From SUSHISAMBA to Sabor, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week

The Game Bird

There’s something exciting about stepping out of the cold night air and into the warm and welcoming lobby of the Stafford Hotel, seemingly hidden between Green Park and St James’ St despite its size and 5* status. The menu at the Game Bird is a tribute to British produce of the highest quality, cooked by chefs who know how to respect their ingredients. Protein quality and cookery in particular was stunning, especially in the signature Game Bird main and the Turbot wrapped in crispy kataifi pastry. Wonderful wines to accompany too!
Sam Selwood, accounts manager

Sabor

My final dinner before the apocalypse in 2020 was an IWD dinner in partnership with CODE and Clerkenwell Boy. It was there I won a prize in the charity raffle for a tortilla masterclass with the wonderfully talented Nieves Barragan at Sabor. After changing into our chef whites, we were guided through how to prepare the classic Spanish dish, and Nieves made the experience something I will never forget. After the class we were treated to a delicious lunch at the counter, watching the kitchen team prepare all of their classics. The seared tuna with ajo blanco and almonds was one of the nicest plates of food I’ve eaten in a long time, and I look forward to returning soon with an empty stomach.
Henry Southan, editorial intern

Colonel Saab

Colonel Saab is the latest offering from restauranteur and hotelier Roop Partap Choudhary. Based in the Holborn Town Hall site (formerly Gezellig), Colonel Saab is an opulent homage to the founder’s father. The creamy confit cauliflower in a cardamom saffron sauce and the traditional Keralan dish of beef ularthiyathu were perfect for a cold autumnal evening. The daal Makhani and purani Dilli (mini samosas with masala chickpeas and pomegranate) were great accompaniments. We finished with figs poached in assam tea cognac and a deliciously light rasmalai milk cake.
Tom Pilgrim, accounts manager

Oklava

I had my very first visit to Oklava this week and was very excited having heard such delightful things about the place. The very charming, knowledgeable team talked me through the menu, essentially recommending that I order everything (which I pretty much did). Standouts included a delightful whipped feta with candied pumpkin, chilli and sourdough crackers, as well as their popular chilli roast cauliflower with red onion, parsley and pistachios. You can’t come to Oklava without trying their signature medjool date butter they serve with their bread – so good you can buy it to take home.
Henry Southan, editorial intern

SUSHISAMBA, Covent Garden

I’ve walked past SUSHISAMBA Covent Garden every day since we moved into our new office on Tavistock Street. Every time I passed the pretty entrance I wondered why I was yet to visit since delighting in their famous robata at Taste a couple years ago. Well this week I sought to change that. Knowing it was not going to be my standard Thursday working lunch, I decided to ignore the emails and embrace the extravagance by kicking things off with a lychee and coconut cocktail and bowl of crisp tempura shrimp. From there it was pork belly anticuchos, grilled aubergine and the samba rolls before I myself rolled back to the office and my inbox.
Molly Wade, memberships manager

Louche, Soho

Louche promises to hark back to the glory days of Soho, where burlesque dancers and wild swing jazz performers roam around a speakeasy bar with velvet curtains separating cosy corners. Louche’s cocktails are worth the visit, my favourite was the watermelon mezcalita. If the preview evening was anything to go by, this place is likely to become a go-to for late night jazz and misbehaviour.
Henry Southan, editorial intern

Read more reviews from the CODE team here