From brisket to beef tartare, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

Bar Crispin 

This is a place you can spend a whole evening, lingering over the small plates menu and digging into the wine list with a small group. But it also works for a solo pre-theatre bite and a glass from the chalkboard. I snuck a walk-in this week and got some deep-fried polenta bites under a snowdrift of quality parmesan. Next, I had a plate of beef tartare, which is hard to keep interesting but was covered in dense, crispy shreds of potato and a spiced peppercorn sauce, which reminded me of Nik Naks (in a very good way). This is drinking food living its best life.
Chloe Hamilton, content editor
Bar Crispin is available on the CODE app 

Restaurant Interlude

Restaurant Interlude is nestled among the idyllic surroundings of the Leonardslee Estate in Sussex. Chef Jean Delport’s menu is built on a hunter-gatherer concept: his ingredients are foraged, cultivated or raised on the estate or nearby. Dishes clearly show the chef’s South African heritage, with one highlight being the ‘vetkoek’, meaning fat cake in Afrikaans. I saw it as an elegant doughnut, with a perfect sweetness, and paired expertly with wild garlic and potted lobster to provide the savoury element. An array of interesting dishes followed in the 18-course tasting menu, such as ‘rabbit eats carrot’, a delightful rabbit terrine encased by a carrot mousse and pickled carrot. The star of the show was Ryeland lamb, which was given the full South African braai treatment. It had a delicate yet punchy hit of smoke, while being tender and succulent. Restaurant Interlude is well worth a visit and is easily accessible from London Victoria.
Harry Cromack, account manager
CODE was a guest of Restaurant Interlude

The Barbary Next Door

If you can escape Cambridge Circus unscathed and pass through the gates of hell (guarded by a Brewdog and, for some reason, a Wingstop), you’ll find The Barbary Next Door, hidden in a corner of Neal’s Yard. Here, the pilgrim finds respite: bread, water, and dips of harissa, hummus, matbucha and squash. The fatayar, a diamond-shaped open pastry, is filled with Swiss chard, chickpeas, yogurt, and is large enough to share with a fellow traveller. A pit-stop for when the day is hot and West End tourists unrelenting.
Rebekah Lodos, editorial assistant
CODE was a guest of The Barbary Next Door 

The London Shell Co’s The Grand Duchess

The Grand Duchess is a beautiful old barge moored at Paddington, and is part of the London Shell Co. The restaurant is a light and airy space and a perfect spot to lazily watch life float by. We started with angel hair fries and a monkfish kebab, delicious and buttery, and a crab gazpacho, which hit the spot. We then had the ray wing, beautifully cooked, and the rainbow trout, with roast tomato, courgette, labneh and smoked almonds. It was delicate and well balanced. Our host Eliza was fantastic and made some excellent menu suggestions and wine pairings.
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager
CODE was a guest of The London Shell Co

Tongue & Brisket

As I settled down for a lunch time meeting, the smell of salt beef wafted passed my face (thanks Chloe…). Not having eaten myself, I was somewhat distracted by the presence of this sandwich.  However, far from bemoaning this culinary interruption, I ensured the meeting finished in double-quick time and hot-footed it to Tongue & Brisket on Wardour Street. I recommend you do the same. A delicious sandwich awaits (I went for the ox tongue) – beautifully simple with lashings of freshly carved meat, a host of pickles and a smattering of mustard. The team is great too. 
Will Lake, COO