Coming in hot
Mexico City, Kumori, KID, Nakimushi, LIMA, Claridge’s Bakery, Issey Miyake, London's best bagels, MORE
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WORK • Wednesday Routine
Once upon a time in Mexico
RICHARD HART • baker • Claridge’s Bakery, Hart Bageri, Green Rhino
Cities you work in: London, Copenhagen, Mexico City
City you live in: Mexico City
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m in Mexico after a lovely couple of months in London helping to open Claridge’s Bakery (intel) earlier this year. I’m busy with my brilliant team here at Green Rhino, testing new recipes. We’ve been working on something with fresh guava and mango. The fruit here is unbelievably good and it really inspires me.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
In terms of drinking, it’s always tea, specifically from Rare Tea Company. My wife is @raretealady and she has the best tea in the world. I’m so lucky.
I ate so well in London – Legado, BiBi, Quo Vadis, Mountain, Kiln, Akub, Rochelle Canteen… I could go on. But I’m so glad and grateful to be back in Mexico – there are so many good places here, I hardly know where to start. Breakfast at Expendio de Maíz. I can’t wait to go back to Maizajo and also Fugu for the best sushi in the city. I also love Mi Compa Chava, Mendl, Lina, Máximo Bistro, Rosetta, Bar Nino, The Lamb, Chiquitito Café and Amorcita Gelato… and the lady who sells tamales and quesadillas across from my apartment.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I have four sons, and we’re all obsessed with music. There’s nothing I enjoy more than going to concerts and music festivals with them. I was incredibly fortunate to get tickets for Radiohead last year in Madrid, and was able to take my eldest son, Bohdi, with me. It was one of the best experiences of my life. But I don’t have to go far. Mexico City has so many amazing music venues, bands and musicians. Whenever Sonido Gallo Negro play, I make sure I’m there.
Any weekend getaways?
I travel often to California, where my boys live with their mum. It’s an easy flight from Mexico City to San Francisco, and any spare time I have I want to spend with them. They’re great fun to hang out with, and I have lots of old friends to visit because I used to live there. The boys think State Bird Provisions is the best restaurant in town. They have great taste – the owners, Stuart and Nicole, are wonderful people, as well as chefs.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I’m hankering after a Polaroid camera. I’ve been reading Patti Smith a lot lately, and she and Robert Mapplethorpe are always taking Polaroids, so I got a mini-Polaroid one. I love it. I’m pretty obsessed. I want the top-of-the-range i2.
What store or service do you always recommend?
In Mexico City, I love the vegetable boxes from Arca Tierra, a regenerative, organic farm project based around 40 farming families in the Chinampas of Xochimilco. A dawn trip with them is one of the most stunning adventures of your life. My favourite glasses shop in the world is Escopica in Roma Norte, and you can find beautiful Mexican and Latin American design at Cardón.
Outside Mexico, I love Issey Miyake – the clothes are expensive but incredibly durable and comfortable. I’m not into fast fashion; I’d rather buy one really good thing that lasts. I’m very inspired by Vivienne Westwood, and that was her mantra. I have trousers from Issey Miyake that can be washed in a machine over and over; they don’t need ironing and they stand up to the hard work. They’re more comfortable and last so much better than anything else I’ve ever worn. There’s a great store on Brook Street close to Claridge’s. It’s quite fancy for a baker, but they’re never snooty.
Where are you donating your time or money?
My wife is the founder of Rare Charity, which supports full educational scholarships in tea communities in Malawi and Nepal. I do everything I can to support her and those incredible young people.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Ageing gracefully
Around 2017, London diners were captivated by a new aesthetic taking over the restaurant scene. Romantic, effortless, these restaurants felt refreshingly bohemian and also aspirational. They were nostalgic cottagecore without the cringe. Everyone wanted to be seen in their candlelit dining rooms, tucked between their bric-a-brac accessories, record players and small plates ‘designed for sharing’ (a novel idea in the late ‘10s, believe it or not).
