The Dumbwaiter’s best bites of the week: 30 August 2019

From Bordeaux to Burdett Road

Top Cuvée

Top Cuvée has always been Lazy Susan’s type on paper so it was a delight to find on a recent visit that it didn’t disappoint in person. The bar and bistro just off Blackstock Road is a creation from head chef Dan Miller, Brodie Meah and the Three Sheets team and makes for a perfect neighbourhood spot. Every dish – from burrata panzanella to pork belly with coco beans and pickled girolles to crème caramel – was on point but the grilled enoki mushroom on herb-buttered toast was a particular knockout.

Pear & Olive Scratch Kitchen

The Dumbwaiter ventured to the depths of the Cambridgeshire countryside this week to sample the ’tapas Wednesdays’ menu at Pear & Olive Scratch Kitchen. Alongside tapas classics such as patatas bravas, the dumbwaiter enjoyed specialities such as local fresh figs and smoked salmon, all washed down with a decadent chocolate torte.

Happy Endings 

Along with the rest of London, the Dumbwaiter suffered in the scorching 30+ degree heatwave that hit London this week, so a trip to see the team at Happy Endings and sample an ice cream sandwich (or two) could not have been more aptly timed. When offered a choice of their classics ‘the malty one’, ‘strawberry shorty’ and ‘tres leches’, the Dumbwaiter decided to sample all three. With the sweetness of the ice cream and gooey marshmallow perfectly balanced out by the crunchy shortbread, the ‘strawberry shorty’ was definitely a firm favourite.

Au Bistrot

The Dumbwaiter was in Bordeaux this week and enjoyed a stellar dinner at Au Bistrot, just a stones throw from the Marché des Capucins. Among the buzz of locals and sitting at the bar, the Dumbwaiter enjoyed a plate of beautifully tender tartare de boeuf Limousin alongside a glass or two of Château le Rey. A perfect incarnation of the classic French bistrot.