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Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is blooming unlikely.
News of the week
Cheering scenes on the feed this weekend, as ‘grammers took to the platform to commemorate Mother’s Day. Tributes were sweetly heartfelt and there wasn’t even much bandwagon-hopping from Insta-thirsty brands — clearing the way for a surprisingly wholesome celebration of motherhood in all its forms. Social media users banding together to generate tender, unstintingly positive content? It’ll never catch on.
Expedient of the week
One especially heartwarming addition to the roster of celebrants came courtesy of Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs power couple James Knappett and Sandia Chang. Could a fiery homemade laap muang be responsible?
Stars of the week
Also celebrating this week was Bloomberg food impresario Richard Vines, whose birthday at Ekte featured at least one celebrity cameo — and shoes that were far more than simply red.
Possible harbinger of the week
The launch of the Michelin Guide is often accompanied by consternation on behalf of expectant restaurants snubbed of a shiny star. Among perennial unfortunates like Clapham’s The Dairy was Lee Westcott’s Typing Room, which closed last year without ever receiving what some felt was richly deserved recognition from Bibendum and friends. Could a first since the glory days of Nuno Mendes’ Viajante finally be on the way to Bethnal Green Town Hall Hotel?
Food-adjacent soft furnishings of the week
God tier: Suckling pig, chicken drumstick.
Acceptable verisimilitude tier: Prawn, sausage
Not in my house tier: Leg of ham, rosemary-garnished chicken breast (?), fish.
Scream emoji tier: Unidentifiable flesh lumps
Glut of the week
After the trials and tribulations of winter, working as a chef at this time of year must be an absolute joy. Select a protein from lamb, sweetbreads, crab, or some sort of mild milky cheese, combine with some aggressively seasonal produce, and finish with mint or wild garlic flowers, if required. Extra points for asparagus in its brevity, peas in their pods, and morels, because they’re fancy.
Dish of the week
Random peak spring dish generator: success.
Shot of the week
Anti-gravity viennoiserie!