From lobster paella to lamb kleftiko, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

Side Hustle

First up at Side Hustle, the NoMad hotel’s Mexican-themed restaurant, were margaritas, served over ice and pleasingly hardy. They were a fitting precursor to guacamole and brittle corn chips and gently soothed the house-made hot sauce, which was about a 6/10 heat-wise. We tried a mushroom tostada, generously blanketed by truffle, before moving onto tacos. Sadly I returned to the table having taken a phone call to find the baja prawn ones had been dispensed with. There was a slow-cooked carnitas variation remaining and although it lacked some of the structural integrity I believed tacos required – excessive juiciness, you see – it went down well, the tomatillo sauce unsubtle and the coriander enlivening. We finished with barbacoa beef, served on some sort of lofty wooden apparatus together with salsa, a habanero dip (maybe 7/10 heat-wise), a radish salad, and a very in vogue steaming pocket of soft tortillas.
Josh Barrie, editor
CODE was a guest of Side Hustle

The Sushi Bar at Harrods

The Harrods dining hall is a special place. Its elaborately tiled interior is Grade II-listed and now boasts six glamourous restaurants after its regeneration by David Collins studio a few years ago. The Sushi Bar, led by head chef Eran Low, has a wide selection of nigiri and sashimi along with some signature twists, including ‘The Harrods Special’ – a fresh snow crab, avocado and spicy mayonnaise roll topped with chopped seared scallops, orange and black tobiko and unagi sauce.
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager
CODE was a guest of The Sushi Bar at Harrods
Harrods Dining Halls is available on the CODE app

Kalimera

Up to Crouch End I went for what was promised to be as close to proper Greek food I could get without Up to Crouch End I went for what was promised to be as close to proper Greek food I could get without boarding a stuffy aircraft. The restaurant, from the Athens-born chef Télémaque Argyriou, started first as a food truck, but has grown considerably since. The basil tzatziki is the best I’ve had – together with the beetroot taramasalata and the homemade bread and it’s a perfect way to begin proceedings. For mains, we had lamb kleftiko – the slow-roasted lamb shank was marinated with cinnamon and oregano and served with some addictive roast potatoes and peppers. Greek classics – done perfectly. 
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of Kalimera

Boisdale of Bishopsgate

Everyone loves a Sunday roast but replace the roast beef with a 12oz prime ribeye steak and it’s a dEveryone loves a Sunday roast but replace the roast beef with a 12oz prime ribeye steak and it’s a different ball game. My Sunday lunch at Boisdale consisted of just this – a gigantic steak served with gravy, crunchy, goose fat roasted potatoes, green beans and arguably the best bit – a crisp Yorkshire pudding. It was enjoyed with alongside a punchy Malbec while listening to the live jazz and blues band playing in the corner and gentle chatter from the other diners. The elderly couple behind us sipping post-lunch martinis said they were Sunday regulars and have been coming for years. Serious goals. 
Molly Wade, memberships manager
CODE was a guest of Boisdale of Bishopsgate

The Twenty Two

Despite the pandemic and the situation over the past two years, new hospitality venues continue to open across London. One of the most recent is The Twenty Two on the corner of Grosvenor Square – opposite the former American Embassy that is currently being turned into a Rosewood Hotel. The space consists of a ground floor restaurant and bar, a 31-bedroom hotel, and a private members’ club. The restaurant is open to the public and is a handsome space with the kitchen overseen by chef Alan Christie. The Mediterranean-inspired menu caters for all tastes with grilled langoustines, crab salad and octopus as starters with pastas and grills to follow. Be sure to have one of their cocktails – they serve a very good marg! 
Adam Hyman, founder
CODE was a guest of The Twenty Two

Heliot Steakhouse

Not an ordinary location for a restaurant, Heliot Steakhouse sits inside of the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, somewhere I last visited at the tail-end of my 21st birthday celebrations in the early hours in the morning (it’s open 24 hours.) The restaurant is separated enough from the casino that you can’t hear the roulette balls rolling around the wheels – making or breaking someone’s evening/bank – but close enough that you can still take in the grandeur and buzz of the room. I started with the sea bass ceviche, which was zesty and had a nice kick of chilli. I’m not much of a gambler so stuck to the steaks for mains, and the steaks were great – we shared a USDA T-bone and rib-eye and they were well cooked and full of flavour. 
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of Heliot Steakhouse

BiBO

Spanish food might be my favourite cuisine so I was very excited to visit BIBO for their weekend brunch. Inside the Mondrian hotel in Shoreditch, the dining room is beautiful with a central bar and chandeliers with schools of fish dangling down from the ceiling. We kicked things off with the fried prawns with basil wrapped in a light tempura, and of course, some patatas bravos. We swiftly moved onto the main event, a colossal lobster paella with was full of rich flavours and washed down with BIBO’s house sangria of course.
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of BiBO

Chick Chick Crew

As a long time fried chicken eater, and a first time writer, the Lost Boys chicken newest venture, Chick CAs a long-time fried chicken eater and a first-time writer, I thought Chick Chick Crew would be worth tucking into. Starting in Brighton as a humble chicken shop, the brand has now landed in the capital at Oxford Circus’ Market Halls. The menu covers all things chicken, from wings, to burgers, to buttermilk strips, and if meat’s not your thing then the ‘Miami-style’ vegan option has you covered. The guys kindly sent the CODE team lunch this week and we all swarmed round the table to grab a bite. My personal favourite was the Korean burger, where buttermilk fried chicken is paired with kimchi coleslaw and Korean chilli. I’d also have to say the tater tots were borderline addictive, as was the blue cheese dipping sauce.
Margaux Koffmann
CODE was a guest of Chick Chick Crew

Poppies

FindingFinding lunch for less than £3 in this city is no easy feat. Even meal deals are cruising close to £4 these days. This is where you turn to the humble chip butty. You can get them at most chippies – I got mine from Poppies in Soho and I mean, it really is cheap as chips. It’s only four ingredients – bread, butter, chips and salt – but like most things keeping it simple means it hits just right. In fact if you tried to pimp it up it wouldn’t work. You want cheap, white bread and fat, fluffy chips – end of. Of course you’re allowed a condiment of choice – mine is few heavy-handed shakes of malt vinegar over the hot chips but brown sauce, ketchup or mayo would also do. 
Molly Wade, memberships manager

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