By Steve Dinneen
John Javier is the mastermind behind The Tent (at the end of the universe), an invite-only “members club and restaurant” at 17 Little Portland Street in Fitzrovia. We asked him his favourite places to eat on his day off in London.
Old Street Chinese Restaurant
Hands down my favourite Chinese restaurant in London. You gotta know what to order though! The fish fillet with sizzling oil, crispy lamb with cumin and chilli as well as the twice cooked pork belly are my top picks. The braised cabbage in broth and the cold sliced beef tripe are really good too. If you’re feeling adventurous, the wok fried kidneys in chilli sauce, the chopped rabbit or frog legs in iron wok are also up there amongst my regular orders.
Kiln
Probably the restaurant I eat at most. It’s so good each and every time. I’ve noticed they’ve turned up the spice recently which is something I really dig. They’re also open on Sundays and Mondays, which are sometimes the only days I have off work. Get all the snacks, all the laarp, the brown crab with glass noodles… actually just get everything.
Umut 2000
The OG ocakbasi. It’s without a doubt the best one in London, if not one of the best in the world. The lamb baked with bread, butter and yogurt is out of this world and so are the lamb ribs. The grilled onions are another favourite – they always come out super smokey and full of flavour. It’s not listed on the menu but also ask for the grilled lamb heart.
Singburi
If you like really spicy Thai food, this is for you. You’ll find all the chefs from east London eating here on Sundays. Don’t think, just order the whole specials board. You can split it with two or three mates and leave spending about £35 each. You won’t regret it. It’s the best bang for buck restaurant in London and also some of the tastiest Thai food you’ll find anywhere. Plus, the chef, Siri, is an absolute legend.
Royal China Club
I only go here for the dim sum. If nothing else, just get 10 orders of the lobster dumplings. I miss that old world service, large format, Cantonese restaurant vibe. It reminds me a lot of the Chinese restaurants in Sydney and Hong Kong that I grew up eating at.
• For more information on John Javier’s The Tent (at the end of the universe) visit little-portland.com
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