Food

Central - https://mayfairchippy.com/

Worth a trek - https://www.toffsfish.co.uk/

Another Central option: https://www.goldenunion.co.uk/

Golden hind in Marylebone, not eaten there for a while but used to be quite good.

Fryer's Delight on Theobald's Rd gets my vote for best chippy in London.

Many cab drivers agree. (FWIW)

Caribbean in Brixton - Negril if you want to go full Rasta Ital.

2nd for fryers delight and Rock souls place used to be good in Covent garden but not sure now.

Yes, I remember Rock and Soul Plaice being decent too. Obviously not a patch on a chippy in Cleethorpes on a windy Tuesday night though.

Rock souls place used to be good in Covent garden

Still good. I scarfed a cone of chips from there the other day, before going to the opera.

golf club?

Best full English around Kings Cross or the West End.

Ideally quality ingredients but shabby surroundings.

I like dean street townhouse

golden union on poland street for fish and chips, best i've had in london
then down to golden square to eat al fresco in the sunshine, nothing finer

We did golden union on Friday

It was perfect

Fry up at Caravan in Kings Cross was good too.

Found out the other day that there's now a Popham's on Lauriston Road, already been twice for their hot cross bun. Bloody lovely...

Anywhere that does a legit good seafood delivery experience uk-wide? I.e. not just some kippers in a tin and not something we have to put too much effort into. Just open a box and serve sort of thing?

Also good home delivery fish for a beach barbecue? Would love to just catch ourselves and will try but a bit of a gamble.

edit: https://thewrightbrothers.co.uk/ any first hand experience?

https://www.caseafoods.co.uk/

These lads are good Norfolk boys - think they do nationwide delivery

Recommendations for where to eat for a (young) teenage girls birthday treat? She's coming to London with her mum from a tiny town in Croatia and ideally we'd like to take them to somewhere nice to eat. It's the kids first trip abroad so looking for something that would be memorable in a good way, not a "urgh not eating that" way. Any ideas?

Circolo Poplare has that memorable atmosphere and is pretty good
Chiltern Firehouse is pretty IG friendly - not sure what the food is like these days
Bao is pretty cool restaurant
Hawksmoor bc it feels pretty luxe
Kiln - watching chefs cook and food is great
The Wolesley feels very fancy London old school

@Muppetteer As a teenager I was taken to nice restaurants and less flashy places. Though possibly it was pizza and burgers that most appealed.

Possibly find out what kinds of foods they like and take them to a cool/exciting version of that?

Went to Circolo Poplare on Friday and food was pretty great for the price, and was full of girls taking selfies and getting pics of the food (the lemon meringue pie was killer) so, second that recommendation.

Back on the chippie front..

Rock and Sole Plaice has struggled in recent years. I would suggest Poppies if you are in the West End or Kennedy’s Whitecross Street nr Old Street.

GF and I dined at the Wright Brothers last weekend at Battersea Power Station. The starters were grand (oysters and octopus), the mains were so-so. We were mostly drinking though quite pricey-doors

I’ve finally got around to buying Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem Cookbook.. I can thank my youngest daughter (who incidentally worked at Arabica, Borough Market prior, during and post lockdowns) for inviting me to Ottolenghi for birthday brunch near Spitalsfields Market. This now means that for every home cooked meal I will produce a salad from his cookbook..

His discussion on hummus wars are hilarious.. Yotam Ottolenghi with Sami Tamimi have brought together a wonderful collection of dishes from traditional Jewish and Arab culture..

going to make a (bastardised) paella* tonight, and I need to source some Saffron.
Do high street supermarkets stock this or is it too niche for the masses?

*rice dish would be the more accurate name, as it will have chorizo in it, and no rabbit.

Yes, Sainsbury's et al usually have it although probably not in the small ones.

Also your local Asian store will likely have more of it for less cash.

You should be able to pick up saffron in any mid size or larger supermarket.

Grand, will pop into one on the way home and see.

@DethBeard

i have been barstardising paella for decades..
chicken thighs, squid and chorizo

saffron is a winner, you don't need much, just a pinch for the rice.