The Thermostat [4th July 2026]

I seem to be on a bit of a food tangent at the moment, and I think there are several reasons for it.

1. Summer food is THE BEST

2. Summer FRUIT is THE BEST

3. I’m solar powered and summer makes me happy, summer food makes me happy, so it’s just a cycle of feeling happy and wanting to eat happy food. Ha!

So yes, my posts have been heavy on the food side, but don’t worry, my food and cooking repertoire is far from vast and after this post I will likely run out of food steam and just go back to my merry food go round of eating the things I love inconsistently on repeat and keeping it to myself. Unless I find some new things that I’m too excited about to not share of course.

But with both mine and Edie’s birthday’s coming up - she’s a foodie too, we have a LOT of eating to do over the coming week, so there has been much talk about restaurants.

This is a mix of my all time favourites, and two that I’m yet to try, but am almost guaranteed to love.

Long time followers /readers might remember that as a family we were utterly devastated when our beloved, but relatively short lived local Burger Bear restaurant closed down several years ago. We were that family that went every single week without fail. We all adored it - it really worked for us in that particular phase of life and had it all.

It had booths, it had music that was often just a little bit on the too loud side (a positive), it had beer, it had cocktails, it had burgers, it had fries, it had interesting sides and it had puddings. It had everything that made all four members of our family happy, and it was a five minute walk from our house. There has never been anything that’s come remotely close to replacing it since.

We lived in hope for a while that someone would see the opportunity to take over and create something similar, but that never happened and it’s now a dive bar of sorts, but not in a cool way, just in a I don’t want to go in there kind of way. Sad times.

Another burger place opened for a very short innings on Church Street, and on paper at least, it should have worked, but sadly it just didn’t. It’s hard to put my finger on it exactly, but I think they just read the area wrong. I really did love the food, but ultimately, it just weirdly wasn’t the right fit for the area.

If HOKO opened here it would be rammed all the time I’m quite sure of it. Well, at least I would be in there twice a week. HOKO on Brick Lane is another favourite place of mine to eat. See also Bun House Disco across the road.

I am SO hungry writing this.

Johnny Boy’s - Northwold Road Stoke Newington

Anyway, it’s with massive huge great excitement that we’re welcoming Johnny Boy’s to the neighbourhood, and even though our family is now in a different phase of life we’re all SUPER excited. They opened yesterday and we’re going tonight. Edie was so furious that we’d booked to go without her that she’s booked separately to go before us out of spite. Ha!

I will report back, but any restaurant serving LA comfort food including breakfast for dinner, French toast, and chilli cheese fries basically has me at hello. It’s my new favourite restaurant and I’ve not even stepped in the door yet. And did I mention they do donuts and cocktails?! Oh yes.

Cadet - Newington Green

Another local favourite is Cadet in Newington Green - a wine bar with food, and for ages I thought I wouldn’t like it as I don’t drink wine, but then I went anyway and discovered they do what has now become my favourite take on a Negroni using Forthave Red Aperitivo giving it a delicious herby edge. I am obsessed with their rillettes and cornichons and would happily sit by myself at the bar indulging in both any (and every) day.

Bar Etna - Newington Green

Described as an East Coast-style pizza bar by way of Italy and North London, Bar Etna opened recently to much local excietment, and we’re finally going for Edie’s birthday next week. They do a negroni on tap, and I keep hearing the pizza is excellent. As it should be when Joe Beddia whose pizza has been by Bon Appetite as the best in America is involved. We are VERY excited.

Randall & Aubin - Brewer Street, Soho

Randall & Aubin has been one of my favourite restaurants since forever. When Edie was little, way before we even considered having another child, Ed and I would get a babysitter and go and drink a bottle of champagne whilst waiting in line for a table to indulge in the best Lobster and Fries in town. We used to say it was like having dinner in a gay disco. A compliment not a slight. All these years later, it’s still a favourite spot, and now we take the kids too. We might have a table booked on my birthday.

Smoking Goat - Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch

Excellent Modern Thai food with equally excellent service, cocktails and atmosphere and I always can’t wait to go back. You can’t ask for more than that. Just be careful with your order if like me you can’t handle the heat!

Blacklock - Rivington Street, Shoreditch

Another favourite that we’ve taken the kids to which has in turn become one of Edie’s favourites (she’s going in-between birthday celebrations without us!). I’ve been known to try to recreate their weird but wonderful Pre-Chop Bites. Despite being a chain, it’s always lovely service, reliably good food and cocktails. Let’s hope it stays that way, and doesn’t go downhill like The Hawksmoor.

Dean Street Townhouse - Dean Street, Soho

And finally, I can’t not include Dean Street Townhouse in this list of my all time favourites. It’s one of my happy places, the room, the atmosphere and the twice-baked smoked haddock soufflé that I ordered the very first time I went there, and love it so much that I’m actually incapable of ordering anything else. Aside from a side of fries, of course. I’m sure I don’t need to say it, but for the avoidance of doubt, they do very fine cocktails too!