Udon noodles at Koya
Number one on the list has to be a bowl of udon at Koya in Soho. There’s nowhere I’d rather find myself on a drizzly day when I’m looking for some lunch. I like to order a bowl of udon noodles in plain broth and then get some prawn tempura and pickles on the side. I dunk the tempura into the broth, slurp up the noodles and have the pickles as little refreshers in between every mouthful.
50 Frith Street, London W1D 4SQ; koya.co.uk
The pies at the Camberwell Arms
If we’re talking comfort foods in London, we need to include a pub, and the Camberwell Arms is a very, very good pub. One side of it is dedicated to drinking and the other side is one of the cosiest dining rooms in the country, where they do the most amazing pies. They’re giant things, which they claim serve two or three people, but really they do feed more like four or five. I had a rabbit pie in there once with chips and salad on the side. Pie, chips and salad: what’s more comforting than that?
65 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR; thecamberwellarms.co.uk
Beef rendang at Malaysian Deli
Malaysian Deli is a little family-run spot not far from me in south-east London. It does the best beef rendang, which is full of fragrant, spicy flavours, lots of lemongrass and lots of chilli. I order it with nasi lemak which is a Malaysian coconut rice dish that comes with boiled eggs and crispy salted anchovies. The whole thing makes your eyes water a bit, but in a very good way.
338 Brockley Road, London SE4 2BT; malaysian-deli.square.site
Cheung fun at Tao Tao Ju
One of the most comforting foods in the world is surely the steamed dumpling. These are made in-house at Tao Tao Ju in Chinatown, and I particularly love its king prawn cheung fun. It’s a plate of slippery, steamy, warming goodness, and it comes with a really nice sweet sauce to pour over it. Alongside it, I like to order a fried dough cheung fun, which is a bit like a deep-fried yum yum wrapped in soft steamed dough that comes with lots of spring onions and a sweet sauce. It sounds like a weird combination for a savoury dish, but it’s got a lovely sweet and savoury angle to it.
15 Lisle Street, London WC2H 7BE; taotaoju.co.uk
Spaghetti al cartoccio at Ciao Bella
At Ciao Bella, the Italian restaurant in Bloomsbury, they do spaghetti al cartoccio, which is basically seafood spaghetti in a bag. It’s cooked in a greaseproof paper bag – I’ve got no idea how – and they bring it to the table and tip it out on your plate in front of you. It’s just a glorious mess of spaghetti and mussels and clams. You can have it with tomato sauce or with a white wine sauce, and whichever one you order you get a massive portion.
86-90 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1N 3LZ; ciaobellarestaurant.co.uk
Follow Sophie on Instagram @sophiewyburd
