Chocolate rush
Khao Bird, Honey & Co., Trèsind, Dorian, best Easter eggs, Ben Benton’s go-to London restaurants, The Kensington Arms, MORE
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Books and bakes
BEN BENTON • author & podcast host • The Go-To Food Podcast
Neighbourhood you work in: London Bridge
Neighbourhood you live in: Camberwell
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I drop my kid at nursery before heading to Toad Bakery for a covert coffee and chocolatine (or something even more exciting from their trolley of temptations). We normally record a podcast or food film on Wednesday, so I get the 35 bus to the studio and pick up all our gear before heading off to one restaurant or another to interview the chef or owner. This often involves cocktails, wine and delicious food at 10a, an arresting start to the day.
If we’re filming, we’ll go to five or six spots to eat a few mouthfuls and chat to the chef. I have a giggle with Freddy, my co-host, in the name of making the video joyful and engaging. We promise next time we’ll eat less, take more time and relax, but we never do – there are too many good restaurants to visit.
What’s on the agenda for today?
It’s launch week for my new book, All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu, so I’m hunched over my phone, madly posting on social media and replying to the sweet people who repost or comment on the nonsense I’m putting out into the world. I hate this bit. I’m much more comfortable interviewing other people and getting excited for whatever they’re up to, but needs must. It’s a lovely little book, so I want to give it the best chance in the world.
This afternoon, it’s off to Gladwell’s for a final sandwich tasting for my guest sandwich, which is on their menu throughout March and April to promote the book. I’ve just returned from filming a 48 hours in Manchester video for The Go-To, which was heavy on the guts, so tonight will be a nice gentle takeaway from Momo Sushi in Camberwell.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Today we’re filming in Notting Hill, so Layla Bakery, Cafe O’Porto, Dove, Akub, Canteen, The Fat Badger, Panella, and Hamid’s Moroccan food stall are on the agenda. I’m desperately trying to find an excuse to head east to Tiella, Dara Klein’s new trattoria. I’ve put a date in the diary to try Alex Jackson’s menus at The Garden Museum Café and to go back to 40 Maltby Street, the best restaurant in London. Tomorrow will be a quieter day and will no doubt include a stop at Theo’s for a lunchtime panuozzo and, if things go to plan, some noodles and skewers from Silk Road.
How about a little leisure or culture?
With my book launch around the corner, my cultural fix for the next few months includes literary festivals up and down the country and a flying visit to Ballymaloe for their food festival in May, which I’m hugely excited for. In London, I’ve booked to see Rose Wylie at the Royal Academy of Arts and Tracy Emin at the Tate Modern. Oh, and don’t forget Paddington the Musical for my son’s birthday in July. I’m even more excited than him.
Any weekend getaways?
I’ve just got back from a long weekend in Thessaloniki, a three-hour flight from London and one of the best places I’ve ever travelled to eat. Any city that starts the day with fredo espresso, the chilled frothy coffee that the Greeks drink from dawn to dusk, and a filled bougatsa (particularly from Bougatsa Bantis, where they still make the filo by hand) is fine by me. Factor in the best meatballs I’ve ever eaten at Diagonios 1977, more coffee at Hue, orange sponge and kataifi at Dorkada, kokoretsi and gyros in the bustling Kapani market, drinks at Thermaikos bar and the best dinner one could imagine at Iliopetra, and you have a weekend getaway that’s hard to beat. It’s great value too. Thessaloniki is worth a look over Athens, for sure.
What was your last great holiday?
This time last year, I went to Mallorca for our 10-year wedding anniversary. We stayed in an understated hotel with a wonderful restaurant and rooftop pool called Hotel For Nou in Artà. We spent long days exploring nearby towns with outdoor markets before buying up a bounty of treats and heading to a beach for picnics, swimming and reading. The market in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar was a particular favourite, which might have something to do with the ensaimada and other treats on offer at Forn d’es Molí.
North of Artà are three remote and beautiful sandy beaches – Cala Mesquida, Cala Torta and Cala Mitjana – which require a hardy hike and occasional scramble through pine forest. The restaurant at For Nou and the Vermuteria by Baudot 1926 in the nearby square are both ideal for perfectly executed Mallorcan treats. We finished in Palma, with notable stops at Bar Isleño for iced coffee, and Bar des Mercat in Santa Catalina market for whole fish, prawns and squid cooked simply on the plancha, with bread and good local wine.
What store or service do you always recommend?
A great bookshop. Lala Books in Camberwell is my closest, but it’s hard to beat John Sandoe for joyful browsing.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I used to work for The Connection at St. Martin’s. Donating to them is about the best way to help combat homelessness in London.
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RESTAURANTS • First Word
My Thai
The Skinny: After a buzzy pop-up at Borough Market’s Globe Tavern, Khao Bird settled into a permanent space on Brewer Street in November. It’s proved extremely popular, with its menu of Northern Thai barbecue from Luke Larsson, a British chef with extensive training in Thailand.