Hausu
Bowls of "Dad's Broth" are served alongside a sour apple mezcal margarita. It's an overwhelmingly good start. To follow the Hausu open kitchen - based below ground level so that you can see all of the magic unfold - serves plates of deep-fried scallop and prawn toast, perfectly charred skewers of cabbage doused in sweet to sour concoction of tahini and molasses, cod cheeks bathed in mojo verde and sprinkled with spring onion and the iconic kohlrabi cake topped with a rich curry sauce and jerusalem artichoke puree. The flavours are top-notch, the wines slurpable and the hi-fidelity sound system in the background is pure perfection.
where to next?
Named after 1970s New York DJ Larry Levan (the owners are music-mad), this bistro is always buzzing. The space has an open kitchen, deep blue walls and a dining room in two parts, while the refined menu is big on cheesy comfort (Comté fries with saffron aïoli, gnudi with wild garlic and Lincolnshire Poacher). There’s an extensive natural wine selection and a strong playlist. Next door at Bar Levan there is more biodynamic wine and late opening on weekends. A grown-up neighbourhood duo that Londoners travel for.
This, the little sibling to neighbourhood bistro Levan, might just be even more fun. It's mini, with moody lighting and high stools lined up against the bar and windows where locals sip organic and biodynamic wines recommended by charming and familiar staff and graze on French-influenced dishes from the chalkboard menu. Our pick is slices of baguette with saucisson and pickles, the devilled egg with Kewpie mayo and trout roe followed by a bavette, frites and a salad to share (delivered from the restaurant next door). Always buzzy, it feels like the place to be.
