Soul seekers
SARIT PACKER & ITAMAR SRULOVICH • Honey & Co
WORK • Wednesday Routine
SARIT PACKER & ITAMAR SRULOVICH • co-founders • Honey & Co
Neighbourhood you work in: Bloomsbury
Neighbourhood you live in: Stockwell
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
We try to hit all of our places every day – we have four sites, each unique and with its own set of needs. We kept them close to each other so we’re always a bike ride away: Honey & Co on Lamb’s Conduit St. is the core of the operation, serving the Middle Eastern home cooking we love the most. Across the road is Honey & Co Studio, a deli with diverse events from kimchi classes to life-drawing sessions. On Store St. is our café and bakery, Honey & Co Daily, where there’s always something baked that needs trying. On Great Portland St., we have our wine bar, a good place to end the day. There’s always something interesting and delicious to try – a new bottle from the Coravin. The other day, we had a ‘93 Chateau Musar, which was sensational!
What’s on the agenda for today?
We like to have at least two big projects on the go. The wine bar recently launched, so we spend a lot more time there these days. We focus on wine from the Middle East and Mediterranean, with a menu to complement it. We’ve had such interesting conversations with our guests, and lots of fun with our chefs and suppliers. The results are exhilarating – you can have Welsh lamb rack with fermented chillies and a glass of chilled Lebanese red, or British asparagus with Turkish pistachios and a crisp, Greek rosé – heaven!
Our second big project is our new cookbook, Honey & Co Daily, which just came out. It’s based on the menu we serve at our deli and bakery, and we have events to promote it all over the country and across the pond. The book is all about easy, accessible recipes that come together quickly but still look and taste amazing and help bring a joyous moment to the day – something we all need right now.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
What we look for in a restaurant is soul, and that’s becoming harder to find. Our favourites are local neighbourhood places or mom-and-pop eateries, and we love going back to old favourites rather than rushing to the latest opening. For a midweek meal, we’re very happy at Zipbab, Master Wei, Noodle and Snack or the Indian YMCA. For a more elaborate affair, the food at Brunswick House, the Canton Arms, the Marksman, The Quality Chop House or Trullo never fails to make us happy. A recent discovery is the Sunday lunch at The Camberwell Arms: no yorkies, but otherwise perfect.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We’re so lucky in London to have so much going on, and of such high quality – our Barbican membership is a gift that keeps on giving, and there’s something incredible almost every night of the week. On a sunny day, Cecily Brown at the Serpentine Gallery is a perfect blend of artist, venue and location – a must this summer.
Any weekend getaways?
Athens is fantastic for food and culture. It’s one of those places we always want to go back to, and recently it’s having a moment. Ergon House is a great place to stay with a wonderful food hall in the lobby; The Modernist is more discreet and achingly stylish. The new National Gallery, the Niarchos Center and the Museum of Cycladic Art are all worth seeing, and there’s an incredible cocktail bar scene in Monastiraki, with The Clumsies and Baba Au Rum leading the pack.
What was your last great holiday?
We always want to go back to Mexico; we’ve been twice already and left a bit of our hearts there. It’s huge and extremely diverse, and we hope to explore as much of it as we can in our lifetime. Every trip starts and ends in Mexico City, one of the most vibrant, interesting, fun and delicious places on earth. We like staying in the Habita Group hotels, as stylish as they are welcoming. Maizajo is worth going to at least twice – once for the ground floor taquería, once for the restaurant upstairs (on our latest visit we went back four times).
During the day, you can soak up the art and architecture in one of the many world-class museums and galleries – don’t skip the Museo de Arte Moderno in Chapultepec Park. For a surprisingly fun night, go to a Lucha Libre – leave your cynicism at the door and allow yourself to get carried away by the spectacular performance.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
Our biggest indulgence is art – we love the work of Kate Boxer. We have our eye on one of her prints so we’re waiting for a big birthday to splurge. If someone is looking for a gift idea for us, we wouldn’t mind one of Simon Gaiger’s works in our living room.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Everything on Lamb’s Conduit St., but La Fromagerie is our go-to for a culinary treat – beware the chocolate-covered grissini! Shrine To The Vine is the wine shop of our neighbours and friends from Noble Rot – they also supply all the wine for Honey & Co Great Portland, and the shop is a treasure trove of delicious things to drink.
Where are you donating your time or money?
We work with Coram’s Fields a lot – their work is so important. We think it’s hugely important right now to support writers and news organisations – on our Substack are Caroline Eden, Alison Roman and Mark Diacono.