 Barny's Place London’s lunch scene is preparing for change. Wave goodbye to the cardboard sandwich; say hello to a new breed of entertainers. Craig Butcher reports.
London’s office workers can be a jaded bunch, beaten down over successive working weekday lunches by the omnipresence of the large sandwich chains and the undercurrent of job insecurities. Now they are demanding better quality food at lunchtime; and what’s more, they want to be entertained. The result is a new wave of fast, hot, fresh lunches prepared and cooked before your eyes, but cooked so fast it works brilliantly for a lunch on the go.
Barny's Place
Barny’s Place is fast food like you’ve never seen it before. All produce is fresh, locally-sourced and always a step ahead of the competition. When you know Barny used to make sausages for farmers’ markets, you can understand better how ‘local’ can mean homemade burgers made with meat from nearby Smithfield market. Run by the son of playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, you might expect theatrics, but this is pared-down industrial chic with substance at its core. An eclectic, frequently-changing world menu of fantastic burgers, sandwiches, soups and home-made salads form the backbone of their frequently-changing menu. With local deliveries planned and a great sideline in hot takeaway breakfasts, expect Barny’s to take off in a big way.
85 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AU.
Tel: +44 (0)20 3216 0010.
www.barnys-place.co.uk
Chilango
Long a presence on Islington’s Upper Street, Chilango is the result of a complete makeover and expansion into Fleet Street. This is a hot, hot, hot, designer Mexican lunch option that’s taken the area by storm. Everything is prepared and cooked in the kitchen behind a glass screen viewable to the queuing  Chilango public. The menu is simple, offering tacos, salads and tortilla chips, but when the burritos are this good, why complicate things? Fillings range from marinated chicken to juicy grilled steak and a vegetarian option. Coriander lime rice and beans are liberally perked up with spiced salsa (of varying heats) helping to ttop things off spectacularly. Everything is well-sourced, the vibe is catchy and the likely queues are worth joining. 142 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BP.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7353 6761.
www.chilango.co.uk
Tibits
A play on ‘tidbits’, this vegetarian restaurant hails from Zurich, and aims to bring quality vegetarian fast food to the masses, whatever the time of day. With a help-yourself counter the central focus of the room, the concept is simple – plates are charged by weight (£1.80 per 100g at lunchtime) regardless of the contents. With over 35 homemade salads, hot daily specials and freshly baked snacks with dips all in stylish and, dare I say it, fashionable surroundings, you can leave your leave your vegetarian clichés at the door and get stuck into Tibits’ imaginative and vibrant international flavours.
12-14 Heddon Street, London W1B 4DA.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7758 4110.
www.tibits.co.uk
Vapiano
Already huge in their native Germany, Vapiano is a witty take on an Italian pizza and pasta bar. With several counters preparing food in front of you, a wide selection of salads available, and all on display as you stroll around the lively, bright space just off Oxford Street, Vapiano is bridging the gap between counter-service and a restaurant effortlessly. With giant olive trees and basil bushes dotted around to help garnish your dishes and a swipe-card system for racking up your bill, this is food as entertainment, and a delight at that.
19-21 Great Portland Street, London W1W 8QB.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7268 0080 |