The Dumbwaiter’s best bites of the week: 18 June 2019

Upstairs at Trinity

Walk past the starched white table cloths and up the stairs on The Polygon (just next to The Pavement – no we don’t understand who named these roads either..) and you’ll find the rather aptly named Upstairs restaurant on the first floor of Adam Byatt’s Clapham favourite, Trinity. A much more casual affair, with a highly affordable lunch menu and great wines on tap – the epitome of a hidden gem. What’s more, it’s now on the CODE app.

St Leonards

Armed with a bottle of Inama Bradisismo 2015 from Uncorked wine shop, the Dumbwaiter headed to St Leonards. The Shoreditch restaurant from Andrew Clarke and Jackson Boxer provided a nice setting for a mid-week dinner with friends. The Dumbwaiter enjoyed dishes including burnt leek with almond cream, summer truffle and chive, and whole challans duck, allard style with green olive and mint. Free corkage is available to hospitality professionals through the CODE app.

Hoi Polloi

The Dumbwaiter stopped off at Hoi Polloi in Shoreditch’s Ace Hotel for a quick mid-week lunch. Following a recommendation from the front of house, the Dumbwaiter enjoyed a vibrantly green chicken & mushroom pie whilst picking at more than his fair share of crispy crushed roast potatoes with anchovy hollandaise.

Drapers Arms

Lazy Susan is getting married next month so it was off to the Drapers Arms for one last knees up before married life. After Champagne in the garden it was upstairs for lunch at the Islington pub where guests feasted on sharing platters of roast beef and lamb.

Scott’s 

The Mount Street fish restaurant has long been one of the Dumbwaiter’s favourite Mayfair haunts – either perched at the bar or on one of the handful of outdoor tables on the terrace. However there’s now a third spot for The Dumbwaiter – the new Platinum Arowana room. A rather spectacular green stone floor and walls covered in rare art makes it ideal to enjoy the twice baked lobster soufflé in more private surroundings than the main restaurant.

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