Table of Contents
By Lucas Nicholson.
When tailors and other artisans visit us in London, they nearly always ask about the best places to eat. Their hotel is already booked after all, and they know what they’re doing all day. But local restaurant recommendations can be great – they’re a good way to get to know a city, and the last thing you want to be doing after a long day is wander aimlessly looking for food.
So, this is my guide to six of Permanent Style’s favourite London eateries – each one in neighbourhoods where there’s plenty of menswear establishments nearby.
We’ve also included a suggested outfit for each restaurant. This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but we think it’s a good indicator of the vibe of a place – how formal it is, how fancy or laid back. And as the possibilities for dressing up seem to shrink, one clear opportunity is going out to eat, taking the time to enjoy your loved ones’ company and a delicious meal.
Pictured below: Simon and I outside Kiln. Simon is wearing a navy seersucker suit from Jean-Manuel Moreau, with a Permanent Style chambray shirt and Edward Green Piccadilly loafers. I’m wearing vintage Levi’s, a J Mueser jacket, Permanent Style chambray shirt and Gucci loafers
Kiln
Location: Soho
Food: Thai
Price: ££
Website: kilnsoho.com
What to wear: Casual dress code, jeans and a shirt or even a T-shirt. Perhaps a Bryceland’s chambray shirt, Rubato chinos and Alden boots.
I don’t think the Permanent Style team have ever left Kiln disappointed, though I have left in a transcendental/out of body state when I’ve over spiced. This isn’t one for tame taste buds.
Based on northern Thai cuisine, there is potential for an explosion of flavours and it’s authentic, so not somewhere to pop into for a pad thai. We’d suggest something like the Laab mince with salad, and glass noodles in a clay pot with crab.
Arrive just before lunch as you can’t book. Sit at the bar (the cooking end) so you can watch the chefs cook over the open fire. Or for a more relaxed feel, sit in the corner at the front of the restaurant, where the vinyl records are – away from the action but with a full view of the restaurant. Order an ice-cold beer and soak in the atmosphere.
The Arlington
Location: St James’s
Food: Classic European
Price: £££
Website: www.arlington.london
What to wear: Smart. For example an Anthology Jacket, Kit Blake trouser, Edward Green loafers and Luca Avitabile shirt. Take the opportunity to wear a tie even
If Jeremy King, the proprietor of The Arlington, knows one thing it is how to build and work a room. Having previously been behind some of the most iconic spots in London (The Wolseley, Fischer’s, The Delauney) he’s back with two new restaurants, of which we’ll focus on The Arlington (the other being The Park).
This is classic metropolitan dining. You can dress up – I was pleasantly surprised when I went for dinner recently to see nearly every gentleman in a jacket and the women equally elegant. It feels a bit like a time capsule from the 90s or 00s, and for me that isn’t an insult! The pianist plays quiet jazz in the corner, adding atmosphere but never disrupting the gentle hum of conversation.
Start with a Martini, and then depending on how you feel on the day go for the endive salad or steak tartare to start. For the main – one of the specials, hake with samphire and beurre blanc when I was there. For dessert the frozen Scandinavian berries with hot white chocolate.
Luca
Location: Farringdon
Food: Italian
Price: £££
Website: luca.restaurant
What to wear: Dress up a little. A Taillour suit with a stimulating shirt perhaps, and Gucci loafers
Luca will always have a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first places I took my now wife when we started dating. It is modern Italian dining, has a great atmosphere and an excellent wine list.
Start with a glass of their grower champagne, maybe a Pierre Gerbais with some parmesan fries. If you can convince the party to get on board, take the chef’s menu. Everything I’ve ever eaten at Luca has been great, and there’s something quite enjoyable about letting someone else make these decisions, allowing you to enjoy the conversation and company.
In fact if you’re feeling flush speak to the sommelier and let them choose a wine pairing too. In some ways this is true luxury in dining – trusting the place to look after you in every respect.
The Dover
Location: Mayfair
Food: Modern American-Italian
Price: £££
Website: thedoverrestaurant.com
What to wear: Perhaps smart with an edge: vintage blue Levi’s, black Crockett’s loafers, a PS white button-down shirt and a navy Saman Amel blazer.
The Dover is one of the sexiest restaurants PS has been to in recent years. I recommend arriving early and taking a cocktail at the bar. It gives you a chance to people-watch – this is definitely a place to see and be seen.
