Where to go for Low and No
JANUARY can be a dark time for hospitality, but just because you are watching your alcohol intake does not mean you should ignore London’s outrageously interesting dining scene. Here are some of my favourite places to dine when dry.
SUNE
Since opening, East London’s Sune has been beloved by anyone that takes flavour seriously. Reminiscent of a New York bolthole with its worn wood, white brick and moss green décor, they produce a hyper seasonal grill-led menu and an enviable natural wine list.
“The key thing about low-or-no is complexity,” explained Honey Spencer, lauded international sommelier and co-owner of Sune. Given Spencer’s credentials, there was no way their alcohol-free options were going to be less than impressive, and each has been considered from a food-pairing perspective. We start with a Utopia & Soda, a bitingly fresh aperitif of apple, wild cherry and elderflower drinking vinegar from the Czech Republic, with a dash of homemade honey syrup and a gently saline Japanese soda water.
“Pairing food with non-alcoholic options is way more complex,” says Spencer. “Millions have been spent to research and develop them”. Tea-based beverages are a hit here. The Saicho Darjeeling Sparkling had the umami to pair with grilled squid skewers and the Muri Fade to Black, a fermented blend of botanicals, tasted like a Nordic forest of dark berries that
elevated the mushroom polenta to high-end comfort food.
Their signature dish however, a Frankenstein mash-up of gooey, cheesy croque monsieur topped with rough-cut beef tartare and capers, is what I would return for again and again. Paired with Muri’s wine-adjacent Passing Clouds, it is a revelation on culinary rule-breaking and cements Sune as a dining destination even during the dreariest ‘dry’ month.
LE PETITE MAISON
This is the restaurant where I learned I could have an entire meal paired with non-alcoholic drinks – and never miss the booze. Mayfair’s Le Petite Maison feels like a special occasion as soon as you enter, with its glossy clientele of trendy young professionals, super-sized floristry displays, bold paintings and the swagger of a giant bottle of olive oil (we all know how expensive that has become recently) on each table.
I mistakenly thought the tomatoes and lemons were a funky take on table décor, until we were told we could chop them up to make our own salad. The food, made for sharing, is superb, from the razor-thin slices of beef carpaccio to the comforting ragu. The snails, bubbling in buttery, garlicky goodness, and the dover sole, light and rich all the same time, were the best I have experienced in London.
Never, however, have I felt abstinence would be such a pleasure. Their signature martini has become the Tomati-no, and it was fantastic. Fresh, with the fruitiness of tomato with a savoury elegance, topped with black pepper. The Nogroni Sbagliato tasted like a pleasantly light version of the real thing and the coupe of Rosé Champagne Colada was beautiful, even if the Temple of Doom-sized ball of ice kept rolling into my nose as I drank it. Overall, this is high end hydration. As my dining companion said, “Who knew low-or-no could feel like a treat?”.
KAPARA
Soho’s pretty-in-pink Kapara is a place to dip into for Eastern Mediterranean cooking and a party atmosphere. It is also an attractive place to sit and enjoy their unique Gazoz, a non-alcoholic drink from Israeli born chef Eran Tibi’s home country. The extensive list of small-batch, home-made cordials can be explored with each course, with the Lemon & Rose working especially well with their signature dish of smoky aubergine mess and the Cherry & Black Pepper hitting the right notes with a dish of beetroot cured salmon, caviar and goats cheese.
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