Top 5: Favourite Restaurants of 2015

Happy New Years Eve people! Hope you had a great Christmas and looking forward to the brand spanking new year ahead. As you read this I will be on my way from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai to celebrate NYE with some friends before we head to Laos! You can follow all my travels via my Instagram or Twitter – I can promise lots of photos!

I always feel reflective around this time of year, and I love food so obviously many of my thoughts revolve around this. Most in fact, ha. I have eaten out a lot this year, it may be my best food year yet. A vintage perhaps. I really have had some incredible meals and so I thought I’d share with you my favourite restaurants of 2015.

1. Mission E2, Bethnal Green

Now I have been meaning to write about my dinner at Mission E2 for so long now. In fact I feel rather silly that it’s taken me this long. I feel this even more so now as since I ate there they have a new head chef and have changed their name! So perhaps a review is redundant, but as it was one of the best meals of 2015 for me I feel I have to share it.

Still run by the incredible duo Michael Sager and Charlotte Wilde, the restaurant has recently been renamed Sager + Wilde with a new head chef Sebastien Myers previously at Chiltern Firehouse and Viajante (one of the best meals I’ve had, ever).

Their wonderful restaurant in a railway arch on Paradise Row has been a great success. I can see why. When we ate there over the summer we thoroughly enjoyed the selection of small and large plates and the delicious cocktail menu on offer. The is food vibrant and beautifully plated and bloody tasty too. Favourite dishes of the night included: king scallop, mushrooms, lardo and thyme; grilled octopus with potatoes and paprika; lamb rump with chorizo and coco beans. The staff and atmosphere on a summers evening were just spot on, we loved our meal here.

I am really excited to see what the future holds and can’t wait to get back there to try the new menu and incredible sounding cocktails – I personally love the sound of a sour cherry Negroni or olive oil old fashioned!

2. Oldroyd, Angel

I have eaten here twice within as many months. Now that is testament to a great restaurant in London! I rarely go back to the same place twice because my Must Eat list just gets longer and longer by the day! So it had to make my favourite restaurants of 2015 Top 5. Olyroyd is situated half way up Upper Street in Angel, surrounded by a number of average chains this little neighbourhood restaurant shines like a star!

Again, there is a selection of ever changing small and large plates. I really do love this kind of menu – it is short and sweet and the dishes can easily be mixed and matched. There is always an exceptional pasta dish on offer, most recently it was an oxtail and olive ragu. The enormous lamb meatballs should be ordered too. Oh, and don’t forget the courgette fries! The best in London Town.

Read the full review here.

3. Roast, Borough Market

Now, I normally don’t really enjoy a roast out, this is because I think I can do it better – I make a killer roast, and my gravy is the best. I had heard very good things about Roast in Borough Market and I heard they have live Jazz on a Sunday so I was eager to try it out. There is a lovely atmosphere in here on a Sunday and our meal was great from start to finish and this is why it makes my Top 5 restaurants of 2015.

There were two absolute highlights of the meal. Firstly, the pork belly was cooked perfectly and with some of the best crackling. I mean just look at it. Full of flavour and with more meat than fat, which is just how I like pork belly. Secondly, we need to talk about the sticky date pudding. It was incredible. Beautiful light sponge with oodles of sticky toffee sauce. Heavenly.

Another bonus point – they were very happy to bring an extra jug of gravy. So many places won’t or huff and puff when you do ask. I LIKE GRAVY PEOPLE. Jeez. When I asked for gravy in Roast our brilliant waiter returned in what seemed like seconds with a jug of the stuff. Very happy Vicky.

Read the full review here.

4. Shackfuyu, Soho

I first went to Shackfuyu over the summer to meet the lovely Katy! Since then we’ve become good friends (we like pizza, cocktails and prosecco – not always in that order) and it’s just a little reminder of the extra bonuses of blogging.

If you haven’t heard of Shackfuyu (where have you been!?) you will have most definitely seen a photo on their famous french toast and matcha soft serve! But this is not the only reason it makes my top restaurants of 2015. Oh no. There are the lip smaking good Korean fried wings and sour cocktails with cherries on top. On our trip we also loved the Picanha Beef with Kimchee Butter Sauce.

It started out as a one year pop-up located on Old Compton Street in heart of Soho, but it’s had a little refresh and has come back as a permanent restaurant, which I’m very happy about! Looking forward to trying the new menu next year.

You can read the full review here.

5. Merchants Tavern, Shoreditch

My husband and I had a wonderful meal here in April to celebrate our first wedding anniversary! We had tried to eat here once before in January but due to exploding pavements and no power it was not to be. But we were determined to try again. And I’m very glad we did.

You walk in through the bar and are taken through to the main restaurant filled with leather booths and an open kitchen at the back. The quail, hazelnut pesto, remoulade & foie gras is one of their signature dishes and must be ordered. I loved the crunchy hazelnut with the soft, rich foie gras and quail. Another highlight was the cod served with chorizo and peppers, light and smoky.

This place has and air of special occasion about it, but it’s not stuffy at all. It has a great atmosphere and the staff know their stuff.

You can read the full review here.

Lastly

It might be cheating but a special mention needs to go to:
Dishoom – Loved dinner there and need to try the breakfast next year
Som Saa – Best Thai in London and cannot wait for the permanent site
Blacklock – All the meat! Gotta get on the Sunday Roast.

There we go, my Top 5 restaurants of 2015.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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