RESTAURANTS & BARS • Intel
MOUTH-WATERING: OMA restaurateur David Carter is teaming up with former Mangal II chef Sertaç Dirik to open KID, a Turkish restaurant in Soho. KID will focus on the flavours of Central Anatolia, with British ingredients featuring in wood-fired pide breads, meze and salata, and sharing dishes cooked over charcoal. Opens September, more.
SOUP’S ON: After the success of their restaurant residencies, chefs Robin Kosuge (Robin’s Ramen) and Yuji Shimokawa Kelly (Urchin) are set to combine the two concepts into a permanent restaurant in Notting Hill. Opening in September from the group behind Dorian and Eel Sushi (intel), Nakimushi will serve Tokyo-style bowls from a fast-paced ramen bar on its ground floor, with broader Japanese cuisine on the upper floor. Follow.
NEW DIGS: In Borough Market, The Globe Tavern is set to receive a year-long residency from Kismet, a Turkish spot from Dom Hamdy (of Bistro Freddie) and Keiran Mustafa, (formerly of BiBi and The Harwood Arms). From next week, the space above the popular pub will be home to meze, mangal-grilled kebabs, live music, raki and Turkish wine. Opens 16/07, book.
PISCO TIME: Peruvian restaurant LIMA is rolling its more casual Cantina concept into its flagship Fitzrovia branch. From 9a-5p each day, diners can now order two courses for £27 at LIMA Fitzrovia, with more Cantina elements to be introduced soon. Book. –Laura Price
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Chiswick restaurant Le Vacherin closes after 24 years • Morito Hackney Road is done after a decade • A Wong relocating to Mandarin Oriental Mayfair during refurb • Core by Clare Smyth head chef Jonny Bone leaving after 10 years.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Bull Up
The Hyde Park Darts Championship • Hyde Park • today @ 4p • A3 tables, £114 per
Pitbull • Hyde Park • Fri @ 2p • GA, £123 per
Idler Festival • Prue Leith, Irvine Welsh, Jojo Moyes and Kevin Rowland et al. • Fenton House & Garden (Hampstead) • Fri-Sun • weekend tickets, £155 per
RESTAURANTS & BARS • First Word
Fast and friendly
The Skinny: After a few pop-ups, Japanese handroll spot Kumori launched a permanent space in Soho in April. Serving high-end fish in a casual way, the restaurant is led by John Randy de Guzman, the former head chef of Tobi Masa.
The Vibe: Unpretentious, despite its chefs’ high pedigree. An upbeat playlist of modern hits plays to guests sitting across two long countertops, one of which has a close-up view of the action. Service is fast and friendly, and the atmosphere – lively and loud – is a far cry from plenty of London’s more pretentious sushi spots. You can book in advance, but seats turn over quickly, so walk-ins are often possible.
The Food: Handrolls, served quickly, consumed immediately. The menu is relatively short and uncomplicated. Guests can opt for a set handroll selection of three, four or five, or create their own array (I ate seven in total). The baked crab handroll, wrapped in soy paper, is an indulgent delight so good I ordered two. The unagi foie gras roll is an umami surprise, while the lone vegetarian option of miso aubergine is the spot’s sleeper hit. You can also order padrón peppers, miso soup and three types of sashimi, but it’s the rolls you’re after, along with perhaps a whimsical bump of caviar for an extra £12. For dessert, black sesame mochi is a great finisher.
The Drink: Well-crafted Japanese-style cocktails, including a yuzu margarita, and several non-alcoholic options. Beer, wine and soda are also available.
The Verdict: An all-round great experience in a fitting new setting. –Emily Zemler
→ Kumori (Soho) • 26 Denman St • Daily 11a-10p • Book.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Has Cotswolds property bubble finally burst? • Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague joins urban farm project with Northern Roots • Wild Wine Fair returning to Timberyard in Edinburgh on 26/07.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Bagels
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in London and surrounds. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.
It’s Bagels (Soho, Primrose Hill, Notting Hill, above), New York-style shop w/ top-notch breakfast sandwich, now hosting late-night bodega-style menu