Lizzo approved
The Cocochine, Hampstead listings, best women-led kitchens, J Sheekey, Algerian Coffee Stores, Mühle shaving boutique, Native Manchester, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Spotlight up
The Skinny: An immaculate Mayfair restaurant emphasising not-so-quiet luxury both in dishes and decor, The Cocochine opened last year from chef Larry Jayasekara and gallerist Tim Jefferies.
The Vibe: Spread across four floors of a former townhouse near posh Berkeley Square, its power spot tells are in the details: the well-spaced tables, the high-end wine cellar, the art from Jefferies’ Hamiltons Gallery decorating the walls (including several Warhols in the impressive private dining room). While clearly a place to be and be seen, the atmosphere is serene, even at the chef’s counter adjacent to Jayasekara’s custom kitchen. Lunch tends to attract suited-up business executives; couples and groups of friends fill the space in the evenings.
The Food: Most of the produce and meat is sourced from the restaurant’s own Rowler Farm. The fish arrives from Scotland and Jayasekara incorporates a few ingredients from his native Sri Lanka, but the menu is resolutely British in approach. Everything is presented à la carte (although there are prix fixe options at lunch and dinner). A memorable starter combines Japanese o-toro, roasted foie gras, and Golden Oscietra caviar. Mains showcase proteins from rack of venison to dry-aged sirloin (both from the farm). Vegetable-led dishes are just as pleasing, particularly the artistically presented salad, which features dozens of ingredients picked in Rowler’s fields and greenhouses. The best of the desserts is a simple Tahitian vanilla ice cream, the richest vanilla flavour I’ve ever experienced.
The Drink: The wine and champagne collection merits a primary focus. The primarily European bottle list has an emphasis on classic French labels that come with a hefty price tag. Non-alcoholic cocktails are flavourful and refreshing. There’s a hidden nook adjacent to the wine cellar where diners can have a drink before dinner.
FOUND Pro: Book the chef’s counter for a more dynamic experience or the window-side table for a more private conversation.
The Verdict: While a lot to take in, The Cocochine’s approach to fine dining is more elegant than overwrought. The food, delicate and memorable, takes a seasonal approach that will no doubt result in repeat visits for new dishes. –Emily Zemler
→ The Cocochine (Mayfair) • 27 Bruton Pl • Mon-Sat 12-230p, 6-945p • Book.
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: In Notting Hill, Speedboat Bar to open outpost next month at The Electric… Lima omakase import Fan opens this week • Murano chef Angela Hartnett opening restaurant at Royal Opera House in September • Canary Wharf outpost of steakhouse Goodman set to close 29/06.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale four-bedroom properties in Hampstead that recently came to market:
→ Tercelet Terrace (Hampstead) • 4BR/3.2BA/2R, 228 m2 town house • Asking price: £3.7mn • 4 floors in centre of Hampstead Village • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Bargets.
→ Penthouse Apartment (Hampstead, above) • 4BR/3BA/3R, 211 m2 penthouse • Asking price: £4.25mn • on gated block, 2 roof terraces • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: TK Int’l.
→ West Heath Rd (Hampstead) • 4BR/3BA/4R, m2 detached house • Asking price: £7.75mn • 28’ vaulted reception, home gym, cinema room • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: TK Int’l.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: New wellness hub Shoreditch & Soul opens in East London • Inside a remade, minimalist Queen’s Park residence • Does your home’s facade need a facelift?
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Restaurants, women-led kitchens
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of London’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundldn.com.
Cavita (Marylebone), vibrant Mexican w/ open-fire kitchen from Adriana Cavita, reserve
Firebird (Soho), modern European w/ open-fire cooking from Madina Kazhimona and sommelier Anna Dolgushina, reserve
Jikoni (Marylebone), ‘immigrant cuisine’ spanning British, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and East African, from Ravinder Bhogal, reserve
Murano (Mayfair), Italian w/ British ingredients from multi-restaurateur and Dish podcast host Angela Hartnett, reserve
Leydi (City, above), Turkish lokanta-style inspired by neighbourhood restaurants of Istanbul, from Oklava chef Selin Kiazim, reserve
Rochelle Canteen (Shoreditch), seasonal modern European and British from Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold, reserve
Sabor (Soho), multi-concept Spanish from former Barrafina chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho, reserve
Spring (Covent Garden), seasonal produce-driven Italian in elegant Somerset House from Skye Gyngell, reserve
The Pie Room (Holborn), hearty British pies from Nokx Majozi, reserve
See also, our Women-led tasting menus Nines.
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Return favour
LAWRENCE HEAD • development manager • Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy
Neighbourhood you live in: Crystal Palace
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My Thursday mornings are rather eclectic. I work from home, but I also travel a lot for work and the market I manage is global. This means that I’m either in my home office nursing a cup of my favourite tea and doing battle with emails, or I’m ‘in-market.’ That means I could be anywhere in the world, or at least, anywhere in the world where LVMH private clients are.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today’s agenda was a bit scrappy work-wise. I’m trying to do some strategic planning for the quarter and thinking about my work priorities. Once I’ve finished I’ll meet a friend at the Everyman Cinema in my neighbourhood, which I’m a bit obsessed with.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
In terms of restaurant plans I’m taking my godmother to J Sheekey for supper tomorrow night. When I was a boy, she took me to the theatre so often, and I really credit my love of performing arts to her. On very special occasions she’d take me to Sheekey’s for a pre-theatre light supper. Now that she’s 81, I like to return the favour.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Culturally there is so much to choose from in London, it can actually be a little overwhelming and you end up in the dreaded deadlock of indecision. Earlier this year, I was particularly excited by a performance of ‘Twice Born’ by the Scottish Ballet at Sadler’s Wells. I managed a partnership between Diageo’s Luxury department and the Scottish Ballet in my previous role, and their passion was infectious. I fell completely in love with their work, and with ballet generally.
