From staycations to staff lunch, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

Celeste at The Lanesborough

Hotels have had a tough old time during the pandemic thanks to the inability for us all to travel and the sheer lack of tourists and business travellers. On the day that we opened up our borders to double vaccinated travellers from the EU and US, it was a welcome sight to see the Lanesborough busy on Monday evening. Dinner at their restaurant Celeste reminded me of the charm of an old school dining room with proper hospitality. Foie to start followed by a wagyu steak for main got the week off to a strong start.
Adam Hyman, founder

Ibérica

I’m a sucker for the classics when it comes to tapas and at Ibérica they do them extremely well. The patatas bravas are crisp, the croquetas hot and oozing, padrones generously salted, lightly charred, and Ibérico ham sliced wafer thin. I’d recommend branching out here too with something from the specials menu. It changes each month to showcase dishes from different regions and at the moment it’s inspired by Castilla y León. We went for tosdada de higos – toasted bread with melted L’antigua cheese, sweet figs, black garlic and it was delightful.
Molly Wade, memberships manager

Fitzroy and North Street Kitchen

Of the many famed food spots in Cornwall, Fowey has to be one of the most charming. Away from the hordes at Padstow and St Ives the narrow, picture perfect streets of this estuary town are home to two ventures from the Jolene/Primeur/Westerns Laundry stable: Fitzroy – a smart restaurant with a grown up menu and reservations required. And North Street Kitchen which followed behind and is an altogether more casual affair, only taking walk-ins and managing the informal queue system with serious aplomb. We timed our visit with the beating hot sun and sat on high stools at a wine barrel table. The chalkboard menu was singing with fresh seafood and we ate mussels in a white wine and saffron broth, mackerel confit with white beans and sorrel, and hands down the best crab sandwich I’ve ever had… mountains of brown meat flecked with white flesh in a chewy, pillow-soft roll, furnished with sprightly pickles and dill. The beetroot with anchoide and pangritata was also a dish to write home about. And to wash it all down, a tumbler of house rosé at a pocket-friendly £4.50.
Chloë Hamilton, content manager

Tendril

Tendril is the current residency at the Sun and 13 cantons on Great Pulteney Street in Soho and is from Head chef Rishim Sachdeva (previously of The Fat Duck, The Dairy and Chiltern Firehouse). The menu is ‘mostly vegan’ but Rishim loves cheese, which is apparent from the decadent Baked brie, honey, truffle mascarpone, on cranberry bread course we devoured. We loved the corn tostada with broad bean guac, and the chipotle grilled mushrooms with peanut glaze, and the chargrilled cauliflower with stem kimchi and curried raisins.
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager

BiBo

Danny Garcia is a big name in Spain, especially in Marbella and most famously closed his 3 Michelin star restaurant there as soon as it got the top accolade coveted by chefs. He’s now opened his first restaurant in London at the Mondrian Shoreditch (it’s the former Curtain hotel and Bibo is in the space that used to be occupied by Red Rooster). Classic tapas dishes are the order of the day – think pan con tomate and croquetas. However, for me, it was the chicken rice that would having me coming back here again – especially as it’s short walk from home.
Adam Hyman, founder

The White Swan, Gilling West

What with all this staycationing going on I seem to be getting rather too familiar with the appalling offerings at motorway service stations. I’ve even tried the highly recommended Tebay services – definitely an improvement, but still hardly a gastronomic experience. So, on a recent trip up to Scotland we went rogue and looked for a pub on route. Just 5 minutes off the A1(M) at Scotch Corner in the little village of Gilling West is The White Swan. Well worth the small detour for a decent burger and some pretty tasty chips. Not sure why we hadn’t thought of this before…
Will Lake, COO

Oklava

Now in its 6th year, Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie’s restaurant Oklava on its little corner of Shoreditch is still putting out stunning plates inspired by chef Selin’s Turkish-Cypriot heritage. You could eat the snacks all night long – whipped feta & candied pumpkin crackers, the crispiest zingy little herb fritters and of course that baharat-spiced bread with their signature medjool date butter. Look out for her pop-up at Larry’s in Peckham next week!
Sam Selwood, accounts manager

Honi Poke

The grim reality of a desk lunch – eyes beadily stuck to the screen, and food barely tasted – is so passé. Welcome to the new age, where lunch packs colour and variety in equal measure, and the hunger kicks in at 11am. The options abound, and Hawaii is at the ready. Packed to the brim, Honi Poke were the suppliers of CODE’s midweek staff lunch. Like the muraling shapes of abstract expression, each option grapples with the last: yellowfin tuna, scottish salmon, jackfruit, chicken and more. And around the office table – greed pays off.
Céire Carey, team assistant

To read more reviews from the CODE team, click here