The cream of London restaurant talent turned out in force for the launch of Taste of London last night. Big-name chefs at the annual restaurant festival included Francesco Mazzei, Theo Randall, Nuno Mendes and Anna Hansen, all on hand to offer a flavour of what to expect in Regent’s Park over the next four days.
A beautiful London summer evening (there were rainbows and everything) marked the eagerly anticipated return of the festival, one of 22 Taste Festival sites across the globe including Paris, Milan, Sydney and Cape Town. The event could just as easily be called Aroma of London thanks to so many mouth-watering food fragrances wafting across the breeze. Taste of London is now in its twelfth year and is a fantastic celebration - and also a reminder – of the breadth of world-class talent employed by London restaurants, as well as the huge variety within the restaurant scene itself.
Last night’s highlight was undoubtedly the awards ceremony, judged by restaurant critics including Fay Maschler, Grace Dent and Joe Warwick, who had donated their services for free while Taste made a £5,000 donation to Action Against Hunger.
Award winners included Islington’s The Drapers Arms for the best-dressed stand, while The Clove Club’s grilled lamb cutlets with gochujang (a Korean chilli and bean paste), black sesame and mint was named the festival’s best dish (#bestintaste).
The evening’s most anticipated award for best new restaurant (voted for by London Evening Standard readers) was won by Barrafina Adelaide Street, the second tapas bar from brothers Sam and Eddie Hart.
Speaking to Square Meal afterwards, Sam Hart (pictured above right, with Fay Maschler and his brother Eddie, far left) said: “It's always incredibly flattering to be nominated for awards, particularly when they’re voted for by readers and not judges, as they’re our customers. We just felt very lucky to be on a shortlist with so many fantastic restaurants.” The other five London restaurants on the shortlist were Kitty Fisher’s (below), Lyle’s, The Camberwell Arms, The Manor and The Typing Room.
Sam Hart also confirmed that the new Barrafina Drury Lane will open “between the 11th and 15th of July,” which will join Adelaide Street and Barrafina Soho. “The size of the restaurant is identical to Soho, but with many more windows, higher ceilings and a private dining room where you’ll see the food cooked in front of you. The exciting bit about Drury Lane is the menu, which will have 40 new dishes. There will be new ingredients we haven’t used before, including plenty of seafood cooked on the Josper grill and new croquettas. It will be similar but still have differences to the other two Barrafinas; you could eat in a different Barrafina every day and experience new flavours in each one.”
Click here for more information on this year’s Taste of London festival.
This article was published 18 June 2015