Osteria Angelina

 Fusion fun but far from perfect

Sicilian Red Prawns, Tentsuyu & Crispy Rice

Stepping into Osteria Angelina feels like entering a sleek warehouse-loft that has been tenderly reworked as a high-end “osteria” on the edge of the City and Shoreditch. On the plate, the menu at Osteria Angelina unabashedly brings together Italian traditions and Japanese technique: “itameshi” fusion. I have visited once already, and I felt the quality warranted a return.

Legado

Regional Spanish food in the City

Skate Wing Tortilla, Mojo Verde

Legado in Shoreditch is a brand new  Spanish restaurant from chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho, who already has a Michelin-starred outlet, Sabor in central London. What makes Legado truly compelling is its menu: a journey through lesser-known and regionally specific Spanish flavours and techniques, which delights both the Spanish food aficionado and the curious Londoner. There’s a sense that Barragán Mohacho has taken what she learned in her years at Barrafina and Sabor, and aimed here not simply for repetition but expansion: of scale, of repertoire, of ambition.

Atla

 Open fire Spanish concept 

Mushroom Fideos

Entering ALTA on Kingly Court in Soho is less about stepping into a typical Spanish-restaurant façade and more akin to being welcomed into a ritual of fire and flavour. The space revolves around a glowing hearth—an open wood-fire grill, a Josper oven, embers and coals at the heart of the kitchen. Alta isn’t about quick tapas or cliched Spanish-mood décor. The kitchen’s ambition is clear: take the frameworks of Northern Spanish cooking—escabeches, grill, seafood from the Cantabrian/Bay of Biscay region, Basque influences—and reinterpret them with British-sourced produce.

Ibai

Daily special

 

Roasted scallops with paprika

This is my 14th visit, Ibai sits on a quiet street near St Paul’s and carries itself with a kind of calm confidence that you notice the moment you walk through the door. The dining room is compact but thoughtfully arranged, with a warehouse vibe, packed with high-energy tones and soft lighting. If you have been a few times like me, you really should start exploring its daily special offering, as there are some very special dishes on there, ranging from small pintxos-sized dishes to mains.

Ibai

Best of London has to offer 

Grilled langoustine topped with sliced Iberico ham

In the heart of London, tucked within a stone’s throw of St Paul’s, Ibai has quickly claimed its place as one of the city’s most exhilarating new restaurants and gathered a lot of high praise from both the British and the overseas media. At the heart of that kitchen is an unapologetic devotion to meat, particularly the legendary steaks that have already become the restaurant’s calling card. Here, steak is not simply cooked; it is celebrated with the reverence usually reserved for fine art. Having said that, there are plenty of beautiful dishes just as good, some examples below captured from my 12th and 13th visits.