Dining Out: The Five Places in London Where I Am Eating Right Now

Banging Greek food, a sexy French restaurant, fine dining that isn't annoying, and more.

When you are a semi-professional eater (that makes me sound so much cooler than I am, doesn’t it? Like I do hot dog competitions or something), you tend to go through busy periods, where you are eating at new restaurants constantly, both for work and fun. The past couple of weeks I’ve visited a few more places than usual – mostly new, a couple more established – so I thought I’d tell you about them, via a list of mini reviews, in case you’re after some inspiration. Read on for really good value but also Very Interesting Greek food, more positive testimony for a certain south east London taco situation, sexy French cooking, actually satisfying fine dining, and my new favourite item at Toad Bakery.

Agora, Borough

Sister restaurants Agora and Oma have been two of the consistently best-reviewed new spots in London recently so I have been interested to see what the fuss is about. They both deal in “modern Greek” food (there’s something called a “spanakopita flatbread” on the menu at Agora which should give you an idea of the vibe), and Oma is the fancier of the two, upstairs. Agora, on the other hand, is a walk-ins only situation where you sit on sharing benches, drink cocktails and reach over each other to get your paws on the house-made crisps and puffy, basted breads.

I still can’t speak to what Oma is like, but I did recently go along to Agora with five pals and as a die-hard picky bits fan, I thought it was a perfect place for sort of big-ish group eating in the summer. We ordered dips, salads, hearty bowls of braised beans (the fava, blended and whipped, is so good you just want to get in there with a spoon honestly), individual skewers of meat and fish (I had lamb and a little whole mackerel), and various breads. 

As for favourite dishes: I have been really missing a truly great Greek salad in London, so I was delighted that this one delivered – there was no scrimping on the cheese, a sharp but creamy Cretan Galomizithra, and those addictive carob rusks had been thrown in too – plus all of the breads were wonderful. Even the plain flatbread, highly necessary for scooping purposes, is a buttery, garlicky treat in and of itself (it kind of reminded me of Pizza Express dough balls which if you know me you will know is a compliment of a level I very rarely fling around), but there are a couple of madcap topped flatbreads on the menu, too, that really are clever and properly delish. One comes with sausage and spit-roasted pineapple (a kind of Greek approximation of a Hawaiian pizza, I guess), and another is modelled on a spanakopita, with spinach, melting Graviera, and a sprinkle of crispy potato on top. You would be stupid not to order both. 

The only thing I thought was a bit mid was one of the salads – a mint and radish affair that on paper sounded up my street – but otherwise I am inclined to agree with the Agora-loving crowd on this one, plus, price-wise, I thought it was great. I had two cocktails and between us, the group ordered basically everything on the menu, and it came to £47 a head. This gaff is proof that sometimes things are popular and acclaimed for a noble reason, and sometimes that noble reason is a mix of very good value and irresistible word combinations like “spanakopita flatbread”.