Foodie pop-ups: London 2021's gastronomic ventures

Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park

Michelin-starred cook and chef to the people Tom Kerridge is reviving his Pub in the Park summer series, with two London pit-stops on the southern England-wide tour. A celebration of local gastronomy that melds mealtimes with musical performances, the foodie festival is a chance to sample the wares of popular restaurants shrunk to pint-sized pop-ups.

In Dulwich Park in June, diners can tuck into dishes from Kerridge’s own gastropub The Hand & Flowers, Peckham’s elevated Thai offering The Begging Bowl and a selection of Atul Kochhar’s restaurants. Catch performances from Beverley Knight and Gabrielle, and boogie to a Basement Jaxx DJ set.

Then in Chiswick in September, foodies can sample delights from Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, Chantelle Nicholson’s sustainability-focused restaurant All’s Well, and Jason Atherton’s Little Social among others, while chefs including Andrew Pern and Marcus Wareing will be sharing their top kitchen tips. Performances come from the Kaiser Chiefs, Marc Almond and The Feeling.

Adult tickets to Pub in the Park from £31.

Carousel

The lever has been pulled and the speed has been accelerated at Carousel’s rotating kitchen in Marylebone, where founding brothers Ollie and Ed Templeton are welcoming seven guest chefs this season.

The line-up, which features a slew of starry chefs that helm some of the UK’s most exciting restaurants, is as follows: South Korean chef Joo Won (Tuesday 25 May-Saturday 5 June), James Murray of Jimmy's Fried Chicken (Thursday 10 - Sunday 13 June), Pachamama East’s John Javier (Tuesday 15 - Saturday 19 June), acclaimed Indian chef Jitin Joshi (Tuesday 22 June - Saturday 3 July), Akoko’s William Chilila (Tuesday 6 July - Saturday 10 July) and former Norma chef Lee Westcott (Tuesday 13 - Saturday 17 July).

Workshops are also back on the agenda. Look out for a programme of zero-waste cooking, pasta-making and barbecuing masterclasses.

Tate's Kusama-inspired menu

To complement its ongoing exhibition of Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Rooms - due to see visitors flock to the gallery in droves for the next year to snap a kaleidoscopic selfie - Tate Modern has launched a special menu inspired by the Japanese artist's work. Expect dishes as delicate and colourful as the twinkling installations, among them: Yakitori venison, Blackened sea trout and miso chocolate mousse.

Solas at The Savoy

Outdoor dining is here to stay at The Savoy, where the entrance – formerly known as a black cab conveyor belt – has been repurposed into a stately dining area over which hangs a spectacular Art Deco-inspired installation of flowing foliage and suspended glassware. Called Solos, the pop-up takes its name from the Gaelic for light, joy and comfort – a sentiment the team here are hoping to see ripple through society as we emerge from confinement. From the menu, we're looking forward to a strong selection of seafood (with the option to add a whisky pairing courtesy of Bowmore Whisky) and properly pukka cocktails.

Covent Garden's Rosé Festival

Nothing signals the start of summer like uncorking that first bottle of a crisp and frosty rosé. Covent Garden is hosting a three-week festival in celebration of the seasonal drink, offering the chance to sample blush-coloured bottles from leading labels, among them Mirabeau, Amie Wine and HUN Wine. There are nine stalls in total, serving over 30 varieties of wine – meaning you'll walk away as something of a connoisseur.

Taste of London, Regent's Park

Chefs from over 30 of London's best restaurants will be cooking upwards of 135 dishes between them, with each restaurant boasting one star dish that's made exclusively for the festival, as well as signature dishes from their menu. Following a Covid-enforced hiatus in 2020, Taste of London returns to Regent's Park this summer for a 10-day celebration of the city's best restaurants and thrilling gastronomic ventures.

Dodge, Somerset House

Postponed from January but all the more appropriate for summer, Dodge is a new al fresco festival-style experience set to enliven the Somerset House courtyard with a swathe of colourful artworks, late-night DJ sets and musical dodgems.

