From Trivet’s turbot to Terroir Tapas, here are all the best things the CODE team ate this week

Happy Face Pizza

Finding a decent bite to eat in King’s Cross can be more of a challenge than it needs to be – too often the good places are fully booked or have many hours long queues and the rest are perhaps best avoided. Fortunately I was able to nab a table at the rather brilliant Happy Face pizza, recommended by everyone in the office. I seem to be just about the last person to discover this delicious Neapolitan pizza parlour. A decent ‘za is all about a light but structured crust and flavoursome, well thought-out toppings. Happy Face delivers on all of these. Oh and their Pimlico branch is on the CODE app.
Mike Daw, partnerships manager
Happy Face Pizza is available on the CODE app

The Cadogan Arms

The Cadogan Arms is one of those places that has been on my list to visit ever since it reopened on the King’s Road in 2021. JKS’s ever-expanding polished restaurant brands continue to draw me in, and it was no different here. A caricature of a ‘posh pub,’ The Cadogan Arms somehow makes you feel like a long-standing regular. That’s nice. I visited to try their ‘Chelsea in Bloom’ menu, which launched alongside London’s largest free flower festival. I kicked things off with a classic prawn cocktail before moving onto a warming lamb suet pudding served with wild garlic, anchovies, and buttered Jersey royals. Pub classics, done well. The one thing you definitely shouldn’t leave without trying is the richly indulgent strawberry sherry trifle with almond crumble. I think it’s fair to say I was a trifle full after lunch.
Henry Southan, social media manager
CODE was a guest of The Cadogan Arms
The Cadogan Arms is available on the CODE app

Trivet

Dinner at Trivet began with colourful crackers: one of beetroot, one of red cabbage, another of white onion. Various seasonings – I remember sumac – elevated each. I could’ve eaten 100 of these crispy little guys in front of a film featuring Denzel Washington or Stanley Tucci. Then I ate an enormous morel. It came with two smaller morels, quickly eaten, and was filled with ricotta and swimming in wild garlic, parmesan, and slivers of razor clams. An almighty dish. Next, turbot – two generous tranches under a buttery Chardonnay sauce. Classic cooking. The best kind. I’d have liked more radishes and also more of the wine. What a list, by the way, and what a concept. It’s not a stretch to call Trivet’s co-owner and master sommelier Isa Bal a genius. He is, and he also has brilliant hair. When pudding time mooched around I tried a mouthful of the jacket potato mille-feuille because it is famous but fine dining puddings can still absolutely do one for the most part. Anyway, Trivet, a beautiful restaurant, and a big shout out to head chef and co-founder Jonny Lake, whose Fat Duckish skills work so nicely in Bermondsey, and to the GM Melissa, every part the fabulous host.
Josh Barrie, editor
CODE was a guest of Trivet

Terroir Tapas

After a sunny(ish…) week holidaying on the Dorset coast we ended our trip with a visit to Bournemouth. When the question came to lunch, as it often does, we were a little lost but found the answer in Terroir Tapas. Hidden in plain sight on Southborne high street, you might walk past it were you not in the know and I can now confirm that you definitely should be. Boasting many accolades for their efforts in sustainability, they source all ingredients from ethical, local suppliers – even their wine list is fully British. Sadly we didn’t have time for the tasting menu (which seemed excellent value for money at £35 for 4 courses) so we chose from a selection of small plates: charred tomatoes on crisp, oil drenched sourdough, smoked potato with charcoal mayonnaise and aged White Park skirt steak with cider ketchup.
Molly Wade, memberships manager

Ji Chickens

It’s smart to prepare for a night of drinking by lining the stomach with something filling and greasy. Ji Chickens, also known as Good Friend Chicken, was my choice. It’s across the road from the Hippodrome on the edge of Chinatown – that one Taiwanese chicken shop that almost always has a group of people huddled outside, as close as possible to the doorway, waiting for the number on their receipt to be called out by the quiet lady behind the counter. I ordered the chicken breast, which the quiet lady picked up fresh from the fryer and covered in garlic and chilli ‘flavour’ (chosen out of 12 powdered options, including seaweed and plum). Completely worth the wait: the outside was dry and crunchy, the inside piping hot and tender. I ate as I walked back to the office, enjoying the gentle pain of it scratching the roof of my mouth. A lovely lunch, which did nothing for my next day hangover.
Rebekah Lodos, editorial assistant

Ganymede

A gastropub tucked away on a corner in Belgravia. Covered in flowers like most venues in the Chelsea area at the moment, they were offering a Chelsea flower show-inspired set menu. Highlights included beef tartare with smoked eel and halibut with seaweed gnocchi and caviar beurre blanc. Both very much suited for the Chelsea palate.
Harry Cromack, accounts manager
CODE was a guest of Ganymede

Hay Barn at Soho Farmhouse

My mother, my dog Mabel, and myself visited Soho Farmhouse on a very warm Saturday afternoon to catch some rays, fill some tummies, and enjoy an Aperol spritz (or three). Hay Barn is the farm’s Californian-Italian food option with a large terrace at the back, perfect for sunshine. We chose to share a pasta and a pizza – sharing is caring. The prawn linguini was truly a triumph. The garlicky, zesty sauce that coated the pasta and the prawns, balanced and luscious. The pizza had a base of asparagus, garden peas and mint – a really refreshing, summery take on the Italian classic. Mabel enjoyed Lily’s Kitchen treats.
Henry Southan, social media manager

Read more reviews from the CODE team