No reservation, no problem

Kate Krader's secret to eating well in London [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi hi, it’s [Kate Krader](, food editor at Bloomberg Pursuits, a New Yorker who is getting used to her new home in London and trying hard to sprinkle the occasional ‘tube’ and ‘flat’ references into conversation. (One thing I will never do: refer to the ubiquitous South African chicken restaurant chain Nando’s as ‘cheeky Nando’s.’) But let’s talk more about restaurants. I’m an expert at dining out—I do it at least five times a week. I know my way around a restaurant reservation. But even for an old hand like me, the process of booking a table in London is extremely challenging. Even in the midst of record high inflation here in the UK, it is outrageously hard to snag a seat at even middling popular dining rooms. Case in point: Some 1,500 people have already put in for a table at Harrod's new restaurant—and it's not even open yet. Photographer: Joe W. Howard Of course, it’s not just London afflicted by tough table syndrome. The cries against the availability of prime spots have been loud in New York for years. But I’d argue that the situation is even more acute here, especially with [the holiday season arriving](. You have to be intrepid to have a delicious, spur of the moment meal in London. And that’s true even at bars and counters that are nominally reserved for walk-ins. You’re going to need a bit of luck if you want to dine on the halibut cooked in corn husk at Kol. Photographer: Emli Bendixen for Bloomberg Pursuits How do I cope? With wine, of course. My dining lifeline has been the city’s remarkable wine bars. They are a phenomenon here, shelves lined with bottles of invariably interesting wines to drink there, or take away. The kitchens are usually postage-stamp-sized, but they manage to offer delicious dishes that are easily assembled. And most don’t take reservations, so spontaneity is not a sign of disorganization; rather, it’s a dining strategy. Hector’s in London is a life-saving wine bar. Photographer: Charlie McKay Luckily, my excellent colleague Howard Chua-Eoan, who [eats out for every meal](, has given me a road map. He wrote gorgeously about the phenomenon of them with a list of places to go that includes 40 Maltby, P.Franco, and Quality Wines. The highlight for him [was a little place in North London, Hector’s](. There’s no kitchen, yet it managed to be one of Howard’s favorite places to eat with oil-packed tins of mussels and anchovies, runny Spanish egg and potato tortillas from a nearby restaurant, and burrata imported from a dairy in Italy. Social media staple cacio e pepe, is it the new pumpkin spice? Photographer: Elena Noviello/Moment RF For me, the best wine bar is the new [Cadet, in Newington Green](. It has become my top destination and will keep me from starving in my new home. Cadet is backed by a team of food and wine experts around town: Francis Roberts, Tom Beattie, chef Jamie Smart, who used to [cook at Lyle’s](, and George Jephson, who makes [drop dead gorgeous pâtés en croûte](. They feature on the chalkboard menu that might also include chicken liver toasts with sweet pear, John Dory with bergamot, or pigeon with capers. All, of course, with the option of genius glasses of wine—that I can take away by the bottle, if I ever do start cooking in London. Connect with Kate on [Instagram]( and [Twitter](. Other ways to eat and drink around London. [Here’s Where Bankers Are Going to Drown Their Sorrows]( The autumn budget is just one reason the UK’s financial world needs a drink. [At the City’s Best Mexican Restaurant, There’s No Avocado in the Guacamole]( Coconut that’s really squid? Berries doing the duty of limes? [How Eating Through London Made It Feel Less Foreign—and More Like Home]( Another name for a place where everybody knows your name is “home.” [British Staple Wild Game Flocks to Menus All Over Town]( The dish is moving on from stuffy traditional spots to being featured on Indian and Thai tables. [Need a Drink? These Are the 13 Best Bars in London Right Now]( Cheers to world-class martinis and raspberry-infused cosmos. Holiday entertaining, made easy. ’Tis the season to not stress out. This week in Bloomberg Businessweek, our annual holiday entertaining special focuses on ways to make parties easier, including—gasp—not even cooking. [Emily Post’s Great-Great-Grandson Gives Great Holiday Hosting Advice]( [Why Bake? The Best Cakes for a Festive Dinner Are Available by Mail]( [Can You Really Make a Fancy Cocktail in 60 Seconds? A New Book Tells How]( [Fan the Flames of Dinner Party Excess With These Candles and Holders]( [The 14 Best New Spirits and Wine for Holiday Entertaining]( [85 Decadent Gifts to Spoil Your Whole List]( What