The idea of food as a trend is just perfect. Food is an ever-swinging pendulum of the delicious, playful, and ridiculous, pushed by cultural curiosity and our desire to reinvent or simply rebrand. Look around and you’ll see food trends everywhere. In the basket of the guy queuing beside you at Tesco. The recipe your mate sends you on Instagram. That pasta your college has for lunch. Everywhere.

Classic Portuguese recipes, veganised. Plantuguese aren’t afraid to play with and imitate their food. Almost every dish on their menu includes a mock fish, meat or cheese, from the meat-feast that is a francesinha to seafood centrepieces like bacalhau à brás. Plantuguese serve bold and authentic dishes with compassion at the forefront of their menu.

Authentic Turkish cuisine, curated by region and Ece’s own taste of home. Meyze’s founder is sharing her own innovative takes on classic dishes. From bold, saucy dips to deliciously baked breads, Meyze specialise in veg forward small plates, with seafood appreciated in small doses.

Second dates are like axolotls; they require extremely specific conditions in which to thrive. We are not in the business of recommending restaurants for first dates, because everybody knows that going for dinner on a first date is a terrible idea. A first date must be low-stakes on the commitment front, one that can be evacuated quickly if events turn south. A subsequent date offers a wealth of opportunity. As Robert De Niro observed in Taxi Driver, “you can tell a lot about someone from how they eat”. 

As their name suggests, their noodles really aren’t just noodles. Made fresh every day using local wheat, their noodles are bouncy, delicate and simply delicious. In the last year, Nala have fast become Clifton’s go to noodle bar and its easy to see why.

Known as the foodie capital of Europe, you’d be hard-pressed to have a bad meal in San Sebastian. That being said, there are some dishes that’ll really blow your socks off. Here’s mine.

In the spirit of figuring out where I’m eating or drinking this weekend, I thought I’d share my current Hot List — the top 5 spots in London I’m desperate to check out.

Last week marked the opening of Jikoni’s brand new restaurant location in Bristol city centre.

Jikoni East Africa serve street food from Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. We have been firm favourites of Jikoni since their pop up at the Pipe and Slippers, earlier this year, so you can imagine our delight when we were kindly invited to celebrate with them at their soft launch.