By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food
Falling on a Saturday night this year, plenty of London’s restaurants and bars are taking the opportunity to throw huge, themed Halloween celebrations over the weekend. Here’s our pick of the best Halloween food and drink events across the capital this year.
Tying in with Halloween weekend, from Friday to Sunday Gordon Ramsay’s London House in Battersea will be serving a Halloween-inspired a la carte menu from Head Chef Anna Haugh. Priced at £30.50 for three courses, the strikingly good value menu will feature the likes of pumpkin and ginger soup, crispy pork belly with colcannon and mini candied apples, plus a crème brûlée with a blood apple filling.
Tying in with Halloween weekend this year, nomadic dining company Grub London are set to throw two supper clubs this weekend. Set within a studio space in trendy Haggerston, this weekend’s events will take place on both Friday (30th) and Saturday (31st) evening, offering a seasonal four-course menu. Expect the set menu to include the likes of duck with celeriac, hazelnuts and raisins, brill with wild mussels, butter sauce, smoked leek and pickled red onion, cinnamon junket with quince and oats, and more – all of which will be served with carefully selected wines, and what’s more – there will also be a cocktail bar on the premises. Tickets for both events are priced at £35 each, and with just a handful of tickets remaining for the 36 seats, you’d best book this one as soon as possible.
For something a little more dramatic, Mr Fogg’s Tavern – based on the adventures of Jules Verne’s fictional explorer Phileas Fogg – will be hosting a special Halloween event this weekend. Beginning at Mr Fogg’s Residence (15 Bruton Lane, W1J 6JD), there will be a celebration of the life of Gertrude Fogg, the aunt and inspiration to Phileas Fogg, on Saturday (31st) at precisely 7:01pm, in the form of an Irish wake. Upon arrival guests will be greeted with a selection of Gertrude’s favourite tipples, including her signature Miracle Vocal Elixir, which is made with Tanqueray No. Ten Gin. Next, Mr Fogg’s Tavern on St. Martin’s Lane will be hosting an after party with plenty of live music, cocktails and homemade ales to finish the evening’s events.
More of a Day of the Dead celebration than Halloween, but falling on Saturday afternoon until late, El Patron in Putney will be celebrating with a special menu of Insect Tacos & Cocktails to celebrate their first Birthday. A real delicacy in Mexico, diners will be able to sample the likes of glazed scorpions, marinated cockroaches, and chilli dried worm tacos, and Cocktails such as the Cricket Luchador – featuring mango margarita, jalapeño-infused Aretto Blanco, mango chilies, lime and crickets. Guests are also encouraged to dress up for the event in their most fearless outfits.
On a far less perturbing note, Shackfuyu – sister restaurant to Bone Daddies and Flesh & Buns – will host a duo of dinners within its temporary residency in the Bone Daddies workshop in Bermondsey. Coinciding with the Soho restaurant’s temporary closure for refurbishment, before opening in mid-November as a permanent restaurant, these dinners on Friday (30th) and Saturday (31st) will work as ticketed events in association with The Cornwall Project (tickets available here) and menu details are set to be announced via Shackfuyu’s Social Media, but for now the likes of Iberico pork pluma, 4 miso aubergine, and Kinako French toast have already been confirmed to feature.
This weekend, Cinnamon Soho – the sister restaurant to Westminster’s famous Cinnamon Club – will also be offering a special themed menu. Featuring three new dishes, the Indian restaurant will be celebrating some lesser-loved cuts of meat in a more adventurous twist. Available from now until October 31st, the new dishes include devilled duck hearts crusted in crushed coriander and chilli, with hot garlic chutney, a lamb’s brain burger topped with onion rings, sliced tomatoes and salad with masala wedges and coriander chutney dip, and a slow-cooked Oxtail Samosa with caper lime raita and tamarind chutney.