Views for days
Mareida, Battersea listings, Half Cut Market, best drinks with a view, Dorset, Satan's Whiskers, Tillingham, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
From Chile with love
The Skinny: Chilean cuisine doesn’t have much of a presence in London. That’s about to change with the arrival of Santiago superchef Carolina Bazán and her sommelier wife Rosario Onetto. Their London debut, Mareida, is a slick combo of pisco sours and food that feels both fresh and immediately accessible. It opened in mid-June.
The Vibe: Inside a discreet entrance on busy Great Portland St., the stylish open room reveals an L-shaped kitchen counter and characterful features, like semi-precious volcanic rocks shipped over from Chile. To one side, there’s a bar for a pre-prandial pisco, while the counter seats provide the best vantage point for watching the chefs at work. The restaurant’s driving force is Mumbai-born restauranteur Prenay Agarwal, who fell in love with a Chilean man, and then, the country’s food, deciding to bring it to London. It’s clear he’s thought about every single detail here, from the distinctive design to a unique playlist by DJ Raff (search ‘Mareida Sound’ on Spotify).
The Food: You needn’t know anything about Chilean food to come here — Bazán and head chef Trinidad Vial Della Maggiora have struck the right balance between the exciting and the familiar. Potato pancakes known as ‘milcao’ are essentially circular hash browns, crunchy around the edges, pillowy in the middle, topped with fresh cream and caviar. Lomo ‘a lo pobre’ is a grilled steak served with a confit egg hidden under a nest of thin potato crisps and caramelised onions. ‘Pastel de choclo’ is shepherd’s pie, but with a thick, sweetcorn mixture in place of mashed potato. To keep it light for summer, there’s ceviche, crab gratin, and moreish yucca (cassava) wedges served alongside black garlic butter.
Desserts by pastry chef Gustavo Sáez are a real highlight. Rather than an orthodox plating, the flan is a soft construction of dulce de leche and banana compote topped with a thick disc of hazelnut brittle that took me straight back to the Peanut Cracknell of my childhood. Then there’s the ‘chocolate merken’ — merkén being a smoky Chilean spice included in a sort of chocolate mousse, topped with a circle of apricot compote with the appearance of egg yolk. If you like Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate, this one’s for you.
The Drink: It’s tempting to say ‘pisco sours all the way,’ but that would find you missing out on an excellent selection of Chilean wines.
The Verdict: One of the hottest new spots to visit this summer, Mareida gives Chilean cuisine a chance to shine in London, delivering on all fronts. In short, go. –Laura Price
→ Mareida (Fitzrovia) • 160 Great Portland St • Tue-Sat 12-3p & 6-11p • Book.
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Chef Jack Stevens-Smith departing Westerns Laundry in Highbury, new project planned • Poon’s is back, opening at Somerset House • The fight to save Shoreditch institution Leila’s Shop • Does London finally have a legit American BBQ restaurant?
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Battersea that recently came to market around £2mn:
→ York Mansions (Battersea) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 190 m2 flat • Asking price: £2.0mn • abundance of light across from Battersea Park • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: John D Wood & Co.
→ Battersea Bridge Rd (Battersea, above) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 200 m2 semi-detached house • Asking price: £2.3mn • fully extended, double-glazed sash windows • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: KFH.
→ Vardens Rd (Battersea) • 4BR/3BA/3R, 216 m2 semi-detached house • Guide price: £2.5-2.85mn • extended and refurbished, 2-tier private garden • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Wilfords.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: Plans for new West London neighbourhood, Old Oak, revealed • Is this the greenest apartment in London? • Selfridges to open private membership club at Oxford St store • Can an army of designers help save Stoke-on-Trent’s pottery? • The heatwave trials of commuter clothing.
BARS • The Nines
Drinks, with a view
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of London’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundldn.com.
