Award-winning TV chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver has been a comforting staple on our small screens and radios for decades, whether as a judge on Great British Menu, a panel member on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet or exploring her heritage in the Caribbean islands with her daughter Miquita.
Her love of food started as a social thing, a way to connect with friends and family. When she moved to London from Suffolk as a teenager in the late 70s, “we were always cooking and having parties,” she says. “We would have big warehouse parties and set up a little cooking area in the back and make fried chicken and Caribbean food for everybody at the party. That’s the brilliant thing about the food scene in London: it's a social thing. It connects you with like-minded people.
“I didn’t have any money, so going to fancy restaurants was not on the agenda for me” Andi explains, “so we would find small, affordable places to visit, where we could get an incredible meal for five pounds. I guess that's when I really fell in love with food because it was a way for us to be able to go out with the people we love. There was a Malaysian place called Makan Cafe at the top of Portobello, where we'd all gather and have these great big lunches, because we could afford it. Food brings people together, so places like that meant that people who didn't have loads of money could find ways to connect with each other.”
Andi knows how to provide these experiences first-hand, as well as presenting them on our screens. She ran pop-up restaurant The Moveable Feast for four years, then became the creative director of the Birdcage Pub on London's Columbia Road before launching her own kitchen in the renovated pub The Jackdaw and Star in Homerton. Now, she runs Wadadli, a project working on collaborative cultural exchange programmes and events through the prism of food.
“The thing that I'm most interested in is food that is accessible to anyone and everyone,” she says. “We should be celebrating the spots that are available to whoever happens to stumble upon them, offering food for whatever it is that you've got in your pocket – those are the places that make London as extraordinary, exciting and brilliant as it is.” Below, Andi shares her five favourite places to eat out in London.
Shankeys, Hackney
“This is the most incredibly exciting place, plus it's so affordable for anybody's pocket. Chef Sacha Henry comes from a Punjabi Indian heritage and he's also English, so his food spans across all of those points of the globe. The food is beautiful, they have loads and loads of little plates. Eoghan Shankey is the world's best front-of-house person on the planet, and he makes the most brilliant drinks. The food is spectacularly flavoursome, explosive and just wonderful."
Who comes here?
"It’s literally for everybody, from people who want to spend £20 to £200. That's what I love about it. I think a restaurant should be a place where everybody's going to feel comfortable, and this is the most welcoming place in the world."
Best table in the restaurant?
"There are only about 10 tables in there, it's a really small place so you can just sit at any table and you’ll be fine."
Best time to come?
"Most days they open at 6pm, so I would go for dinner – hunker in and get Eoghan to make you delicious drinks all night."
The dish to order?
“Order the cauliflower and cheese paratha. You literally can't believe what you're eating, the paratha is perfectly flakey; the cauliflower cheese is buttery; the chilli punches through.”
Sunny Side Up Café, Piccadilly Circus
“I actually didn't learn the story of Madame Clicquot until I first started working with Veuve Clicquot, but she is the most extraordinary woman. She was a really early female entrepreneur 250 years ago when women weren’t allowed to work for themselves, but her husband died so she took over the business. The Veuve Clicquot Sunny Side Up Café is an homage to her – I just find her story so inspiring.”
Best table in the restaurant?
"In the sunniest spot you can find – one of the tables by the windows looking straight over Regent Street."
Best time to come?
“We’re talking brunch here. The café was such a hit in 2022, so this year we’ve elevated it and turned it into a moment of beauty and inspiration with an art gallery attached to it.”
The dish to order?
“We’ve come up with the most brilliant menu – my favourite thing is the saltfish and callaloo green shakshuka. It’s a bit of a play on an Arnold Bennett omelette, so we’ve got a bit of smoked haddock, some saltfish, gorgeous silky spinach, a lovely creamy sauce and baked eggs. So we’re bringing together both sides of my life really, which is the Caribbean side and the British side, all together in a little iron skillet.”
Sabor, Soho
"For when I feel like I need a little treat, I go to Sabor [in Soho]. Nieves Barragan manages to bridge homeliness and comfort with elegance in the most incredibly wonderful way. She makes things feel modern without them feeling forced. Her food is full of personality, incredibly elegant, and absolutely delicious."
Best table in the restaurant?
“My favourite place there is the counter. I like sitting there and just watching that kitchen, I find it incredibly soothing and very satisfying to just sit there. ”
Best time to come?
“I'm a fan of a very long lunch. Go for lunch here, and then stay as long as you can – it’s an incredible place to spend the day. ”
The dish to order?
"I like the tortilla, it's unbelievably silky. We sat at the counter watching them make perfect tortilla after perfect tortilla. It's such a feat – they just do it by eye and they know exactly the second when to take it out of that little plan. It’s a wonderful thing to watch."
Sen Noods, Southbank
"This is another cool little spot that I love. It's run these two young guys in a truck on the Southbank, and they exemplify what I love most about the London food scene – they are passionate about doing one thing really, really well."
Who comes here?
"Anyone looking for a cheap meal that will blow you away."
Best table in the restaurant?
"There’s nowhere to sit – it’s a takeaway food truck."
Best time to come?
"Whenever you need some serious comfort. These noodles are just perfect for if you feel like you need a hug."
The dish to order?
"They only do noodles – they make them fresh and they make the most gorgeous broths. There’s you just four things on the menu. I get the Dan Dan noodles, which are a sort of sesame, nutty, silky, chilli delight. They’re honestly so soothing."
Tatale, Southbank
"The chef of Tatale is Akwasi Brenya-Mensa – he is heartfelt, artistic, and creative, and he expands the idea that food connects you completely to culture and stories. He's also an installation artist which I find interesting. He brings his whole life and history to the plate, each dish that he delivers has a personal story that goes with it. It's a really wonderful way to be introduced to Ghanaian food."
Who comes here?
“Anyone who wants to try absolutely delicious food that is a bit different to anything you’ve had before. There are lots of flavours and ingredients that I know but would never think to use in these types of dishes.”
Best table in the restaurant?
"There's a little balcony and there’s a nice bar upstairs, but I like a little corner table, so I’d sit downstairs in the corner. Some of the most beautiful people you've ever seen in the world just come in through the door so it’s great for people watching."
Best time to come?
“Go for dinner. The Africa Centre is a beautiful place to sit; there’s amazing art everywhere, and there are fascinating people coming through the doors. There’s also really good music – often you go to restaurants and the food is really good but the music is horrible, but here the music is fantastic, the people are wonderful, the drinks are great, and the lighting is right.”
The dish to order?
“My favourite thing to eat there is called omotuo. It's a traditional Ghanaian dish with a ball of white mashed rice, with a groundnut soup that goes around it. It's one of the most soothing, gentle, life-affirming things I’ve ever tried. There is a story behind every dish, so you feel like the world is opening up in front of you.”