La Polenteria, London
Building a restaurant concept around a single ingredient – especially one that’s a bit on the bland side – is a very brave move indeed. But Soho’s La Polenteria has done just that, recently staking a claim to be London’s first polenta restaurant. If – and it’s a big if – there was a void just begging to be filled with a restaurant where Italy’s foremost cornmeal-heavy carbohydrate had top billing, then La Polenteria have certainly aced it. Beyond European patrons already familiar with this continental comfort food, local diners are being encouraged by the gluten-free meal possibilities offered by the grain. A starter of bruschetta replaces bread with chargrilled polenta, while mains feature a creamier polenta base, with Italian-themed toppings including Sicilian caponata, wild boar stew, and crab. The Italian wine list also merits a mention, as does the polenta-promoting zeal of the waiting staff.
64 Old Compton Street, W1, lapolenteria.com
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My food vice… Candied chestnuts
Here are some shortcuts to gastronomical authenticity: lemongrass equals instant Thai; chipotle takes you straight to Mexico; and candied chestnuts are a one-way ticket to Christmas. Called marrons glacés if you’re posh (and if you’re eating them, you probably are), these sweet treats are more Christmassy than a kip in Santa’s beard. If they were a celebrity chef they’d be Nigella: soothing yet haughty, expensive and naughty in a classy way. Unabashedly sweet, the little brainy nuts are steeped in warm sugar syrup before baking. Bought individually wrapped in seemingly backlit gold paper, they’re ripe for popping by the fire after supper, but I’ve always preferred them as a high-end ingredient, a sort of white truffle for desserts. Crumbled over ice cream they elevate it to celebration status. Folded into boozy cream they’ll salvage even the most arid of old panettone.
£40 for 240g, fortnumandmason.com
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Joanna Fuertes-Knight on food… Pret prevention
Hands up if you’re a fan of piously making kilos of lentil curry for lunch? Hands up if you end up chucking mouldy curry in the bin because you spunked all your wages on caesar subs and artisan coffees instead? The key to a successful packed lunch is a two-step process. Firstly: be realistic. If, like me, you work in an office, you need at least one day a week with the luxury of a bought lunch. It’s like peeling open a tiny, underwhelming Christmas gift each week and takes the edge off all those passive-aggressive emails you’ve been drafting. Secondly: just double-up on evening meals. Do not attempt bulk cooking for the week. Why? Because batch meals are for parents who have chest freezers and their lives together, not millennials with contactless debit cards and zero self-control when they’re walking past a Pret. Mmm’kay?