The Emory Rooftop Bar (Knightsbridge), intimate hotel bar over Hyde Park w/ views at every angle; striking interiors, seasonal cocktails, and adjacent cigar lounge
8 at the Londoner (Leicester Square), izakaya-style outdoor oasis above Leicester Square, extensive whiskey collection, views of London Eye, Big Ben
Sushi Samba (City) (City of London), eye-level views across The City of London, blend of Japanese, Peruvian and Brazilian cuisine inside
Tattershall Castle (Embankment), perfect spot along Victoria Embankment, uninterrupted view of London Eye
Madison (City of London), social media-friendly rooftop terrace offering eye-line view of St. Paul’s Cathedral, occasional live music, weekend bottomless brunch
OXO Tower Bar (Waterloo), well-known 60m-long terrace overlooking River Thames w/ restaurant and brasserie options
The Rooftop at Trafalgar St James (Trafalgar Square, above), indoor-outdoor bar offering cocktails, small bites, views overlooking Trafalgar Square, The London Eye, The Shard, and Nelson's Column
Sky Garden (City of London), 160 m tall, London’s highest public garden w/ 2 bar options, frequent events, live music
Joia (Battersea), Iberian cuisine on a rooftop w/ sky-high view over London’s Battersea Power Station
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Pub weather
VIRGINIA BAGNOLI • senior project manager • Climate Group
Neighbourhood you live in: Islington
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I work for an international climate NGO and our offices are by the Thames at Tower Bridge. The office is crowded on Thursdays, and it’s hard to get my favourite desk by the windows! When the weather’s nice, we have meetings on the terrace to get fresh air and fresh ideas flowing.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Working on a project on green budgeting, supporting governments around the world to align the way they spend and plan their financial resources with net zero emissions goals. I’ll dedicate some time to sort out the last contractual details with technical project partners and to having meetings with a couple of governments — for example, states in the U.S. — about the project and their technical needs.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
We will probably hit again our favourite local pub, The Lord Stanley, for the best vibes and pizza. If I manage to find a babysitter in time, I want to have dinner again at a little restaurant that just opened, Half Cut Market in York Way, sort of best kept secret in the area!
How about a little leisure or culture?
We’ll go for a walk in Granary Square and Coal Drop Yard at King’s Cross, where they always host free events like monster family trails and street food markets from all over the world.
Any weekend getaways?
Dorset is always a good idea. We have friends near Wareham, a lovely town near the coast where we often go to escape the city. You can hire a boat or kayak by Wareham Quay Market and explore River Frome with its sailing boats and swans, and reward yourself with drinks at the Priory Wareham, a charming Grade II listed English country house.
What was your last great vacation?
A breathtaking cruise along the Nile in Egypt on a traditional Dahabeya sailing boat. We boarded in Aswan and explored stunning ancient sites and temples such as Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Valley of the Kings as we sailed up the river to Luxor. The food on board was the best we’ve ever had in our lives! We organized the trip via Kemetale travel agency.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Championships
Wimbledon • 3rd Round, Centre Court • Wimbledon Tennis Center (Wimbledon) • Sat @ 130p • debenture 210, £4157 per (£3344 lowest avail)
Lana Del Rey • Wembley Stadium (Wembley) • Fri @ 5p • sec 101, £181 per
Fontaines D.C. • Finsbury Park (Harringay) • Sat @ 5p • standard, £145 per
BARS • First Round
Devil’s due
It’s hardly befitting of one of the best cocktail bars — not only in London, but the world — to be unassumingly nestled alongside a petrol station on Cambridge Heath Road. And yet: there’s a real upside to having such a gorgeous spot in the heart of an unglamorous neighbourhood, between the trendier streets of Shoreditch and Hackney, rather than buried in a five-star hotel or in an area always overwhelmed by tourists.
Satan’s Whiskers might appear to be just your average hip cocktail bar, but look around — the vintage booze posters on the exposed brick wall are accompanied by exquisitely taxidermied critters, including an albino peacock soaring from the ceiling, a badger brandishing a cocktail shaker, and an uncannily believable unicorn skeleton.
