Dining Out: Five Small But Mighty Bites in London

Good things come in little packages.

As a person of ‘being 5 ft. 1’ experience, I am a keen adherent to the adage that good things come in small packages. And like, think about it: Kylie Minogue, Mini Rolls, the fact that little chocolate bars are often called “party size”... the evidence stacks up, man. 

It sort of follows, then, that when I go out to eat, it’s the small bites – the croquettes, the arancini, the petit fours – that invariably compel me the most. I ate a lemon meringue pie not much bigger than an iced gem at ARCA in Amsterdam and I still think about it all the time, because despite the obvious cuteness, I think there is actually something quite high stakes about an item which offers only a single bite. There’s a perfection that is demanded, a balance that absolutely has to be achieved first time, because there are no other bites to back that initial one up.

I also think that because these bits and bobs tend to come at the beginning or very end of a meal, it’s easy to forget about them, so I figured that this week, for paid subscribers, I would tell you about my favourite bites in recent months: tiny little dishes that punch above their weight, from a fresh-out-of-the-pan panisse to a great version of the world’s best party food, the slider. 

Cod’s roe panisse at The Buxton

As the phrase “brat summer” and butter beans are to 2024, cod’s roe was to 2023: frankly overexposed. You could not move for the bitch, and while I have had some lovely plates of cod’s roe – whipped, with radishes, say – it is at this point probably something I’d tend to skip on a menu, in the same way I would skip “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, for the simple reason that I have had e-fucking-nough. But when I visited The Buxton, a wine bar at the end of Brick Lane, a few weeks ago, my server thoroughly recommended that I give the cod’s roe panisse, an amuse bouche at the top of the menu. I always listen to staff recommendations, because they know the food best, so I went for it. I am delighted that I did. 

The panisse – basically a chunky little square of fried polenta – came out hot and dense, and the contrast with the cool, airy roe piped in a little wiggle on top made the sensation of eating it really memorable. The two components were perfect foils for each other and to be honest, there was very little that came after it that beat it.