What was your last great vacation?
My last truly great vacation was to the weather-beaten Hebridean island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. I first visited with my father when I was 19 and we were both totally seduced by its rugged, wind-lashed beauty and, above all, the kindness of its people. My parents now go every year and rent a beautiful little cottage right on the sea, so I went out to join them for a few days and the tranquillity was palpable.
What store or service do you always recommend?
The Mühle shaving boutique off Carnaby Street does the best ‘bang for the buck’ men’s facial skin treatments I’ve ever found. I don’t really believe these things do actually make you look fresher or younger, but taking half an hour to treat yourself is priceless.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Coffee souk
You may have walked past the patinaed, Christmas-red exterior of Algerian Coffee Stores on Old Compton Street a hundred times, but only once you’ve stepped inside could you be prepared for the assaulting, alluring aroma of coffee beans. Trading since 1887, watching Soho change from bohemian haunt to bustling epicentre, Algerian Coffee has barely changed since it opened its Victorian doors.
An undeniably charming sense of organised chaos governs the space, more souk than showroom. The walls are lined with rare single origins in red tins, coffee pots of every conceivable variety, Turkish blends, brass canisters, hand labelled jars, and spilling sacks of beans.
The staff will talk you through it all without fuss. Want something smoky for a stovetop moka? Bright for filter? They'll point you in the right direction and maybe throw in a quiet opinion about what’s overrated. There’s something for everyone, whether you want a dark roast that could wake the dead or a delicate Ethiopian single origin to be brewed only at exactly 92 degrees Celsius.
The shop is also stacked with loose leaf teas and international treats — amaretti biscuits, Turkish delight, and proper Italian hot chocolate that melts in your cup. You’ll find no flat whites or latte art here, just a seriously strong espresso for £1.50 from a little red machine (classy regulars bring their own cups).
In a city that moves fast and forgets even faster, Algerian Coffee Stores is a rare holdout: intimate, unaffected, and entirely itself. –Amy Rose Holland
→ Shop: Algerian Coffee Stores (Soho) • 52 Old Compton St • Mon-Wed 10a-6p, Thu-Sat 10a-7p.
CULTURE & LEISURE • BST
Olivia Rodrigo • British Summer Time - Hyde Park (Hyde Park) • Fri @ 2p • diamond VIP, £268 per
Ludovico Einaudi • Royal Albert Hall (South Kensington) • Mon @ 630p • 2d tier boxes, £111 per
Iron Maiden • London Stadium (Stratford) • Sun @ 5p • section 135, £123 per
GETAWAYS • Manchester
Beam me up
Manchester has so much to offer — unbelievable nightlife, great restaurants, friendly pubs, beautiful countryside just 10 minutes outside the city centre — but Native Manchester is reason enough to stay in.
Located in the heart of the city, a couple of minutes walk from Piccadilly Railway Station, the five-year-old hotel is in the Grade II-listed Ducie Street Warehouse, which used to house cotton bales before they were shipped to London’s factories. It retains its industrial charm with exposed bricks and a cast iron inner courtyard, while providing all the comforts of a luxury city hotel: exceptional rooms, deli counter, restaurant, cinema, DJs, and some serious house cocktails.
As you enter, you pass by the Gooey kiosk, serving up cookies and doughnuts rated 10/10 by Lizzo and just a small clue as to how sweet the rest of your stay will be. The ground floor is a great space to work, meet friends, and eat at the house restaurant (make sure to try the lunchtime pinsa menu). By night, it’s buzzing with DJs and dancing, as if everyone in Manchester met up there before going out: Events are on every week, from supper clubs and pop-ups to workshops.
As fun as it is downstairs, the rooms are where Native sets itself apart. Decorated with mid-century furniture, duplex penthouses are gorgeous, complete with study, two bedrooms, an open plan kitchen, and two terraces with 360-degree views. The one- and two-bedroom suites are perfect for staying in the city with friends: well-equipped enough to host a dinner party, and secluded enough from your neighbours to party into the night. –Amy Rose Holland
→ Native (Manchester) • Ducie Street Warehouse • summer wknd king from £345 per.
GETAWAYS LINKS: In Scotland, The Hoxton, Edinburgh hotel finally opens • Checking into the modernist new Standard Hotel in Brussels • Moro, Morocco’s chicest boutique • Flight prices to USA lowest since pre-pandemic.
ASK FOUND
PROMPTS for which we continue to seek intel:
What is your favourite London flower shop (or flower delivery service)?
Who’s your go-to tailor?
What’s your Restaurant of the Summer?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.