Like butter

Claridge’s Bakery, best Valentine’s bookings, The Newman Arms, Madonna’s favourite Margate restaurant, MORE

Feb 04, 2026

∙ Paid

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Bakery

Exceedingly good

After months of delay, Claridge’s has finally opened its bakery: the debut London shop from Richard Hart, best known for his cult Copenhagen spot Hart Bageri. With its own shopfront on Brook’s Mews, Claridge’s Bakery boasts countryside-chic signage and a sleek countertop displaying baked goods like museum exhibits.

There’s no seating, so you can’t linger over coffee and a croissant, but there aren’t croissants anyway. In keeping with the hotel itself, everything here is resolutely British, from the Bakewell tart to the lardy cake to the selection of iced fingers. It’s unsurprising, given Hart is London-born – he trained as a pastry chef here before moving to California, then Denmark, and now Mexico City (where he opened Green Rhino last summer), returning to launch Claridge’s last month.

There are several bread loaves – the sourdough bloomer is the one to pick – and a sandwich and quiche of the day. But the highlights are the sweet and savoury pastries, which include a very good sausage roll, an equally impressive Scotch egg and a crisp, buttery Marmite cheese straw. Some items are less traditional. Lardy cake is flaky and buttery, rather than dense, and arrives without the usual dried fruit, while Bakewell tart is elegant and delicate, rather than rustic. Despite its location at the back of Claridge’s, the prices are somehow reasonable, making the bakery an easy, wallet-friendly crowd-pleaser. –Emily Zemler

→ Shop: Claridge’s Bakery (Mayfair) • Brook’s Mews • Mon-Fri 8a-4p, Sat-Sun 9a-4p.

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Eyes on the pies

The Skinny: Built in 1730, The Newman Arms has lived many lives. Once a brothel, it became a pub once frequented by Winston Churchill, and inspired the ‘Proles’ pub in George Orwell’s 1984. It’s changed hands multiple times over the years, but last spring, new owners gave it a lick of fresh red paint, and turned the first floor into a pie room.

The Vibe: Upstairs, the restaurant is cosy, candlelit and romantic, with down-to-earth service and a nook for privacy. Downstairs is as it’s been for years: a proper pub, with Murphy’s and pale ale on tap and drinkers spilling out onto the pavement in all weathers. The covered alley boasts quite possibly the warmest overhead heaters in London, making it an excellent in-the-know date spot.

The Food: It’s about the pies, with a succinct but satisfying seasonal menu. From the starters, chestnut mushroom paté was dense, rich and creamy, and came with pickled shallots and toasted sourdough. Aged beef shin and rib pie was individually portioned and generously packed with braised beef and Murphy’s stout gravy. It came with intensely cheesy mash and a tranche of excellent roasted hispi cabbage.

Fisherman’s pie was less well-endowed and could have done with a better fish-to-mash ratio, though mussels were a welcome addition. Salmon roe added little, but the dish was improved with a splash of Tabasco from a miniature bottle that came clutched between the claws of a whole langoustine on top of the pie. Sticky toffee pudding could have benefited from a slick of proper, hot custard, instead of thin vanilla sauce.

Downstairs, there’s a bar snacks menu featuring Scotch pies, sausage rolls and a Scotch egg of the week, cooked to order.

The Drink: The signature cocktail is a Black Velvet, here made with Murphy’s stout and crémant. We opted instead for a decent Negroni (£13), which was poured from a charming hip flask and came with £9 refills.

The Verdict: In a city full of fancy gastropubs, The Newman Arms embraces tradition, keeping it warm and unpretentious. –Laura Price

→ The Newman Arms (Fitzrovia) • 23 Rathbone St • Mon-Sat 12-3p & 5-930p • Book.

RESTAURANTS • Intel

MEXICAN WAVE: Kol chef-owner Santiago Lastra is teaming up with the Tate Modern to create a special menu in homage to artist Frida Kahlo. Timed with this summer’s exhibition (Frida: The Making of an Icon), Lastra’s two-course menu will be offered at lunchtime and on Friday and Saturday evenings from 25 June to 31 Aug. Book.

FAMILY TIES: Jonny Lake and Isa Bal’s restaurant Trivet has welcomed a new head chef. Adam Tooby-Desmond spent the last eight years at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, part of The Fat Duck family, through which Bal and Lake originally met. Book. –Laura Price

LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Jason Atherton sparring up against fellow chefs at charity boxing match • Claridge’s isn’t the only bakery to get excited about • Where have all the vegans gone?

