369 Restaurants to Try This Week
An updated map, plus a bumper Six of One.
Hello and welcome back to Vittles Restaurants. Today, as well as a regular issue of Six of One, we’ve updated the Vittles Restaurants map — now, a 369-strong list of places we’ve reviewed, plus excellent, less-heralded, places to eat in London from the last two years of Six of One. To view the updated map, you can subscribe to Vittles — which gives you full access to the back catalogue of features, essays, restaurant guides, recipes, and reviews — below.
Today’s Six of One has contributions from Mohammed Ali Salha, Max Walker, Sejal Sukhadwala, Alexandra Pereira, Georgia Spanos, and Nikkitha Bakshani.
1. Makan Cafe
Sometimes, in those rare moments of idle time, I like to imagine I’m an investor listening to a pitch for a new restaurant and wonder whether I’d actually part with my money. On paper, I’m not sure Makan Cafe would initially convince me – it doesn’t fit neatly into any box. At first glance, it’s a caff where the many characters of W10 gather for builders’ tea and fry-ups. But beneath that unassuming facade and first impressions lies a genuinely good Malaysian street food spot, built around hearty nasi campur and other hawker favourites.
It’s the sort of place you’d do well to understand before stepping inside. Join the queue, survey the array of curries, stews, fried snacks, proteins and sauces, and make a mental note of what catches your eye. When you reach the counter, choose to eat in, ask for a plate of rice, and point to whichever three dishes you fancy on top. If you want a steer, my regular combo is the crispy fried fish, spicy sambal aubergines and stir-fried okra in a punchy turmeric sauce. Or perhaps the ayam goreng, curried chickpeas and garlicky stir-fried greens; it depends on my mood.
If you’re up for something cooked to order, then look no further than the char kuay teow or the chicken satay – both instantly transport me back to sweltering nights in Malaysia, hunched over plastic tables, tucking into some of the best street food in the world. And here’s the thing: chaos is an underrated ingredient in a place like this. It’s the clatter, the queues, the unwritten rules, the squeeze at the counter – somehow, it all makes everything taste that little bit better. On second thoughts, maybe I would invest after all. Mohammed Ali Salha
270 Portobello Rd, W10 5TY
Behind the paywall: Polish sausage sandwiches in Hanwell, Kerala kizhi parotta in Wembley, old-school steak frites and cheap Beaujolais at the oldest French wine bar in London, fragrant biryani and chai in Theatreland, and two-for-one pisco sours in Dalston.