You can just about make out the bouncy hip-hop playlist over the dimly-lit din of people having a great time, making their way through the daily changing menu of cocktails, depending on what’s in season and who’s on the bar that night. Every element is freshly prepared in house, and you can taste it. And the snacks aren’t bad either.
The menu breaks down into Fizzy, Shorts, Cocktails, and Long Drinks. House favourites like the tropical East 8 Hold Up, Negroni Sbagliato (they were doing it before it was cool, honest) and devilish Satan’s Americano sit beside both simple classics and irreverent concoctions (absinthe-fuelled Saratoga Brace up, anyone?), catering for every level of adventure. If in doubt, go for something resembling a margarita and you can’t go wrong.
It might be a small neighbourhood bar in Bethnal Green, but visit once and you’ll wish it was in your locale. –David Bard
→ Satan's Whiskers (Bethnal Green) • 343 Cambridge Heath Rd • Sun-Thu 5p-12a, Fri-Sat 5p-1a.
GETAWAYS • Rye
Cowshed moment
I’ve been visiting Rye with family and friends for over two decades, back when my idea of a top culinary experience was 100 grams of apple bon bons (Britcher & Rivers’ old-fashioned sweet shop still thrives today on the High Street). Luckily, my tastes have developed since then, and Rye has more than kept up. Perched atop a hill overlooking the misty flats of Romney Marsh, the old port town feels much further than an hour and fifteen minutes by train from St Pancras, yet offers a charming blend of centuries-old rustic hideouts and contemporary culinary destinations.
For a long time The George hotel and restaurant monopolised the town’s hospitality scene. Whilst The George remains the best choice for those looking to stay in town, there are now plenty of other alluring dining options. The Union is a great bet. The cosy dining room of this former steakhouse boasts a daily changing menu of sharing plates, a good wine list, and warm, knowledgeable service. When I last visited, the cheddar croquettes and skate wing were particularly memorable.
Venture a 10-minute drive from town, however, and you’ll find a treat worth visiting all by itself. Tillingham is a functioning vineyard and winery, but the cluster of renovated farm buildings at its core also house a dozen-odd bedrooms, a bar, and two restaurants. There’s an outdoor stone-fired pizza barn for breezy summer visits and an upstairs fine dining restaurant for more serious occasions.
The look of the place is a huge part of the draw. The brutalism of the renovated cowshed, which houses the main restaurant and bar, is offset by softer touches and only the occasional and restrained nod to the rural setting (like sheepskin rugs and Hunter wellies).
The six-course tasting menu upstairs is seasonal and hyper-local. Most of the ingredients are grown or reared on the Tillingham estate and everything else comes from neighbouring farms or Rye Harbour. It’s mostly straightforward modern British — chicken liver parfait with quince jam; monkfish with tartare and greens — but the execution is excellent, and the kitchen doesn’t shy away from bolder elements (as in the tempura Thai salmon amuse-bouche). Ignore the English climate optimists and stick to Tillingham’s white and orange wines. We went for a bottle of Tillingham’s chardonnay, but the pinot gris is also delightful.
Tillingham is an all-weather and any-occasion place, with beautiful spaces for wintry refuge or summer shade. It captures the variety of the landscape and climate it sits so harmoniously in, and draws the best from the marshes, fields, and waters of East Sussex. –Sophie Duval
→ Tillingham (Rye) • Dew Farm Dew Lane Peasmarsh.
GETAWAYS LINKS: In August, Hawksmoor popping up in woodlands of Hertfordshire • Woolley Grange hotel near Bath closes for refurbishment, reopening in October • Edinburgh tasting menu restaurant Aizle closing 21/09 after 11-year run • Scotland’s first Garner hotel opens in Edinburgh • Ruby Group plans first hotel in Greece.
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?
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