The Palomar
I absolutely love Levantine cuisine, so The Palomar on Rupert Street in Soho is a must. It’s modern Jerusalem fare, with all the southern Spanish, and North African influences that that includes. Eating is such a convivial activity in the Middle East, bringing families and friends together, and The Palomar manages to recreate that connected feeling. Its many sharing dishes make you eat more mindfully too, as you try to process the diversity of ingredients feeding your gut microbiome. We now know this has a huge impact on our health, from improving digestion to reducing stress levels and increasing nutrient absorption. With a strong and unwavering seasonality to its menus, The Palomar’s meat is organic, free range, and sourced in the UK, while the seafood comes fresh off Cornish boats daily. Israel has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, which given their diet, is another reason to visit The Palomar!
34 Rupert Street, W1D 6DN; thepalomar.co.uk
Hoppers
If you’ve ever been to Hoppers then you might be scratching your head at this being a healthy pick, but hear me out. Even though it serves up unctuous, spicy comfort food, it’s the diverse array of ingredients – especially herbs, chutneys, legumes and greens – lovingly poured into the dishes that make them so good for you. Even the dosas are pretty healthy since they’re made from a fermented lentil and rice batter, so they’re gluten free. The real treat is the many vegetarian dishes to share, such as the pumpkin and spinach curry, jackfruit and mushroom kothu roti, and the pickled aubergine jam.
Locations in Soho, Marylebone and King’s Cross; hopperslondon.com
Scully St. James’s
Before he opened his first restaurant, Scully St James’s, Ramael Scully was the main man at Ottolenghi’s fabled Nopi, so his talent goes without saying. He’s a Malaysian Aussie with Chinese, Indian, and Irish descent, and he leans on all of his diverse heritage to conjure up unbelievably good dishes bursting with amazing ingredients. Where Scully is different is in his approach to food wastage, something you instantly understand when you walk into the restaurant and are presented with fermenting jar after jar of pickled ingredients. The veg-centric menu is sublime – dishes such as the halibut tartare with green clementine and miso aioli, and butternut squash, galangal spiced sofrito and tomato shrub, taste as good as they sound.
4 St James’s Market, SW1Y 4AH; scullyrestaurant.com
Duck Soup
Eating seasonally not only ensures you’re getting the freshest, most nutrient-dense foods, but it also helps to support local farmers and producers, which is exactly what you are doing when you sit down to eat at Duck Soup in Soho. Small but perfectly formed, it really highlights seasonal produce and changes the menu on a weekly basis to reflect that. It was also the first place I ever tried an orange wine that I actually liked! It really prides itself on its natural and biodynamic wines, but it’s the veg-centric small plates that have me coming back, with dishes such as winter tomato, anchovy, sourdough and lovage, and chargrilled chicory, goat curd, lentils and parsley being a couple of my faves.
41 Dean Street, W1D 4PY; ducksoupsoho.co.uk
The Toast Rack Bake House
I only found Toast Rack recently when I was walking on Wandsworth Common, but I’ve been back five times in three weeks. I’ll be honest, if you were only judging it from the outside, then you probably wouldn’t be all that inclined to go in, but maybe that’s why it’s still a hidden gem? Greasy spoon on the outside, silver spoon on the inside! Step in and you’re greeted with lots of beautiful local produce unpretentiously stacked, and a host of breads baked on-site. But go through a long corridor to the restaurant and you’re met with a ’70s wood-panelled time warp. The brunch menu is what I go for: Cackleberry Farm eggs from the Cotswolds, every which way you can imagine. I’ve taken carnivores and vegetarians, and everyone loves it.
314 Trinity Road, SW18 3RG; toastrackbakery.co.uk
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