About Time You Ate: London’s Best Mac n’ Cheese SidesBy Alicia Grimshaw
We’ve teamed up with our pals over at Collier’s Welsh Cheddar to bring you a whole week dedicated to one thing: cheese. We’ve discovered the capital’s best mac ‘n cheese sides. Let’s get munching:
1. For a Fishy Mac ‘n Cheese: Hawksmoor
Order:
Why: Hawksmoor is a meat lovers dream. Steak sharing plates, belly ribs and grilled bone marrow all appear on the menu. They pride themselves on using British beef and they were recently shortlisted as being one of the most sustainable restaurant groups in the country at the Sustainable Restaurant Awards. If you want a mac ‘n cheese dish with a little pizzaz, their lobster one certainly ticks the boxes.
Where: 5A Air Street, London W1J oAD
2. For a Crunchy Mac ‘n Cheese: Joe’s Southern Kitchen
What: Mac n’ Cheese with a biscuit crust (£3.95)
Why: Joe’s Southern Kitchen brings the authentic American taste of the South to London diners. Not a place you’d take a first date, but a great place to go with friends as it’s all about getting your fingers dirty and your face sticky. We’re talking about Southern fried chicken, 8 hour slow roast short ribs and pulled pork buns. If there’s one side dish to get, order their mac ‘n cheese – not too heavy and a perfect accompaniment to all the meat. Probably not one for the vegetarians.
Where: Locations here
3. For a Takeaway Mac ‘n Cheese: The Diner
Order: Diner Mac ‘n Cheese (£7.50)
Why: A popular hangout for your American burger fixes and thick milkshakes, The Diner serve up USA style dishes in various locations across London. Their mac ‘n cheese is a generous portion of all the good stuff and if you wish you can choose extra toppings included pulled pork – something we approve of. Fancy their mac ‘n cheese sat on your sofa? They now operate a delivery service. Total win. The Diner is home to the famous red velvet pancakes and we can confirm that they are very good news.
Where: Locations across London. Check them out here
4. For a Smokey Mac ‘n Cheese: HotBox
Order: Smoked Mac ‘n Cheese (£6)
Why: HotBox opened in November 2014, after 12 months of festival events, pop-ups and residencies at Street Feast. American flavours meets the London food scene with their classic Texan barbecue dishes. All the BBQ favourites. The dishes here are as authentic as possible, with all meat smoked on their custom-built wood and charcoal-fuelled grill. Come for the bone smoked bone marrow with spiced red onion chutney, but be sure to order their smoked mac ‘n cheese as a side – thank us later on that one.
Where: 46-48 Commercial St, London E1 6LT
5. For a Classic Mac ‘n Cheese: Manhattan Grill
Order: Mac ‘n Cheese (£4)
Why: Manhattan Grill is a steakhouse that finds the finest steaks around, cooks them to perfection, and serves them with no fuss and no gimmicks. Their fillet steak is the stuff beef dreams are made of, and that vanilla cheesecake is worth travelling across town for. A steak without sides is a poor show – but the ones at Manhattan are sublime. Feast on creamed spinach, sweet potato fries, asparagus and their mac ‘n cheese. In true Manhattan style, they’ve ditched the additional ingredients and stuck to the classic – just loads of cheese, and it’s glorious.
Where: 22 Hertsmere Rd, Canary Warf, London E14 4ED
6. For a Double Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese: Goodman Restaurant
Order: Mac ‘n Cheese, Truffle Sauce and Parmesan (£5)
Why: Great steaks, great wine and great people is what you’ll find at Goodman Restaurants. All of their steaks are dry-aged on site in a temperature controlled, dehumidified environment, and they freshly prepare their meat plates every day on request. If you haven’t already noticed – meat is taken very seriously at Goodman’s, as is their mac ‘n cheese. For double cheesy fun, they’ve sprinkled additional parmesan on top of their mac ‘n cheese, and let us tell you this; it’s a total game changer.
Where: Locations here
Photo Credit: thecriticalcouple.com
7. For a Truffled Mac ‘n Cheese: Barbecoa
Order: Truffled Mac ‘n Cheese, Gruyère Crumble and Ivy Farm Cream (£7)
Why: Barbecoa is the absolute one. Opened in 2010 by Jamie Oliver, Barbecoa is a celebration of incredible produce and fire-based cooking. Here, the meat is the real talking point – all of their beef is dry-aged in house for up to 70 days. Come on Sunday for their epic roasts, which are served with their legendary mac ‘n cheese. At Barbecoa they drizzle truffle oil on top of their mac ‘n cheese which sets this dish apart from the rest. If that’s not enough, Ivy Farm cream is stirred through the cheese to make this one decadent side.
Where: 20 New Change Passage, City of London, London EC4M 9AG
8. For a Spicy Mac ‘n Cheese: BRGR.CO
Order: Old Fashioned Mac ‘n Cheese (£5)
Why: BRGR.CO is a burger joint where prime cuts aren’t only reserved for the steakhouse. Launched in the UK in 2012, BRGR.CO has set the standard for the burger restaurant scene in London. Their blade steak burger is something to behold – a blend of their most prized cuts of meat. Like any well respected burger joint, BRGR.CO are big lovers of their sides. The sweet potato fries are crispy, crunchy and totally moreish. Their mac ‘n cheese can be ordered plain or with spice for an extra kick. We say, always go with heat.
Where: Locations here
9. For an All-Rounder Mac ‘n Cheese: MASH
Order: Mac ‘n Cheese (£4.50)
Why: MASH stands for Modern American Steak House. They dry age and wet age their steaks on the premises and their menu boasts cuts from Urguary, Denmark, USA and the UK. Come for 1920’s decor, killer cocktails, steaks cooked to your liking and an unbelievable creamed spinach. Their mac ‘n cheese is not for the faint hearted. It’s more cheese than pasta – but we’re totally ok with that. It’s super rich, but super tasty.
Where: 77 Brewer St, London W1F 9ZN
10. For a Big Mac ‘n Cheese: The Big Easy
Order: Aged Cheddar Mac ‘n Cheese (£5.90)
Why: The Big Easy is a place where anything goes. Their Canary Wharf branch opened last year and it’s a corker. It’s a place when you’ll come across people eating full lobsters at 11.30am and tables of the corporate crowds wearing bibs ready to tuck into some ribs, honestly this place is one of a kind. It’s a spot that can please everyone, with their breakfast menu offering an eclectic range of classic state-side dishes. Their mac ‘n cheese is quite simply a beast – gooey cheese topped with grilled breadcrumbs. Nothing is done by halves at The Big Easy.
Where: Locations here
