Chicken Tikka Masala might very well be eaten more often than fish and chips in today’s multicultural London, but do not for a moment discount the influence of the Caribbean, especially when at the elegant Dorchester. Jamaican Orlando Myrie (formerly of Half Moon Hotel), flashes a brilliant smile that immediately warms the imposing Promenade, famous for its award-winning teas. “I’ve been here for almost four years,” he shares. He has, however, kept in touch with ‘yard’ and heaps praises on both Myrtle Dwyer and Stephen Ueker of the famed Half Moon Hotel. “Hail them up,” he tells Thursday Food, “and drink a Red Stripe Beer for me.”

Inside the mod-chic Sloane Square, Peter Jones’ store customers take time from Sunday shopping to enjoy a snack and flip through the pages of store magazine Waitrose Food Illustrated. We follow suit and once again swell with pride when, reaching Pages 98 and 99, we encounter a familiar face – that of Winston Stona. Stona, in an interview with Kevin Gould, speaks to his own life as an actor as well as the culinary journey he is now on. Gould describes Stona as “an evangelist for authentic Jamaican food”. How absolutely spot on he is. Stona has been instrumental in keeping us at Thursday Food constantly on our toes, sharing his food knowledge with us as a Table Talk Food Awards judge as well as compère. Stona’s description of the Scotch bonnet pepper tugs at the heartstrings and makes even those of us visiting the United Kingdom ever so briefly feel dreadfully homesick.

This is how Stona describes the infamous pepper: “Our Scotch Bonnet . she’s hot enough to mash up your mouth, but she also tastes of fresh citrus.”

London:

A Diners’ Paradise

Nostalgia aside, London is a diners’ paradise with restaurants galore. Sure, there’s lots of Indian-inspired fare and a stop at La Porte des Indes (“Gateway to India”), located at 32 Bryanston Street, will not only transport you to Mumbai (the sounds, colour, texture and foods), but the lush foliage, cascading waterfalls and various dining levels conjure up images of Goa. The food comes in portions that will leave you much too comfortable, with dishes like Tandoori prawns (king prawns rolled in caramelised garlic), garam masala and grilled in the tandoor. Roganjosh (the classic lamb curry of Kashmir) and multani naan (buttered tandoori baked bread with onion seeds, melon seeds and sesame).

Dessert is an absolute must, especially the jackfruit crème brûlée. Seafood is popular too with Randall & Aubin, located at 329-331 Fulham Road, laying claim to being (per square foot) London’s busiest restaurant. Fact is, Thursday Food joined the line (the glasses of Merlot helped ease the pain) and waited for almost an hour to be seated inside the cosy eatery. Eager and loyal patrons queue during the winter too.

It was well worth the wait with fruits de mer regally positioned comprising whole dressed crab, Mediterranean prawn salad, roasted Mediterranean prawns, roasted langoustine – grilled or chilled lobster with garlic butter, lemon and mayo.

The Irish sea bass proved more than a visual treat and the fish and chips with lashings of tartar sauce, a nostalgic walk down memory lane. It was the dessert, however, a sticky date pudding with caramel-flavoured icecream that transported us to gastronomical bliss, something we’re sure British Airways had in mind when they suggested a long weekend of restaurant crawling.