While the Muji minimalist aesthetic of Catalyst on Grays Inn Road makes it an appealing work spot,  the food menu really makes it worth the commute. Chef Vasilis Chamam’s chameleon cookery draws on both his Greek and Palestinian roots. Soft, rich sheep’s milk hilopites pasta is served twisted round stewed cull yaw from producer Matt Chatfield in Cornwall, or in pork broth with mussels and caviar. To go with the pasta, Chamam carries the lessons of Palestinian chicken mousakhan — where flatbread is used to soak up the aromatic juices — across dishes, whether the bread is nestled beneath chicken, lamb tongue tonnato, or octopus. There’s also a special talent for condiments at Catalyst that extends to all things jammy: from sumac confit onions to spiced, baked grapes, to emulsions made with staka, a sheep’s milk butter. The café is open on weekdays until 5 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Fridays for bar snacks. It is closed on weekends.

Under the current circumstances, Michelin-starred Barrafina on Dean Street has revoked its no bookings policy. For diners not keen to wait in the cold, now is the time to visit and try the fideuà. Short, thin noodles are slowly simmered in prawn bisque with cuttlefish until they are darkened and softened, before a swift singe in the oven. Like any Iberian dish worth its ample salt, this rich seafood pasta has a strong origin story: supposedly it was invented at sea by Valencian fishermen who had run out of rice for their paella. At Barrafina, the fideuà is served with proper Catalan-approved allioli — just oil and garlic whipped to an emulsion and made green with the addition of parsley and green chili. Not an egg in sight.

Ahl Cairo, just outside Edgware station, serves some of London’s better falafel. It’s the arguably superior pistachio-coloured Egyptian kind, taameya — made with fava beans and plenty of herbs, it is moister and more freshly flavoured than its chickpea counterpart. Taameya is often eaten in flatbread for breakfast and is just £3.25 for takeaway, but later in the day, Ahl Cairo’s pasta offerings come into their own. Try the popular carbloader, koshary, which is a mixture of lentils, vermicelli, rice, and craft bead macaroni, topped with tomato sauce and crispy onions. Another favorite Egyptian pasta, baked macaroni bechamel, is also on the menu. Open all day every day, for takeaway right now.

There’s no strict menu at Zamzam Somali restaurant on Seven Sisters Road. Diners can expect to choose among lamb shank, briskly fried beef suqaar, and spiced chicken, digaag, all generously portioned. The main courses are served alongside rice, gently spiced with cardamom and bejeweled with plump raisins, or baasto — spaghetti slicked in tomato sauce with crunchy onions, peppers, and parsley. Al dente isn’t a relevant concept here: these curls of pasta are soft and comforting, with the added warmth of cumin and cloves. Though Zamzam is ideal for takeaway, those eating in can expect the added perks of a small bowl of lentil soup while they wait, and an optional banana served with the meal.

Many of the best Argentinian restaurants in London focus almost exclusively on the parilla, pumping out eye-bulging piles of steaks, ribs, pork shoulder, morcilla and chorizo sausages from the ubiquitous charcoal grill. It’s not unusual if the closest thing to salad in sight is an empanada. While La Patagonia in Camden lives up to those expectations, it also highlights other elements of Argentinian culture. There’s the football fever — the façade is painted with the blue and white stripes of the national team’s kit — and then there’s the pasta, a reflection of the fact that around half of the present-day Argentine population has Italian roots. Sorrentinos are large filled domes of pasta, more regal than ravioli, which are thought to have originated in the coastal city of Mar del Plata south of Buenos Aires. At La Patagonia, they’re filled with mozzarella, ricotta, and bechamel; there’s also spinach and ricotta ravioli and beef canelones. All the pasta is made at the restaurant and served with a choice of sauces, both for takeaway and dining in in normal times.

The Rosemary could be mistaken for yet another outpost of the famous Nunhead Gardener: there are enough houseplants here to make a tenant with a no-pets clause simper. In fact, it’s an organic Hungarian restaurant on the busy junction where the A202 hits New Cross Road. There are pancakes, pickles, paprika ratatouille and a theatrical goulash served in a cauldron. Nokedli, also known as spaetzle, are short irregular egg pasta, served here alongside paprika stews of chicken, mushroom, or beef. The bottle racks boast one of the best selections of organic and biodynamic Hungarian wines in London. Closed on Mondays.

Filipino restaurant chain Jollibee first introduced its spaghetti special in 1979. Five years later, the chain’s red bee representative was joined by stringy-haired and pink skirted Hetty, the mascot of said spaghetti. Now a global mega-corporation, with thousands of outlets worldwide, Londoners can get their hands on all the signatures, too, including Chickenjoy fried chicken, Yumburgers, Jolly hotdogs, and Jolly pasta. The spaghetti is a babyish concoction: Hetty’s pigtails are doused in a lurid, cheek-blushingly sweet sauce with mince and chopped hot dogs, and then topped with grated cheese ... Or cuttings from the floor of Hetty’s hairdressers. The dish is usually served with the fried chicken.