The End of Smithfield. Paris Guides. La-London. Critics & More.
Grace likes pies at Harrod's. Ellis loves sandwiches in Peckham. Sam scarfs pasta in Islington. Catherine captivated by kohlrabi in Covent Garden.
Hi, everyone. Does it feel like Christmas is right around the corner? It does to me. How did that happen? It was July, like, a second ago.
After a cancelled flight — thanks Storm Darragh — I’ll be on the way back from a fun weekend in Florence when this goes out. I ate and drank entirely far too much, but we had an amazing time. Controversial view: Italy has a better food culture than France. What do you think? Tell me in the comments.
Smithfield & Billingsgate: The End is Nigh
There’s been a royally sanctioned market for meat and poultry in Smithfield since 1327, and almost certainly a regular market on the site since about the time that the Romans built London’s first walls.
Billingsgate fish market spent many smelly centuries on the banks of the Thames before being moved to the docklands years ago. It’s now occupying land that could be better used for other things, including much-needed housing.
The Corporation for the City of London, which owns both markets, had been planning to relocate them to a new site in the farthest reaches of east London, but canned that plan due to cost, instead deciding to close both of the markets permanently.
The Corporation is required by law to operate them, so it will take an act of parliament to confirm the closures.
The Corporation swears that they have plans to protect the future of the traders and offer compensation. According to the Guardian, the traders aren’t so sure. We’ll see.
I revere the historical importance of both markets in contributing to London’s development. Much of Islington is, for example, physically shaped by the routes that livestock took to Smithfield.
For perspective, I spoke to a couple of restauranteurs, including one who specialises in meat. He pointed out that both markets are almost exclusively wholesale, and it’s hard to imagine many restaurant chefs or local fish mongers heading to the market in the morning before they open. Wholesale produce is delivered direct via van.
Smithfield could hardly be in a more central location. Already, the Corporation was redeveloping two of the historical buildings to house the Museum of London. The rest of the site is screaming for clever redevelopment as well. Continuing to operate a wholesale meat market on the site, with requisite truck traffic, makes very little objective sense.
And there’s an opportunity to carve out a wonderful, magnetic space that draws people from all over London and beyond. But I strongly agree with Jonathan Prynne, who, writing in the Standard, urged the Corporation “not [to] repeat the mistakes made by the authorities in Paris half a century ago. Its central food market, Les Halles, was almost as venerable as Smithfield, starting in the 11th century. Its glass and cast iron pavilions were closed and mostly demolished in 1973 in what was described as ‘one of the worst acts of urban vandalism of the century’.”
My own view is that the Corporation should sell the docklands Billingsgate site — the fish market there is just a really big, metal shed — and use the proceeds to fund redevelopment of the Smithfield area. New Smithfield should include as much residential, retail, and hospitality / restaurant space as possible while retaining some aspects of a working market. Borough Market and Covent Garden Market are both useful models. Surrounded by vibrancy, their own magnetic qualities make them strong attractions for Londoners and visitors alike.
Paris Dining Guides
Speaking of Paris, I did a little item on dining there before the Olympics, but I know many of you will head to (or though) the City of Light in the coming weeks. Two of my favourite writers are out with new Guides for Paris, which I thought you might find useful.
First,
from the indispensable is out with an updated list of her 50 Favourite Restaurants in Paris. Kate’s site was an inspiration for this newsletter. She’s lived in Paris for a long time and knows the scene really well. I have relied on her advice many, many times over the years and never been disappointed. is London-based but spends a lot of time in Paris and has wonderful foodie recommendations for visitors that include but also go far beyond restaurants. They are well worth considering for your next visit.
London Scores in La Liste
Another week, another set of global restaurant rankings. La Liste assesses restaurants around the world and scores each up to 100 points. Inputs for scoring comes from local guide books and sites which are then tuned by local chefs and critics. Public reviews are also considered, though given only a small weight.
No restaurants received a perfect score. But a handful, including Single Thread in California and L’Enclume in the Lake District, received scores of 99.50.
28 restaurants in London made the Top 1000 list. Time Out helpfully summarised them:
Critics Wrap-Up
✍🏻 indicates a review that you should read for the writing.
🍽️ indicates a place that sounds excellent and is probably worth a try.
🍽️ Charlotte Ivers (Sunday Times) visits the newest outlet of Burmese spot Lahpet, this one in Bermondsey. “It doesn’t really matter what you order, to be honest. I know this because I went back and ate most of the rest of the menu. It’s all great.”
✍🏻 Jay Rayner (Observer) wanders into Hachi, a Japanese BBQ place in Soho. “Hachi is a total gas. In a town full of restaurants where it often feels like the expense goes on making you feel better about yourself – on the white linen tablecloths or the battalions of heel-clicking waiters – it’s reassuring to know that money spent here goes on ingredients; on the platters of meat and vegetables, delivered without flummery. They arrive complete with neatly printed place cards, like they are guests at a classy wedding.”
Grace Dent (Guardian) heads to the refreshed Georgian in Harrods. “Think Edwardian glam, twinkling chandeliers, and a pianist tinkling Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On as you nibble on smoked rabbit paté en croute with marsala jelly.”
🍽️ David Ellis (Standard) says that Mondo Sando in Peckham “is charming small, but so good, so incandescently brilliant, that it deserves to be big. Very big.”
Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday) is the latest to try Canteen in Portobello Road. “Canteen may seem casual, but this is a class act.”
Marina O’Loughlin (independent critic) enjoys Wildflowers in Pimlico. “Everything's good: mussels to slurp through a veil of herbed butter; superb breads; a fat fluffy bun stuffed with fried calamari.”
✍🏻
(Bald Flavours) discovers Popham’s in Islington. Bakery by day, restaurant by night. “Just like the bakeries of yore, Pophams goes beyond the day shift, creating something that serves its neighbourhood in depth.”Catherine Hanly (Hot Dinners) test drives Delamina Townhouse in Covent Garden. “Any kitchen team that can make us realise that raw kohlrabi is actually a food of the gods is worth a visit.”
She also revisits the William IV pub in Islington after a recent change in management. “Great pub food that's thoughtfully sourced and beautifully cooked.”
🍽️ J A Smith (Palate) visits Mignonette in Richmond. “Looking at the menu at face value it’s almost incredible how the lunch prix fixe is so low – even less than Noble Rot’s – at £20 for three courses.”
🍽️ Jules Pearson (LOTI) heads to Canton Blue in the Peninsula Hotel in Belgraviaa and declares it “right up there with the best [high end-Chinese in London]. With pitch perfect service, fantastic food and a lovely dining room, [it is] is undoubtedly going to become a firm favourite for us.”
“Christina” (LOTI) tries Dream X’ian on Tower Hill. “Plenty of Xi’an specialties on offer that aren’t as common on other… menus.”
Andy Hayler (independent critic) returns to two-starred Bibendum in South Kensington. “This meal was a touch less consistent than my previous one here.”
Louis Thomas (Drinks Business) gets the inside story on the winelist and the food at Café Francois.
William Sitwell (Telegraph) tries the Shed in Swansea. Giles Coren (Times) visits Osip in Somerset. Nick Lander (jancisrobinson.com) gets off the Euorstar in Lille and likes what he finds.
Tim Hayward (FT) did not publish a review this week.
Thanks so much reading Professional Lunch. I wish many a fine Christmas lunch between now and the big day. Let me know if you’ve got a favourite spot for pre-Christmas festivities. And please do subscribe if you haven’t already.
As a self-confessed Italophile, I feel the senitments about Italy > France. I certainly find it more delicious.
Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you've found delicious things in Paris.