else I’m reading. - Minor spoiler alert: The Guardian’s incredible saga about a [student who sued Pepsi for a $23 million Harrier fighter jet]( features an appearance by ex Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti. - If you want to know more about how the Woks of Life blog became [a bible for the Chinese community]( across the country, Kat Chow and Bon Appétit are here to tell you. - On this side of the pandemic, so many experiences feel newly affirming. [Luxury shopping might not be one of them](, says Eugene Rabkin in StyleZeitgeist. So, you had some questions... Whatever the topic, keep them coming for next week via our [Bloomberg Pursuits Instagram]( and [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question). What’s the best way to find under-the-radar local favorite restaurants in a city? This is a superb question and hard to answer because every city is different. But the best thing you can do is find your favorite food person in a city and stalk their Instagram. In London, it’s my aforementioned colleague [Howard Chua-Eoan](. In Florence I look to [Elizabeth Helman Minchilli]( (her app is Eat Florence). In Rome, [Katie Parla.]( Also see where your favorite chefs are eating—sure they support their friends in high-profile places but they also tend to know under-the-radar spots, too. Speaking of Rome: here’s where to find the best pasta in the Eternal City. Photographer: Michele De Punzio Favorite London restaurant right now? So I just wrote about my obsession with Cadet wine bar and it’s awesome. But if I’m sitting down at a restaurant, I’m going to shout out [Perilla](, which is, conveniently, right around the block from Cadet. It’s a gorgeous corner spot that has some of the hallmarks of a cool restaurant—the silverware and menu are tucked into drawers instead of on the table, the wine list leans natural. On the menu are dishes like a crumbed soft boiled egg that breaks open into a delectable Cheddar cheese sauce and a whole sea bream served on a grill rack with fermented gooseberries. But the reason you have to go is their ridiculous bread situation; it’s a sourdough studded with seaweed and served with whipped brown butter that you will literally spread over everything in sight. Is East London the center of the London food universe? East London is like Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in New York—it’s where all the action has been going and there are so many awesome places there, from [Lyle’s](, one of the city’s top spots, to Italian nose-to-tail place [Manteca](. But if I was headed in any direction it would probably be leafy North London, where all the city’s energy feels like it’s going. Aside from Hector’s and Cadet and the aforementioned Perilla, there’s also cult-favorite [Black Axe Mangal]( as well as whatever buzzy cocktail bar my diehard North Londoner colleague [Sarah Rappaport]( wants to go to, like [Little Mercies]( in Crouch End. Sometimes you have to get out of town, too, says Sarah. Here’s the seven best daytrips less than three hours from the city. Photographer: joe daniel price/Moment RF I recently stopped eating meat and want to know what’s the ingredient I should always have. As someone who tries hard (though not always successfully) to reduce her meat intake, it’s a really good moment to be looking at other options. Its breathtaking what a good job places are doing with plant-based dishes. Just look at [New York’s new guard of vegan spots](. Depending on how deep you’re going—Pescatarian? Vegetarian? Full vegan?—I would say that the one ingredient that you should make the most of right now is squash. Winter squash are high in a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, and super-versatile. Plus, they keep for a while if you buy one and end up letting it hang out on your counter. And the roasted seeds are super good for texture and flavor on just about everything. Also make 'shroom at the table for some fantastic fungi! Here’s five to know. Photographer: Naila Ruechel for Bloomberg Businessweek Farthest you’ve ever travelled for a particular meal? At the risk of being a cliché, I flew to Tokyo from New York specifically to eat at the Noma pop-up there. I got seats, then booked tickets to go and see [the live shrimp jumping off the plate](, the ants, all of it. That was a long flight from New York and completely worth it. But times are changing. I just had the chance to go to Noma in Copenhagen from London, which is less than a two-hour flight. It was about to close [before Redzepi and co. hit the road again](, and I wanted to go, badly. But I couldn’t swing it, so I went to a wine bar instead. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Pursuits newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](