WORK • Wednesday Routine

Small luxuries

POLINA SYCHOVA • interior designer & restaurant founder • Sino
Neighbourhood you work in: Notting Hill
Neighbourhood you live in: Battersea

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My day starts early – around 4a – but I always spend the first couple of hours with my kids before heading to work. Once I arrive at Sino, we begin with a team meeting and map out the week together: reservations, menu tweaks, events… the little details that shape the rhythm of our days. After that, the calm morning hours turn into focused preparation as we get ready for service.

What’s on the agenda for today?
It’s a fun one – we’re developing a brand-new concept for a place and I’m also working on interiors for a couple of other restaurants around London. I’m reviewing design plans, refining mood boards and coordinating with respective teams to bring each space to life in its own unique way.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I eat out a lot, mostly trying new places. The most exciting visits of late include Humble Chicken for its beautifully judged tasting menu – chef Angelo Sato’s cooking is precise, generous and quietly thrilling. For something more instinctive and spontaneous, The Barbary remains unbeatable for bold flavours, great energy and food that’s best shared. Two very different moods, both utterly satisfying.

This week, I’m planning to try Motorino, which I’ve heard great things about. I’ll finish the night with a martini at The Connaught, the best possible ending.

How about a little leisure or culture?
We love spending hours at the playgrounds around London – the kids run wild and it’s the perfect reset for all of us. I’m also planning a visit to the Tate Modern with the kids – the Turbine Hall is always a hit.

Any weekend getaways?
I’ve recently fallen completely in love with De Durgerdam, a beautifully restored 17th-century clapboard inn in a small fishing village just a 20-minute cycle from central Amsterdam. It’s now a warm, design-led boutique hotel with exceptional food. It’s one of those rare places that feels close to the city yet wonderfully transportive.

What was your last great holiday?
Costa Rica, a place we love so much that we go every other year. This time we stayed at Origins, which feels like being wrapped in the most magical corner of the rainforest. Waking up above the clouds, hearing nothing but nature, and having coffee with that view… It’s unforgettable. We spent our days hiking through the rainforest, spotting wildlife, visiting waterfalls and soaking in hot springs.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I absolutely love my coffee machine, the La Marzocco Linea Mini. It’s an investment but it’s completely transformed my mornings. The coffee is café-quality, the design is beautiful and it’s built like a tank. It’s a small luxury, every single day.

WORK & PLAY LINKS: Art Deco Ibex House to become hotel • Ministry of Sound reopens after major renovation • Is London ready for robotaxis? • Quiet Fridays are gaining steam.

REAL ESTATE • First Mover

Three for-sale properties in Marylebone that recently came to market:

→ Manor House (Marylebone, above) • 3BR/2BA/1R, 124 m2 flat • Guide price: £2mn • 6th-floor penthouse w/ terrace and parking • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: Daisy Spanbok, Park Lord.

→ One Seymour St (Marylebone) • 2BR/2BA/1R, 88 m2 flat • Asking price: £2.5mn • modern contemporary on 2nd floor • Ownership type: leasehold w/ 119 years remaining • Agents: Jonathan Adams & Louise Torkmorad, Napier Watt.

→ 55 Portland Pl (Marylebone) • 3BR/2BA/2R, 140 m2 flat • Asking price: £2.28mn • lateral apartment in building with private communal garden on Parisian-style boulevard • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Chestertons.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Madonna teases favourite Margate restaurant (it’s probably Bottega Caruso) • Newcastle exploring restoring direct ferry link to Norway • Cape Verde tourist deaths raise questions about visiting the island • British Airways launching new STN-OLB (Olbia, Sardinia) route this summer.

CULTURE & LEISURE • The Darkness

Justin Hawkins Rides Again • Cadogan Hall (Chelsea) • Sat @ 730p • side gallery, £30 per
Halsey: Back to Badlands • The O2 Academy (Brixton) • tonight @ 7p • BLK4, £87 per
Anna of the North • Islington Assembly Hall (Islington) • Thurs @ 7p • main hall standing, £35 per

ASK FOUND

Three fresh PROMPTS for which we request your immediate attention:

Where are you ordering flowers for Valentine’s Day?
What’s your go-to spot for jewellery repair?
What’s your warm-weather getaway of choice this winter?

Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Restaurants, Valentine’s Day

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in London and further afield. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.

Andrew Edmunds (Soho), beloved of chefs, London’s most romantic restaurant set in 18th-c. townhouse, cosy, candlelit spot w/ meaty mains, twice-baked soufflé, Valentine’s menu £75, book

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