Eat With Ellen’s June Food News

ROVI by Ottolenghi opens a new restaurant in Fitzrozia this month

ROVI by Ottolenghi opens a new restaurant in Fitzrozia this month

To anyone who tunes in for their monthly food fix, I owe you an apology for the absence of a May update. I’ve got no excuse really, other than life ran away with me a bit. Not again, I promise. Especially when there’s so much going on in June. The food festival scene is ramping up, we’re all in the holiday mood and holidays mean FOOD. I’m on my jollies myself, writing this from France where we’re road tripping down the west coast to San Sebastian where I plan to eat all the Pintxos I can find.

But fear not, there’s plenty of food-filled excitement right on our doorstep, or just a few hours from London if you fancy a staycation. From festival fun to new openings, try some of these for size…

 

MUST GO

Belle About Town eagerly anticipates Taste fo London, the highlight of our June food newsTaste of London

I’m gutted to be missing this one. Taste of London returns to Regent’s Park from June 13-17, bringing you everything from top chefs to a new ‘Fire Pit Stage’ as well as an artisan food market and ‘House of Hops’ if you’re a beer or cider fan. You can try out fine dining at the Taste Residence or feast on barbecue at the Fire Pit stage with the likes of Josh Katz of Berber & Q, David Carter of Smokestak and Pip Lacey of Hicce. And that’s just scratching the surface really. Check out london.tastefestivals.com for more details and tickets.

Taste of London, Regent’s Park, Chester Rd, London NW1 4NR. Nearest stations – Baker Street, Warren Street, Regent’s Park, Great Portland Street.

 

ROVI by Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi and his team are opening a new restaurant in Fitzrovia this month. ROVI opens on Wells Street on June 21, with a vegetable-focused menu that will apparently focus on  fermentation and cooking over fire. Dishes will include things like kohlrabi ‘ravioli’ with peas, broad beans and yuzu kosho and confit mussels with hay-smoked potatoes and cascabel oil and apparently the restaurant is looking to work with small producers like Ethical Shellfish Company. Sounds good to me! For more information visit ottolenghi.co.uk/rovi

ROVI, 55 Wells Street. London W1A 3AE. Nearest stations – Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street

 

Island Poke teams up with Mac & Wild

Island Poke, the guys behind the signature ‘poke bowls’ are launching their fourth location in Great Titchfield Street and are teaming up with close neighbour Mac & Wild to celebrate. On Monday and Tuesday (June 4 & 5) the Mac & Wild bowl will be just £1 to everyone who goes in the restaurant.

The Island Poké x Mac & Wild bowl remixes typically Scottish ingredients and puts them into a poké format, including things like salmon in a seared buckthorn elderflower glaze topped with wild garlic, kimchi and charred fennel covered with pickled foraged seaweed, crab mayo and puffed barley.

If you haven’t heard of Island Poké, it started out as streetfood, taking the concept of poke – traditionally cubed, marinated fish – to another level, adding a base of rice or slaw topped with seaweeds, fruit salsas, pickles and garnishes. It has sites on Kingly Street in Soho, Broadgate Circle and Canary Wharf, with the new Great Titchfield Street location launching in Monday.

Island Poke Fitzrovia, 1 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 8AU. Nearest stations – Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road

 

June food news with Belle About Town and Eat With EllenOUT OF TOWN

Shrewsbury Food Festival

If you fancy a weekend trip out, how about the Shrewsbury Food Festival at the end of the month (June 23-24). Set against a backdrop of 29 acres of picturesque parkland in Shrewsbury’s Quarry Park, you’ll have the chance to feast on delights from artisan food producers from Shropshire and beyond. There’s entertainment, demonstrations from chefs

including Paul Askew and Leo Kattou, and the BBQ awards bringing Britain’s best barbeque-ers to Shrewsbury. For more information visit shrewsburyfoodfestival.co.uk

The Quarry, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JA. Nearest station – Shrewsbury

 

Legends of the Dining Room at The Gallivant

You guys know I’m a fan of the Gallivant, and if they weren’t great enough on their own, they throw some great food-focused events. Their Legends of the Dining Room series is a way for locals and regulars to experience some of the best cooking from some of the most talented chefs in the country. Each dinner features a different chef who is making waves in the UK culinary scene,.

The first to be announced are Damian Clisby of Petersham Nurseries and Phil Howard of Elystan Street who will be hosting their dinners on Sunday, June 10 and Tuesday, July 17.

The evenings will be hosted in the newly relaunched dining room at the Gallivant and include a four-course menu for £65 per head. For more information visit https://thegallivant.co.uk/

Gallivant, New Lydd Road, Camber, Rye TN31 7RB. Nearest station – Rye

  • For more exclusive food news and reviews see my column on Belle About Town next month or follow me on @eatwithellen on Social Media.

 

  • Ellen Manning

    Ellen started as a news reporter on her local paper straight out of university, working her way up to become the chief reporter at national news agency the Press Association. There she spent six years gallivanting around the country - and the world - reporting on everything from troops in Afghanistan to the Olympics. After a stint writing telecoms news, she's now freelance and indulges in general wordsmithery for a variety of publications. Her real passion is food, whether it's talking about, thinking about, or eating it. She's got her own blog Eat with Ellen (www.eatwithellen.com) and you'll most likely find her dragging her husband on a food-filled mission, either at home or further afield. Ellen's on board as Belle's resident food expert, giving you a monthly lowdown on upcoming events and openings, trends, issues, and what's hot and what's not in the world of food.

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