Food: Small Plate Dining Brings Alive New Flavours

Never know what to eat? Always the last to order as you need those extra few seconds to decide? Well let us introduce you to small plates, the dining style you’ve been waiting for.

There’s no need for long explanations. Small plates are what they sound like: take the idea of tapas and apply it to all your favourite cuisines. Small plates open up a whole smorgasbord rather than leaving diners with one main and a whole lot of food envy.

Too often extra dishes mean extra money so we’ve taken our pick of London’s best small plate styles that are more likely to break your hunger than the bank.

Indian

You don’t often hear tapas and think “Indian”. Our image of Indian food is typically meat or vegetables swimming in a trough of lurid (though undeniably delicious) sauce.

The problem with curry is that we know what we like. Sure, if someone has a different curry to you then there’s a dipping free-for-all but if you’re a korma kid, you’ll always be one. If a bhuna’s your bag you won’t be ordering a vindaloo anytime soon. No one wants to try something different and end up disappointed but small plates allow you some old faves alongside a range of exciting new options.

We love Roti Chai in Marble Arch. Its tapas are inspired by India’s street hawker stalls, roadside cafes and railway stations. Try the Keralan chicken lollipops with coriander mint chutney (above), the Parsi chicken farcha with curried ketchup and – if you can handle the spice – the fiery Hakka chilli paneer salad. It’s time for Chicken Tikka Masala to step aside.

Lebanese

Lebanese food is finally making its mark on London’s cuisine scene and there’s no better way to test out a Middle Eastern mouthful than small plates.

Lebanon is no stranger to little portions – mezze is (ironically) massive there – but familiar friends like falafel and halloumi are just the tip of a delicious iceberg. Lebanese cuisine uses a lot of grains, potato, veggies, fish and seafood. They prefer lamb and chicken to other meats and chickpeas are more like a religion than a foodstuff. You won’t get rich, creamy complex dishes on the menu. Instead you’ll find a healthier mix flavoured with herbs, spices and citrus.

Yalla Yalla is the place to go for Lebanese plates. Branch out from the safe bets like baba ghanoush and opt for the soujac spicy sausages, manaee’sh pastry stuffed with lamb or halloumi, makale samak fried seafood and the sawda djej – award-winning sautéed chicken liver with garlic and pomegranate molasses. The food might be eastern but its far from middling.

Italian

Italian cuisine could have been born for small plates. Pizza is best when there are toppings to choose from while a big bowl of pasta can get boring and longs to be interrupted with bruschetta, crostini and some fritto misto.

London has plenty to choose from if you’re looking for a taste of Tuscany or a sample of Sicily. Polpo’s popularity has propelled the little Italian eatery from Soho to Covent Garden, Chelsea, Smithfield and Notting Hill.

If you haven’t tried arancini –  stuffed and fried risotto rice balls – then you’re in for a treat. Polpo’s skewered take on the Italian salad is the perfect size while the mini “pizzete” is a dream. Top them off with the spicy pork and fennel meatballs and you’ll never order a cliched carbonara again.

Another Soho small plate staple is Mele and Pere, which boasts beautiful small dishes. Steak tartare, seabass ceviche, gnocchi fritti with Italian ham and heirloom beet with truffled goats cheese and mixed seeds are just a taste of what’s on offer.

British

We end with a look to our own shores. After all it’s important to know what we could be eating in the aftermath of a bad deal Brexit.

Too often British food means “deep fried”, from fish and chips to the legendary Mars Bars of Scotland. If it’s not fried it’s boiled up and smothered in gravy. Not exactly a foodie’s fantasy.

Thankfully there’s so much more to our cuisine than covering it in batter or bland sauce. With fresh homegrown vegetables, organically farmed meats and free range eggs there’s no excuse to settle for anything less than spectacular and small plates perfectly celebrate what our farmers have to offer.

Plot in Tooting’s Broadway Market may be small but it’s constantly changing its menu thanks to the seasonal kitchen. Everything here has its time and place.

You’ll only ever get the freshest produce on your plate and once an ingredient has gone you’ll have to wait for next year: this is food as it should be.

If you’re lucky you can catch the South Coast squid with chorizo, Wye Valley asparagus with grapefruit and the superb lemon posset with earl grey prunes and peppercorn shortbread.

Say goodbye to scotch eggs and shepherd’s pie and say hello to sumptuous seasonal small plates that make British ingredients shine.

 

by Jo Davey

 

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