What Joanna Ate Top 5 April 2014

It’s April, and I have left the house without wearing some kind of scarf.  It must therefore be spring, and time to leave behind some soups/stews for something a bit fresher.  There’s more new openings filling up the diary in London – I’ve picked my top 5 food things to do this month:

Rotorino – This is the second site from Stevie Parle after The Dock Kitchen (which I haven’t quite made it to, but I have cooked quite a few of his always great recipes).  The East London location (on Kingsland Road) has an excellent Italian menu, with delights like pea gnudi, chickpea fritters and hanger steak with Calabrian chilli sauce.

Spring Onions – I’ve already written about my penchant for these stems, but now is the perfect time to buy a bunch in season.  Thinly slice raw for your summer rolls or sprinkle on rice dishes, or nicely char them whole for something different.  A very handy ingredient.

Cat and Mutton – This pub institution on the corner of Broadway Market and London Fields re-opened in April after a major facelift.  There is a cocktail bar upstairs called Pearl’s (it’s been reopened by the man behind Ruby’s bar in Dalston), with the food from Licky Chops (with their Lucky Chip van just round the corner in Netil Market).  There's small plates and roasts on a Sunday.

Bonnie Gull Seafood Cafe – I have a handful of favourite fish restaurants in London, with Bonnie Gull in Fitzrovia being one (along with Prawn on the Lawn and Wright Brothers).  Luckily for me, their second site is even closer, five minutes up the road on Exmouth market (surely one of the best London roads for restaurants).  They do brunch at the weekend, with their excellent Bonnie Marys (complete with an oyster garnish).

Masterchef – The show is back on TV to fill your evenings – the 10^th year of this format (I don’t think Gregg should have boasted about the three wives in that time though).  There’s some good and some very bad cooking so far, with lots of exclaiming on our sofa that I could clearly do it much better, and it obviously isn’t that difficult (maybe some is).  Still very addictive though.