Fay Maschler's week in food, from crab at Isla to birthday cake at Riva

Buon compleanno: Birthday cake at Riva in Barnes
Fay Maschler24 July 2019

When your favourite restaurant is where you choose to celebrate your birthday. Fabulous langoustines, porchetta, vitello tonnato, risottos and more thanks to Andrea and Dorothy at Riva in Barnes. And cake.

A second floating restaurant from The London Shell Co, The Grand Duchess stays moored on the Grand Union Canal at Paddington Basin. “Have your hake and eat it,” they say, but I choose tranche of turbot.

Not sure that papas arrugadas (wrinkly Canary Island potatoes) and seaweed are best bedfellows for crab at Isla, the ground floor restaurant of The Standard hotel in King’s Cross. Love the library though.

Sweetcorn ravioli with girolles and nasturtium is the standout pasta we try at the new 10 Heddon Street (formerly Magpie).

Chilled tofu with preserved egg and spring onion is texturally mind-blowing at Oriental Dragon in Fitzrovia.

Fay Maschler's favourite restaurants of 2018

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