Beyond Porridge and Boiled Mutton: A Taste of London [View all]

A newcomer to the city’s recent flowering as a culinary destination samples restaurants from Shoreditch to the West End, and finds flavors from India, Basque Country, the Mediterranean and more.

'As Britain — like its younger sibling across the pond — gruffly proclaims its distance from the outside world (at least for the political moment), we can all be thankful that Brexit came too late to halt the culinary globalization of London.

Put ideology aside. This otherwise noble capital inclining its palate to devotees of porridge and boiled mutton was never a thing to celebrate. Of course, a visitor could always find scattered exceptions. But it was work. The drab baseline held longer than it should have — even through the roaring ‘90s, which brought higher restaurant prices without a corresponding leap in adventurousness.

A decade had passed before I returned to London and discovered that I’d missed the revolution. No longer can it be said that London is only a great city between meals. What was once a sallow and predictable dining experience is now salubrious and full of surprises, befitting a metropolis of such diversity and ingenuity. This holds true not only in the high-rent zones of West End, Covent Garden and Soho but also — maybe even especially — in less commercialized districts to the east, such as Shoreditch and Bethnal Green. In short, London’s culinary flowering is a citywide phenomenon. For those finding fault in a cuisine that thoroughly departs from Her Majesty’s customary vittles, I refer you to Anglesea Arms and similar pub-grub bastions. And really, that’s the point: at long last in London’s restaurant scene, there’s something for everyone.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/travel/dining-in-london.html?