The service is immaculate. It feels like the diners are outnumbered by the wait staff, and not in an overbearing way. Rather in the way that as soon as you look for someone to ask a question to, or re-order, they’re already there and ready to help.
The dishes are classic and easy. I started with a prawn cocktail and washed it down with a bottle of Au Bon Climant chardonnay (not by myself by this point, don’t worry). I skipped the pasta course and moved straight to mains, ordering the beef arrosto and mash with a side of broccoli (because you must eat your greens, or so I’m told). The thinly sliced beef with jus and mash was wonderfully comforting and substantial.
We also moved on to a Bon Climant pinot noir, because American-Italian food is about comfort and why risk the experience by not ordering something you know you like? For dessert we shared a baked cheesecake with maraschino cherries.
Blanchette
Location: Soho
Food: French/European
Price: ££
Website: www.blanchettesoho.co.uk
What to wear: Smart casual. Let’s go with a a Drake’s Games blazer with an oxford shirt and loafers
I first met Maxime and Yannis, two of the three brothers behind Blanchette, while working at Drake’s. They’re menswear fans and customers of a number of the brands featured on Permanent Style. But more importantly they’re charming and incredibly hospitable, and the food is great.
I would describe Blanchette as a modern French bistro – it has everything you’d imagine, but also a strong selection of vegetarian dishes and an extensive wine list.
Tucked away in a back street of Soho, the dimly lit rooms have exposed brickwork and small wooden chairs. Always buzzy and full of chatter, it’s intimate and romantic. Which is obviously why I took photographer Jamie Ferguson and Simon there for dinner last year! They both loved it and have been back several times since. It’s unpretentious and a cozy respite from the madness of Soho.
The menu constantly changes here but I would start with some cheese beignets – delicious cheesy clouds that send umami shivers down your spine. A selection of charcuterie will always follow, greedily washed down with a bottle of red. When I took the PS team we shared a few mains, including a delicious octopus tentacle and some slow-cooked beef. Sides are good too – make sure to get the French beans with a vinaigrette and shaved Comté.
Every time I’m in Blanchette I feel nostalgic for a time when London – and particularly Soho – felt more alive, when local restaurants could thrive because the corporate overloads hadn’t increased rents so much that everything became a Chipotle.
Andrew Edmunds
Location: Soho
Food: British/European/Seasonal
Price: £££
Website: www.andrewedmunds.com
What to wear: Smart casual. A real range but I’ll go with Saman Amel City Mocs with black jeans and an unstructured jacket. Maybe a small jaunty scarf?
Often referred to as one of the last bastions of old Soho, Andrew Edmunds is an icon of the London scene, and hard to get a table at since it opened in 1985 – so book early if you’re visiting. It’s a lesson in Britishness, slightly cramped and uncomfortable, a little sparse and rickety, but still managing to be welcoming and warm.
One Christmas my wife and I were doing our last-minute shopping before travelling up north to spend it with her family. Foolishly we hadn’t booked for dinner but we managed to get a table here for two at 6pm (a Christmas miracle!). The food was as unfussy and delicious as ever.
Part of Andrew Edmunds’s secret is its sourcing, something it takes very seriously. The quality of the individual ingredients is what shines, and the dishes don’t come with much pomp or circumstance. This does also mean it’s hard to suggest particular dishes as the menu changes so regularly.
We shared the mussels and venison, then my wife had the Dover Sole – because this is exactly the sort of place you order that – and I had a small game bird. Smaller birds are always more challenging to cook, but this was moist and perfectly seasoned.
The wine list is famous for choosing up-and-coming wine producers, which can make it hard to select from. Luckily for me my brother-in-law is an excellent wine producer in Piedmont, so he acts as my personal sommelier! I ordered something I hadn’t heard of but got a knowing nod from the sommelier, which gave me an entirely undeserved glow of pride. If you’re not so well-resourced I’d certainly have confidence taking the sommelier’s recommendation.
Honourable mentions: There are of course many other restaurants we love that fit the criteria above – in the same area, styles, rough price point etc. Here are some of those. Do please recommend your own as well (and say why!)
- Maison Francois – French
- Quality Chop House – British
- Mount St Restaurant – British
- The French House – French
- Noble Rot – Modern European
First and last images: Blanchette