Behind the food is barbecue maestro Jimmy Garcia, who has created a summer feast complete with bone-marrow burgers, sriracha fries and freshly made burrata from London’s La Latteria. At the weekend, waffle-led Bump & Brunch packages will see the bubbles flowing, while nostalgia-inducing sundaes will complete the fairground experience.

Nomadic Kitchen Table

Flee inner-city life for a night of magical woodland dining. Nestled deep within 90 acres of woodland within the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, Nomadic Kitchen Table serves up a foraged feast cooked on an open flame, using wild seasonal ingredients. Nomadic can host private events of up to 30 guests between its cosy tepee and rustic outdoor dining table.

The ongoing Feast Over Fire series is priced at £99pp and includes a welcome cocktail made with local botanicals and a guided foraging tour of the estate.

Funicular Productions: The Murdér Express

Back by deadly demand: The Murdér Express is one of Funicular Productions’ signature experiences, and it returns this season, taking new cohorts of pleasure-seekers on ‘a journey of a lifetime’. Head back in time to the newly opened Pedley Street Station, where you’ll be among the first to ride the new luxury train: The Murdér Express. Sip on cocktails, tuck in to a fancy feast but don’t get too comfy, as the train’s name unsubtly suggests, something more sinister could be on board. Look forward to entertainment and storylines from a professional cast, and a multi-course meal from MasterChef: the Professionals finalist and long-term Funicular collaborator Louisa Ellis.

Tickets cost £60 - £65pp.

Fallow at 10 Heddon Street

Jack Croft and Will Murray, aka the chefs behind sustainability-focused restaurant concept Fallow, were due to be in residence at 10 Heddon Street's rotating kitchen for much of the past year, but the lockdown saw them switch table service for takeaway meal kits. Fortunately, they're back behind the stoves. The pair, who met while working at two Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston, come to the Mayfair kitchen after a two-month stint at Crispin in Spitalfields.

The ‘root to stem’ and ‘nose to tail’ menu – which changes weekly and at least 50% of which is vegan – showcases the pair's pared-down, small-plate offering, and celebrates parts of animals and plants that would ordinarily be thrown away (hello, chicken scratchings and veal tail). Meanwhile, drinks place the spotlight on biodynamic and sustainable wine producers.

Brat at Climpson’s Arch

In a bid to keep his customers well fed while dining outdoors, Chef-owner Tomos Parry has doubled down on the Basque-inspired, wood-fired cooking of his Michelin-starred restaurant Brat in Shoreditch, opening a covered pop-up at Climpson’s Arch in Hackney. Here, you can dine on the likes of whole turbot (a Brat signature), spider crab, grilled peas and breads from a wood-fired oven, without having to worry about the safety of dining under one roof in close proximity to strangers. Bookings are being taken for groups of two, four and six people.

Eleven98 at Hackney Coffee Co

Hackney Coffee Co is a coffee shop by day, interactive fine-dining experience by night (on occasion). Going by the name Eleven98, the pop-up supper clubs are held roughly once a month and seat up to 20 guests at a time. Guests are welcomed with a cocktail on arrival – but are expected to bring their own drink of choice to see them through the rest of the evening – leaving the focus on chef Aidan Brooks’ six-course tasting menu, which is comprised largely of ingredients grown in the borough of Hackney. Tickets £66pp.

Michelle Trusselle's Myristica supper club

Fine dining meets Caribbean soul food at Michelle Trusselle’s delectable supper clubs. Dishes are exciting, overtly colourful and impossibly pretty – arranged with intense attention to detail on the plate. The food is sourced sustainably, too, all found locally in a bid to mirror the freshness of meals served in the Caribbean. The supper clubs are held once a month and are regularly booked up well in advance, so hurry if you want to reserve a seat at the table.

Mamma Mia! The Party

First came the music, followed by the hit stage show, then not one but two blockbuster movies, and now you can be part of the party with a Mamma Mia immersive experience. London's O2 will host a theatrical and dining experience, which has already impressed in Stockholm. Mamma Mia! The Party invites audiences into a Greek island paradise, where olive trees, trickling fountains and trailing bougainvillea transport you to Nikos' Taverna for an evening of Mediterranean food and live performance. Tickets £99 - £180.