Best bites: From seafood in Mykonos to the best of Meatopia

Nōema, Mykonos

All the big restaurant names have turned up to Mykonos. Jason Atherton has a restaurant on the Greek island, as do the groups Zuma and Coya. Even Salt Bae himself has opened a branch of Nusr-Et there. Richard Caring’s offering is Nōema, and I think it’s my favourite restaurant of his. It’s tucked away in what appears to be a residential back alley, but the restaurant design is stunning, working with the surrounding buildings rather than shoehorning itself into them. After a ‘Pantry Martini’, their take on a classic martini with tomato oil, citrus and fennel seeds, we embarked on a menu of modern takes on Greek classics. We had a blue crab salad, bursting with citrussy flavour and full of local crab meat; smoked taramasalata, mixed tableside by the smartly uniformed waiter and perfect for submerging our pita into; keftedakia meat balls; chicken with fennel and oregano; and a squid dish made with very small pasta pieces known as ‘trachanas.’ We sipped French rosé before going Greek. It was great stuff.
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of Nōema

Myrtle, Chelsea

I’ll set the scene: It’s a warm, twilight-tickling summer’s evening in Chelsea, and a small group of us are venturing into a mews house-looking venue for dinner. It is Myrtle, just of the King’s Road – a charming space that looks as if your favourite grandmother has opened her home to visitors. During the meal of exceptional Irish hospitality and wonderful wines, a dish of marvellous execution lunged forth like a gibbon on the branches of a tree: a best end or centre cut fillet – here called cannon of lamb – cooked to perfection, with a rosy hue enveloped by a high-calibre sauce of the most classic technique. Served alongside Dingle pie (a flaky pastry filled with onion and small hunks of mutton) it’s the ethos Myrtle in one dish: elevated modern Irish cooking.
Mike Daw, partnerships manager

La Compagnia, Sovicille, Tuscany

A last minute 36-hour trip to Tuscany last week meant a plate or two of pasta was on the agenda. Despite the unseasonal weather with torrential downpours, a covered spot on the terrace at La Compagnia in the village of Sovicille was an ideal lunch spot in between meetings. This is the restaurant I’ve eaten in most in Italy and the small family run trattoria always has a good selection of seafood specials each day. A hearty portion of spaghetti with croaker fish, tomatoes, zucchini and a generous addition of garlic along with a glass of house white made for an ideal pit stop.
Adam Hyman, founder

Dell Cafe

Cycling along the coast as the sun sets is my new favourite way to arrive for dinner. Dell Cafe, overlooking Ryde Sands on the Isle of Wight, has grown over the years from somewhere you might stop for an ice cream to something of a local gem. They’ve taken some artistic licence with their menu (‘poke’ bowls come cooked rather than raw for example), but the food eats well, and I was perfectly happy with my katsu curry and an Aperol spritz on the beach, watching the sun go down. 
Will Lake, COO 

Meatopia

Last weekend, I dodged the Sunday road closures for those running the London half and went for a slightly less healthy excursion to Meatopia in Tobacco Dock. Meat lovers from across the country come together to enjoy smoked meats from the country’s best chefs. The best dish of the day was a rump cap and ox cheek beef fat crumpet with shiitake, wild garlic persillade, and pastrami granola from the talented Roberta Hall-McCarron of Edinburgh restaurant The Little Chartroom. I walked out stinking of smoke and meat, a musk I enjoy. Unfortunately, I was meeting a vegetarian friend after and I don’t think they appreciated it as much.
Harry Cromack, partners accounts manager

Read more reviews from the CODE team here