From Clipstone to Café Cecilia, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

Ciao Bella

Having been in northern Italy at the beginning of the month, where the food was some of the worst I’ve experienced in a long time, it was a pleasure to return to London to get some decent Italian dishes. After a glass or two at the Rosewood summer party, we ventured five minutes up the road to one of my favourite spots in London, the formidable Ciao Bella. There had been a piece in the papers earlier in the week on the ten loudest restaurants in London. How Ciao Bella didn’t make it into the top three is beyond me, but that’s half the charm. The room is always heaving with a real mix of people. It isn’t uncommon to find a large table of university students celebrating a birthday with shots of limoncello. Hearty plates of pasta for £12-£14 do the job, as does the tiramisu. Ciao Bella will always be a favourite.
Adam Hyman, founder

Harrods Social by Jason Atherton

Harrods is a maze. A wonderful maze that you get lost in every time you visit. But at least you’re getting lost surrounded by lovely things. Last time I was in I stumbled into The Baccarat Bar, conveniently near Harrods Social where I was dining that evening. Expertly made cocktails in very expensive glassware. All fantastically outrageous. Onto dinner, where I enjoyed a warm greeting from the team, who sat me in a booth. First up, seared tuna with avocado and lime purée, and Devon crab with coriander salad. Both very fresh, zesty and clean dishes that kicked things off on the right foot. Then onto the heavier stuff: the mac’n’cheese with featherblade beef is as wholesome and indulgent as it gets (I opted for a menu with no calories on it). Because this was clearly such a light course, we also had a fillet steak with truffle mash and a side salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and the truffle mash was decadent. All in all, worth the calories, whatever they came to.
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of Harrods Social by Jason Atherton
Harrods Social by Jason Atherton is available on the CODE app

Amethyst

When I was invited to visit Amethyst, the new two-floor fine dining restaurant from Carlo Scotto, I was intrigued. The 12-course tasting menu is available at the magnificent 21-seat chef’s table, spanning the entire ground floor. Sitting here gives you unparalleled views of Carlo and his team creating beautifully executed dishes, and the irregular edges of the table are designed so that two people can still feel like they have their own table, or enable you to talk to others, adding to the theatre. The menu is inspired by Carlo’s extensive travels, so expect flavours from the Nordic countries, Japan, France and India. There are Italian twists too of course. The restaurant showcases numerous flavours and techniques (some courses are cutlery-free, too), but the black cod, sitting in a caramelised miso and naganegi dashi is outstanding, and the scallop and caviar tartelette is gorgeous. Amethyst is a seriously slick operation with attentive and knowledgeable staff. Our sommelier Fillipo (also formerly of Xier) brought everything together with paired wines. There’s also a six-course meu on offer in the downstairs wine cellar.
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager
CODE was a guest of Amethyst

The George at Nunney

Our Berwick Street office is perilously close to The Blue Posts (soon to be even closer…) and after-work drinks occur often, always involving of a round or two of Guinness. When ‘wfh-ing’ in Somerset, post-work drinks are much the same, but the Soho frenzy is replaced with the gentle tinkle of a stream and quiet West Country chatter. Instead of colleagues, my drinking companions comprise a mother post-minor operation (proud to say there’s no stopping my family) and a father who has taken well to his new role as crutch-carrier and painkiller-provider. A Guinness and a pack of Scampi Fries are just what the doctor ordered! Good hospitality is also needed, and to me it’s hard to beat the warmth of a country pub. I used to work at The George when I was 18 and still get a cheery wave from the head barmaid.
Molly Wade, memberships manager

Clipstone

Sunny evenings in Fitzrovia are well spent on the Clipstone kerbside. Part of the Quality Chop House group, and the little sister of Portland, I have always enjoyed visits here. A no-nonsense, precise menu letting ingredients speak for themselves, with a little help from talented chefs. I have recently decided to try my hand at some baking – sourdough bread to be exact. The sourdough on offer here was some of the finest I have had in London. I just wish I could replicate it. Many years of experience needed, I suspect. While the bread was the highlight for me, I managed to catch some of the final asparagus of the season. I will miss those green spears. These were flame-licked and placed on top of a quality burrata with apricots. Onglet for main, with a miso aubergine puree, smoked mushrooms, and a well-balanced sauce. Umami galore. The flavour stuck with me on my way home, which was helpful, as this being Tuesday evening, my journey back to Brixton felt like an eternity. Tube strikes: they left me thinking that I love chefs. Small, hot working conditions, long hours, and physically draining work. All for half the money of a tube driver, often. Keep pushing, chefs of London.
Harry Cromack, accounts manager

