From Somerset to Southwark, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

The Camberwell Arms 

There are many things I love about The Camberwell Arms. For starters, the assortment of clientele it draws in: friends catching up over wine, a family celebrating with steak and chips, a couple on a date – all of various ages and dress senses. Everyone is welcome. It’s a sentiment that ricochets through the menu, which could play out as a three-course meal, or equally as a meander through the small plates: dill-flecked, deep-fried French beans with cod’s roe; semolina gnocchi in a light San Marzano tomato sauce laced with chili heat; charred onions with artichoke pesto and pistachios. There’s also the pricing, which feels more reminiscent of 2018/2019 than it does of world-on-fire 2022. But the main point here is that chef Sam Andrews’ cooking is full of levity and likability. He’s got the magic touch and I can’t think of anyone I could bring here who wouldn’t love his food.
Chloe Hamilton, content editor

Tatale

I remember having Akwasi Brenya-Mensa’s food at 12:51 in Islington a year or two ago and since then have been waiting for his restaurant, Tatale, to open. It now has – at The Africa Centre in Southwark, which is a beautiful new building in an excellent part of London. Akwasi hosted a press night a couple of weeks ago and served us little plantain tartlets before one of his signature dishes of peanut soup, deep with heat, and a sea around a hill of omo tuo, a soft and dumpling-like rice preparation. There was black-eyed beans and tomato stew, called red red in Ghanian cuisine, and chichinga chicken with palm wine pickles and Kewpie mayo. I’ve enjoyed learning more about West African food through Akwasi’s cooking and will be back soon.
Josh Barrie, editor
CODE was a guest of Tatale

Penny Squares

I thought I might have to postpone my dinner at Penny Squares this Tuesday due to the sweltering heat. After a few moments um-ing and ah-ing, I Googled the menu and decided I could definitely hack the Tube ride (30 minutes on the immaculate and airconditioned Lizzy line was actually rather lovely). Beetroot labneh, cucumber, mint and a herby fattoush was followed by succulent charred beef and ras el hanout-crusted lamb. A dinner worth every minute of the sticky, hour-long bus trip on the way home.
Molly Wade, memberships manager
CODE was a guest of Penny Squares

Osip 

Osip has an exceptional rating in The Good Food Guide, a Michelin star, and was named the best restaurant outside of London in SquareMeal – an extraordinary record for somewhere that has only been open a few years, two of which have been speckled by the pandemic. It can be hard for a restaurant to live up to such high expectations. It did just that. I’d go a step further: it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The six-course, mainly plant-based menu showcased Osip’s farm-to-fork style perfectly. A dish of kohlrabi, radishes and snow peas (picked that very morning) served with a whipped sesame emulsion and leek oil, left me speechless. My mind was already made up that this was something special. Further dishes delighted – and proved the sheer dedication of the team, balancing salt, smoke, freshness, and acid in each. Osip is not to be missed.
Harry Cromack, accounts manager

Tapas Brindisa, Soho

Empanadas usually come as individually portioned half-moons that you can eat with your hand. But an empanada Gallega is a proper, family-sized pie, the sort my grandmother made when she had last-minute guests for tea and with access only to what she had in her cupboard. I tried the Tapas Brindisa version of this traditional Galician dish: the crust was dense but not too thick, and inside, delicately flaked tuna pieces shared living space with red peppers, olives and tiny bits of hardboiled egg. Nostalgia colours everything, I know, but this tasted like an upgrade to my childhood – an uncomfortable glimpse into how an already lovely thing can be made exceptional. The empanada will be served throughout Estrella Galicia’s Gastronomy month in September, so do pop in if you can. And don’t tell my grandma I wrote this.
Rebekah Lodos, editorial assistant
CODE was a guest of Tapas Brindisa
Taps Brindisa is available on the CODE app

Benham and Froud at Arcade Food Hall

Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate? Yes please, Walter. This particular creation is dubbed a ‘trifle’, however it takes a form more akin to a magical, whimsical, multi-layered, kids’ birthday party friendly mega-pudding here at Arcade Food Hall. After a delightful lunch sampling everything from the Manna smash burgers to the Hero tots, a lighter dessert is called for and the mango colada from Benham and Froud delivers in spades. A light crunch on the cheesecake-esque base providing the foundation for a creamy coconut puck, a bed for the silkiest of mango jellies, all crowned by a zingy lime sorbet. Topped with passionfruit and extra hunks of mango for good measure, this dessert creates new, exciting and flavourful memories while evoking old childhood ones.
Mike Daw, partnerships manager
CODE was a guest of Arcade Food Hall
Arcade Food Hall is available on the CODE app

Juma Kitchen

If, like me, a trip to Borough Market leaves you lost, confused and torn between which delicious smelling stall to eat at, then I have some advice. Make a beeline to JUMA Kitchen. It’s a small Iraqi spot, inconspicuous from the maze of other stalls save for the sparks and smoke that fly from the grill where juicy chicken and lamb skewers are being turned. Order a selection of kubba, crisp fried dumplings stuffed with spiced meat and veg, and the mixed grill. The knafi pudding is unlike anything I’ve tried – shredded pastry soaked in syrup, pistachios and rose over a layer of gooey, stringy cheese. Utterly addictive.
Molly Wade, memberships manager
CODE was a guest of Juma Kitchen

Lucky Buns

I’ve never been to America and after visiting Lucky Buns this week I have one less reason to. No.23 at Carousel has been taken over by the US burger brand, who are delivering some juicy stacks to the heart of Fitzrovia. Queso dip and chips were followed by the lucky bun itself and a side of cheesy fries. The toasted sesame bun (my personal favourite type of burger bun) housed two unapologetically beefy patties slathered in more queso and topped with homemade pickles. I left feeling very satisfied and a smidge sweaty, something I believe everyone should feel when they’ve just had a good burger.
George Gill, operations coordinator
CODE was a guest of Lucky Buns

José Pizarro Hamper

The CODE team received a rather lovely summer hamper from José Pizarro this week. The ‘José Rosé Apertif Hamper’ came complete with Pizarro’s signature rosé, Ibérico, espinaler mussels en escabeche, spicy Perello olives as well as Saralegui olive oil crisps. This was the perfect treat on a (very) hot afternoon, you can order your own taste of Spain directly from José Pizarro here. 
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager 
CODE was gifted by José Pizarro