From Bubala to Flesh and Buns, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

Two months into restaurant openings, the CODE team carries on eating with gusto. From from Bubala to Flesh and Buns, here are some of the best things the CODE team ate this week

KOL

Having heard rave reviews about Santiago Lastra’s KOL, we didn’t think twice when a large table opened up at short notice. On the night, we feasted on 9 fantastic courses, each presented to the table by the charming Lastra, a CODE 30 under 30 alumn. Highlights for me were the corn and yellow pepper custard with British caviar, the lobster tacos (obvs!) the whole grilled octopus with bone marrow, and the chocolate tamal to finish. As if the meal wasn’t indulgent enough, we finished the night at the cozy Mezcaleria downstairs – highly recommend.
Roxy Yuen, marketing consultant

Bubala

After trying their Mixed Mezze box from Dishpatch earlier this year, Bubala went right to the top of my visit list for when restaurants reopened. Good things come in small packages though, so we had to be patient and wait until this week for a table at their small but perfectly formed little spot on Commercial Street in Shoreditch. My partner being vegetarian and my sister a ‘flexitarian’ with me a lover of all foods Levantine, Helen Graham’s ‘Bubala Knows Best’ menu hit all the right notes. The crispy edges of her tamari and maple oyster mushroom skewers, grilled on a yakitori, took me right back to the best blackened bits of chicken and ribs at family barbecues. Saffron roasted kohlrabi with burnt cream butter was the kind of luxury vegetarian dish that makes you check that it actually is – all the comforting umami-goodness of sliced roast chicken in a sauce you can’t leave any of on the plate.  
Sam Selwood, account manager

Waddington Arms, Ribble Valley

Having intended to spend a few days in the Lake District on our way to Scotland, we instead ended up in the Ribble Valley – it was the closest place we could find any accommodation in the year of the staycation (it being half term certainly didn’t help either). Fortunately, this turned out to be a rather happy accident, with a combination of rolling hills, breath-taking scenery, cute little villages and a seemingly never-ending array of excellent pubs. One such pub is the Waddington Arms, set in the picturesque village of Waddington (just outside of Clitheroe). We managed to grab a table out the front overlooking the old stone bridge for steak and chips and a pint, which was all rather perfect.
Will Lake, COO

Restaurant Kits x Flesh and Buns

Wrapped beneath the sustainable wreaths of new age packaging, it woos in principles before it does in taste. Take it apart and put it back together, and the buns are ready in under half an hour. Dipping my finger into the sauce, I succumbed to the delicious combination so inventively divined: piglet bao buns with shiso leaves, apple and karashi mustard mayo. Each is a thing of beauty, in totum – entirely complete. A bite has the satisfaction of sweet, savoury and textural delight ending in the tug of the shiso and the chew of the pork. It is eminently, and very imminently, stuff-down-your-face-able food. Hear me cry for more.
Céire Carey, team assistant

Kerridge’s Fish & Chips

The Dining Hall at Harrod’s, designed by David Collins Studio, has seen a few tweaks of late with Pasta Evangelists opening up and most recently Tom Kerridge has set up shop serving fish and chips. As well as some starters, the main event is of course fish and chips along with some mushy peas.
Adam Hyman, founder

Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun

With the sun shining in Manchester the Northern Quarter feels like the best place you could be. Plenty of pedestrianised streets packed with outdoor seating to eat and drink your way through the afternoon. But some of the best food is found inside at Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun on Oldham Street. Since opening in 2018 they’ve set the bar high for deep, rich bowls of ramen and pillow-soft bao buns on the side. Given the team has a bartending background you shouldn’t pass up a cocktail from their stellar drinks menu.
Chloë Hamilton, head of partners & memberships

Pascor

Living in the city is defined by having somewhere to go – and being a little late. The road to Kensington High Street seemed long under the sun, but arrival settled all the leaves. Cocktails to browse the Aegean-inspired menu with came, as our waitress told us that we “must” have the hummus with the freshly made laffa – so we did. Rapid mouthfuls of it were all cream, crunch and garlic. More came, and so we ate, with a tender galician octopus as the main point of discussion.
Céire Carey, team assistant

To read more reviews from the CODE team, click here