Café Cecilia

I bore everyone I speak to about it, but I love the Elizabeth Line. It’s my new favourite thing. There’s a lot that needs fixing in our country right now, but this new engineering feat is a very welcome addition to London. And last Friday proved exactly why. On a toasty evening, I left our office in Soho at 18:25 and was seated in Café Cecilia, near Broadway Market, just as the clock struck 19:00. Getting across certain parts of town is now an air-conditioned, speedy joy, which means I have even more reason to return to Café Cecilia. Max Rocha’s east London ‘caff’ reminds me a little of Zucca that used to be on Bermondsey Street, with a bit of St. John aesthetic and pricing along the lines of if The River Cafe did an essentials range. The menu here is exactly my style of eating. We all need a Café Cecilia within walking distance of our homes (luckily, I have Brutto). A glass of Vinho Verde and a grilled globe artichoke kicked things off before I ordered their signature dish of onglet with chips and peppercorn sauce with a chilled Pinot Noir.
Adam Hyman, founder

Berenjak Borough

Berenjak’s new Borough location feels like a hidden sanctuary; a portal out of London’s unholy streets and into somewhere full of meaning and custom. Brick walls are lined with Persian portraits and red stained glass cabinets. Traditional brass teapots rest on dark wooden shelves. We sat at the downstairs bar facing the open kitchen, with views of luscious spits of meat spinning slowly, a tandoor oven opening and shutting as the taftoon breads went in and out, and chef patron Kian Samyani giving orders at the pass. The kasha e bademjoon, a smokey aubergine spread topped with whey, walnuts and onions, was – if I’m allowed to say it – even better than the famous black chickpea hummus; I’d be happy to eat it all night with the hot sourdough flatbread, watching transfixed as the kitchen rituals repeat themselves. As for the kebabs, they were faultless, especially the poussin, smothered with garlic, topped with fermented chilli, and eaten with the grilled green peppers. To drink: the pomegranate negroni and a shot of preserved lemon tequila. I was transported.
Rebekah Lodos, editorial assistant

The Scenic Supper

Imagine sipping a fresh cocktail with ingredients foraged around the corner, in a cosy shed, in the middle of a field in the Cotswolds. If you are imagining this, your image is not far off from what The Scenic Supper looks like. A passionate team produces food and drinks filled with ingredients from the local area, and the menu changes as the farm changes. You might have lamb one week, and pork the next. If you find yourself in the Cotswolds, it’s worth a visit.
Harry Cromack, account manager
CODE was a guest of The Scenic Supper

The American Bar at The Stafford

One of the longest standing American bars in London, The American Bar at The Stafford feels like it has lots of stories and secrets to tell when you walk through the characterful room, with its various preppy caps and ties hanging down from the ceiling. It really was an American bar that night, with many American accents being heard from various tables. The new cocktail menu is great. I’d highly recommend the ‘Marmoris’ and the ‘Aestus.’ Lisa Goodwin-Allen heads up the food here too, so well worth ordering some bar snacks. The lobster Thermidor roll was a treat, and the BBQ Iberia pork ribs were as tender as ribs could be.
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of The American Bar at The Stafford

Koya Ko

Off to Hackney, some distance away near Essex, to visit a place just off ‘Broadway Market’. Apparently the area is home to the archetypal new-London vibe. Outside Koya Ko, the sun began to nest behind a large tree, and various noodle dishes designed by various chefs arrived in succession. The first, a breakfast udon with a slice of bacon and a tea-stained egg, was the work of Café Cecilia’s Max Rocha; Ombra’s Mitshel Ibrahim put out a clever cuttlefish and sweet pea bowl; and Florence Knight, of Sessions, prepared udon with clams, wild garlic and roasted tomatoes. All were satisfying and well worth the trek east, but the standout for me was Ben Chapman’s geng gari chicken curry udon with blood orange and pickles. An exceptionally deep broth with flavours reminiscent of his fine work at Smoking Goat. The fact it will only be available for two weeks – perhaps longer, depending – is dismaying. In any case, my advice would be hurry over to get one. Good with a bottle of Asahi and a sake chaser.
Josh Barrie, editor
CODE was a guest of Koya Ko

Read more reviews from the CODE team here