Best for posh nosh
Merchants Tavern
Angela Hartnett is one of the brains behind this classy space, but it’s her partner Neil Borthwick at the stove. Expect highly seasonal cooking — at the moment, Gloucester Old Spot belly is served with roasted cauliflower and Savoy cabbage (£19.50), which is exactly the kind of thing you need on a cold wintry day.
36 Charlotte Road, EC2 (020 7060 5335; merchantstavern.co.uk)
Best for dinner and a show
One Leicester Street
Chef Tom Harris mans the open kitchen at one end of the simple dining room. Here, Middle White pork belly is turned into a delicious wafer-thin ham starter, with changing seasonal vegetables — right now, sour cabbage and mustard (£8.50). The crispy devilled pig’s skin with smoked cod’s roe (£7) is also wonderful.
1 Leicester Street, WC2 (020 3301 8020; oneleicesterstreet.com)
Best for meat monsters
Tongue ‘n Cheek
A food truck with a mission: to get us eating more of those tasty and underrated cuts of meat and unfamiliar fish. You’ve got to try the Heartbreaker burger, a winning combination of dried aged beef and ox heart, ground together perfectly. But don’t miss the Belly Connection — an insane yet awesome combo of burger, pork belly and gorgonzola.
