Bring the London restaurant scene to you with these brilliant recipes.
There are only so many times you can eat unimaginative pasta for dinner, aren’t there? Luckily for you, London’s favourite restaurants have been providing hope throughout the lockdown, and sharing recipes from some of their best-loved dishes. We’ve tried to write about them whenever they’ve appeared, and now we’ve gathered them all in one place to create the ultimate lockdown cookbook – so let’s get cooking!
1. Padella’s pici cacio e pepe
Queuing for a plate of Padella pasta is a right of passage for any self-respecting Londoner, but with the pandemic putting a swift end to that, whipping up your own plate of perfect pici cacio e pepe will have to do for now. See the recipe here. (They’re also trialling DIY pasta kits for those who need a little more guidance.)
2. Bread Ahead’s doughnuts
With Bread Ahead’s Instagram classes and e-cookbook, you can make pretty much anything to indulge your sweet tooth. Still, we’ve chosen to focus on the pinnacle of the bakery’s creations: their mouthwatering doughnuts!
3. Wagamama’s chicken katsu curry
A dish that plenty would probably choose as their last meal on Earth, Wagamama’s chicken katsu curry recipe has been a closely-guarded secret – until lockdown arrived and they decided to bequeath it to the world. Get the scoop here.
4. Pizza Express’ doughballs
I don’t know if it’s some alchemy of the bread, or just the addictive garlic butter, but I can never have just one of those doughballs. And now I don’t have to! See the full recipe here.
5. Gloria’s lemon meringue pie
There’s indulgence. There’s sheer, unadulterated indulgence. And then about three levels above that, you’ll find Gloria‘s mesmerising lemon meringue pie, topped with a proverbial mountain of soft white meringue. Read all about it here.
6. IKEA’s Swedish meatballs
Not a restaurant in your traditional sense of the word, but those meatballs approach the status of a cult dish, so I’ll allow it. You can learn how to make them here.
7. Wahaca’s tacos
Picture sitting down at Wahaca’s joint on the South Bank and stuffing endless tacos into your face as you watch the crowds go by. Sadly, a return to that is a way off, but for now, they’re showing you how to make ’em at home. See more here.
8. Big Mamma’s truffle pasta
If humanity has found a dish that can’t be improved by the inimitable taste of truffle, we’re yet to hear about it. Since it’s a Big Mamma dish (they’re also the brains behind that lemon meringue pie), you’ll needs oodles of truffle for this one. See the recipe here.
9. Disneyland’s churros
Again, not a restaurant per se, but when the Magic Kingdom offers you food, you damn well take it. These churros will brighten up your lockdown, but photo ops with Mickey are sadly not included. Read all about it here.
10. Greggs’ sausage rolls
Technically, you can learn to create most of the Greggs range with their “Greggs It Yourself” Instagram series, but it’s all about the sausage rolls for us. See more here.
11. Pizza Pilgrims’ pizza
We’re now in the realm of cheating a bit with this next lot of DIY kits, but if you’ve tackled the remainder of this list already then you deserve a bit of an easier ride! Pizza Pilgrims have made frying pan pizza A Thing with their new meal kit, and it looks utterly delicious. Get your hands on one here.
12. The Cheese Bar’s grilled cheese sandwiches
Another DIY kit, and one you should definitely pay attention to given that it’s come from cheese wizards The Cheese Bar. Grilled cheese sandwiches are on the menu this time, and you can learn how to craft them here. Also order one of their DIY fondue kits for more naughty fromage action.
13. Chin Chin’s marshmallow hot chocolate
Hot chocolate should not be served unless its with marshmallows in our opinion, and the perfect expression of this comes in the form of a Chin Chin hot chocolate, topped with a swirl of blowtorched marshmallow. Get a starter kit here.
14. Honest Burgers’ burgers
Well they weren’t going to teach you how to make paella, were they? Though their “honesty kits” might have come and gone, they’ve still got plenty of recipes and demos up on the sight, including how to make their burgers, bacon ketchup, and that heavenly rosemary salt.
15. Percy Pig cocktails
Originating not from a restaurant, but from one genius on the Internet, these boozy treats take M&S cult hero Percy Pig and turn him into a Tequila Rose-infused cocktail. Learn how to concoct it here.
16. Microwave banana mug cafe
Ok, so we’ve definitely dropped the whole “restaurant dish” thing in favour of “saw it on the Internet, looked cool” now, but mug cakes are ace, and this banana cake is the best of the best. See the recipe here.
17. Dalgona coffee
Another Internet favourite that seemed to be everywhere during the early days of lockdown, Dalgona coffee originated in South Korea, and is named after a traditional Korean sweet. With only four ingredients needed to make it, you’ll find it to be one of the easier recipes on this list! Read all about it here.