5a Air Street, W1J 0AD | 020 7406 3980
 
In a sentence
Lavish bar food at Hawksmoor's shiny Air Street location.
Vibe
Classic luxury with a cool edge – all bottle green booths, stain glass windows and brassy hues, it feels very 1920s (as does the cocktail list).
Flavours
Decidedly British. Fried queenies (battered scallops) and seasonal pickles are great to pick at with cocktails, and try the ethically sourced caviar – served on blinis with sour cream and parsley – to step things up. Otherwise, go all out with Mitch Tonk's simple crab sandwich or the oozing, braised beef, short rib French dip in brioche with bone marrow gravy.
Top Tip
If you're off alcohol go for the cereal milkshake. David Chang eat your heart out.
Highlight
The cocktail list, arranged as a timetable. Go for the "Anti-Fogmatics" section post-work.
 
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TRANSFER
 
The Clove Club – NINE courses of hip
 
 
 
380 Old Street, EC1V 9LT
020 7729 6496 | @thecloveclub
 
In a sentence
The latest, permanent venture from foodie collective The Young Turks (previously of Upstairs at the Ten Bells), who can now call the Shoreditch Town Hall home.
Vibe
The Clove Club has been dismissed as a restaurant aimed at food bloggers and Shoreditch's hipster diaspora. Yes, it is full of young trendy things and yes, it's achingly Instagram-compatible, but this in no way takes away from the cooking and the passion (you can see it in the open kitchen).
Flavours
The heart of the idea is the use of seasonal British ingredients, especially vegetables. Our favourites from the "five-course" menu (read: three snacks, five courses and dessert) included the buttermilk chicken with pine salt (these guys were one of the first on the fried chicken bandwagon); the crunchy radishes with gochuchang mayo doused in salty, black sesame seeds; and the rib of beef with potato cigars.
Top Tip
Go in a big group – this is food to share and talk about.
Highlight
The desserts. Sheep's milk mousse with blood orange and the icy, crunchy, jewels of fennel granita is like nothing we've ever had.
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GRILL
 
Master and Servant – Classy surf n' turf
 
 
 
 8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU
020 7729 4626 | @servantfood
 
In a sentence
A New York-inspired grill from an ex-St John double whammy.
Vibe
New York, but not too New York, ie. just the right amount of exposed brick and industrial lighting.
Flavours
You can smell the smokey chargrilled fumes wafting up the stairs as soon as you sit down. Unfortunately, when we visited the seafood deliveries were thin on the ground due to weather so our plans for rock oysters and smoked crab were scuppered. The lamb with smoked onion and ramson was similar to a dish we had in San Sebastian, and the steak was good, as were the starters – surf clam chowder, rainbow trout with avocado and grilled leeks with Stichelton. If these are the pre-cursors to the surf, we're coming back for that crab.
Top Tip
Go for late supper as it's more buzzy and when most diners arrive.
Highlight
Pistachio doughnuts trumped the éclair.
 
 
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