The acclaimed food writer recommends a favourite pizzeria, Vietnamese restaurant and fish shop and talks about the restaurant she would like to die in
EATING OUT
The Colony Grill Room
The Beaumont, 8 Balderton Street, London W1K 6TN; 020 7499 9499, www.colonygrillroom.com
“I spend an inordinate amount of time in the Colony Grill in the Beaumont Hotel. I’m addicted. I like the environment and it doesn’t have to be expensive: you can have a plate of pasta for £11 and mac and cheese for a fiver (though you can also have the veal chop for £38). My favourite thing is the shepherd’s pie. They only have it on Saturdays but sometimes they’ll make it for me on a Wednesday if I nag them. I have a real love for professional courtesy in service. I don’t want someone to slam down a wanky milk jar in front of me. I’d rather have someone saying: ‘Here’s your coffee madam, I know you like gold milk.’ I just want to die there. I want to be that crazy old bitch in the corner with the veiled hat, dead fox on the shoulder, lipstick smeared all over her face, muttering to herself in saggy tights, popping pills – I want to be that person at the Colony Grill.” – Sabrina
The Wolseley
160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB; 020 7499 6996, www.thewolseley.com
“I love the Wolsely for the same reasons as I love the Colony Grill – both are owned by Corbin and King – but this is more for breakfast and afternoon tea. I love the steak tartare and the banana split. I’d go to any Corbin and King joint for desserts. You can have a beautifully crafted slice of cake for £5 and desserts from £5 to £8. I finally caved and had the baked Alaska with pistachio ice cream on the inside and sour cherry compote on the side. It’s really good.”
Barrafina
10 Adelaide St, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HZ; 020 7440 1450, www.barrafina.co.uk
“I love the new Barrafina on Adelaide Street [the original is on Frith Street in Soho]. Addicted. If you’re going for lunch, don’t even bother showing up after 11.55am (or 12.55pm on a Sunday), because the queue goes on forever. I could literally snog the face off their suckling pig. But for me the winner is the arroz de marisco, the seafood rice, it’s unbelievable.”
Mien Tay
180 Lavender Hill, Battersea, London SW11 5TQ; 020 7350 0721, www.mientay.co.uk/battersea
“I have a particular penchant for this pretty tacky Vietnamese restaurant – in fact I’m going there tonight. They have one on Kingsland Road as well but this is the one I like. It’s a fair drive to get to Lavender Hill but we used to go there every Saturday because it’s so good. Then AA Gill went and gave it five stars and it became a nightmare to get a seat.”
Santa Maria
15 Saint Mary’s Road, London W5 5RA; 020 8579 1462, www.santamariapizzeria.com
Sacro Cuore
45 Chamberlayne Road, London NW10 3NB; 020 8960 8558, www.sacrocuore.co.uk
“I’m a real pizza snob. I feel that what we serve in this country is just not pizza. The best is in Naples, but the closest second I’ve ever had is Santa Maria in Ealing. (They have a second restaurant now in Kensal Green called Sacro Cuore.) If Naples is 10/10, they’re a 9. It’s just never going to be as good, but their pizza is really good.”
BUYING IN
Whole Foods Kensington
The Barkers Building, 63-97 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SE; 020 7368 4500, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/kensington
“I buy all my meat from the Kensington Whole Foods because it’s usually same price if not cheaper than the supermarket and they age it beautifully.” – Sabrina
Tindahang Pinoy
1 Kenway Road, London SW5 0RP; 020 7244 9083
“There’s a great selection of Filipino and Vietnamese supermarkets on Kenway Road – one of the few good clusters of food shops in my neighbourhood.”
George’s Fisheries
106 Ladbroke Grove, London, W11 IPY; 020 7727 9043
“All the other fishmongers in the area are overpriced but George’s Fisheries is amazing. It’s a huge place run by a Filipino family and they have glorious fish, octopus, giant prawns, a lot more exotic and larger than other fishmongers and their prices are so reasonable.”
Brock Hall Farm
http://shop.brockhallfarm.com/
“I love goat’s cheese and once in a blue moon I’ll give my supplier at Brock Hall Farm in Shropshire a buzz and ask her to send me a little box, and I’ll just stuff my face. I love her goat’s cheese and she really works her socks off, which adds to the appeal.”