From Milos to MiMi Mei Fair, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

The Black Cow, Camden

When I heard that a “Middle Eastern-inspired” steakhouse was opening in Camden, I was intrigued to visit and find out what a Middle Eastern steak tastes like. Wow was I in for a treat! I sat at the counter, watching chef Amir Batito prepare us a feast. “How hungry are you out of ten?” was the first question asked, and our hungry selves said, “between eight and nine.” What followed was a series of plates such as seabream with green pea ajoblanco, and a more-ish Middle-Eastern take on cauliflower cheese. And then of course, the main event, the steaks. All the steaks are served with burnt herb oil and flaming herbs, and the aromas elevated the experience to the next sensual level (not in a weird way). As we raised our white flags in defeat of the feast, chef Amir shakes his head in disappointment, “you weren’t that hungry after all…”
Henry Southan, editorial intern

Milos

Most of London seemed to have been Greece this summer – island hopping to make the most of being back allowed out travelling again. While I was happy not to see another Greek salad this year, the one at Milos ticked the boxes and gently took me back to long lunches on the beach in Spetses in August. And with the sun out in town and the temperatures nice and balmy before autumn sets in, plus with a glass or two of a minerally Greek white, Milos made for a welcome mid week lunch.
Adam Hyman, founder

The Fumbally

Breakfast at The Fumbally on a Sunday morning — is there a better Dublin tradition than this? The Coombe’s own keystone for a new generation of food-lovers. Transformed during the pandemic as a place to buy the best groceries and produce, it has stayed joyfully put, and moved its café out of doors. For those who have missed its supper clubs and music nights, a taste of the past still lingers in their menu. For when the weekend comes, so do the cravings… Fumablly eggs, tuscan beans, focaccia sandwiches surrounded by the offbeat and buzzy crowd, fuelled by ‘just one more coffee and we’ll go’. The Fumbally is back where it belongs, and to make it even better – Scéal Bakery, makers of delectable breads, are next door at The Stables.
Céire Carey, team assistant

Royal China Club

Feeling a bit homesick this Mid-autumn Festival (中秋節), we popped to Royal China Club for some classic Cantonese dishes to get our pork fix. A meal here is never complete without at least one of their roast meats (燒味), and if you ask nicely, they’ll do you a combo. We opted for crispy pork belly and cha siu this time – both had the perfect meat-to-fat ratio of 50:50. This was followed by the sizzling aubergine braised with minced pork, a bonus red braised tofu stuffed with OmniPork from their new vegan menu, and crunchy Kai Lan with garlic. To celebrate, we capped off the night with their creamy custard moon cakes (月餅).
Roxy Yuen, marketing consultant

Mimi Mei Fair

Curzon Street has always been a difficult location for restaurants – flanked by Kitty Fisher’s, Tamarind and Murano – the actual street is less destination but a new Chinese restaurant has opened next door to what was Mirabelle from the owners of Jamavar around the corner on Mount Street. It’s all about the duck at Mimi Mei Fair and they serve dim sum at lunch too. Pictured is the steamed dover sole. They’ve got a good selection of Riesling too.
Adam Hyman, founder

Manjit’s Kitchen

Last week I was looking for a late lunch in Bergerac which, due to strict French lunch schedules, is a total non-starter. This week finding a 3pm lunch in Leeds was far better rewarded by ducking into Kirkgate Market – the largest covered market in Europe. There’s loads of great food here (Liz Cottam’s The Owl is firmly on the list) but it’s hard not to make a beeline down to Manjit’s Kitchen which has been serving up delicious vegetarian Punjabi street food for ten years now. The thali with two curries, cumin rice, roti, salad and a side of bhajis is excellent value at £8 but I can never resist the chilli paneer wrap in a fresh, pillowy naan.
Chloe Hamilton, content manager

IWA 5 Sake at The Connaught Bar

I was very excited to join a tasting of IWA 5 Sake, led by founder Richard Geoffroy, who had previously spent 28 years as chef de cave at Dom Perignon. Geoffroy talked us through his experience of creating such a unique and dignified wine, which proved to be the best Sake I have tasted. It was paired beautifully with a selection of sashimi and hosted inside one of my favourite bars in London, The Connaught Bar.
Henry Southan, editorial intern

To read more reviews from the CODE team click here