The Curious Pear

The Time Out’s Love London Awards are back for a third year, so we're asking you to show some love to your favourite restaurants, bars, pubs, cafés, shops and cultural venues. Feeling overwhelmed by all this democratic responsibility? Don’t panic, because we’ve enlisted some of the city’s top bloggers to tell us where they put a tick on their ballot paper. First up, it's blogging duo Meg Abbott and Issy Croker from The Curious Pear.   Five places we'd give a Love London Award  Rochelle Canteen, Shoreditch   A photo posted by Jaymie (@jaymiewallace) on Sep 6, 2016 at 7:51pm PDT   'Honest British cooking from Margot Henderson. simple and well executed.' Noble Rot Wine Bar, Bloomsbury   A photo posted by Josh Batt (@jbattman) on Sep 6, 2016 at 9:41am PDT   'Go here when you're in the mood to drink all the wine.' Lucky Voice Karaoke, Soho   A photo posted by Teresa Fratacci (@teresafratacci) on Sep 3, 2016 at 4:37pm PDT   Meg is into Fleetwood Mac. Issy is a Billy Joel girl. Satan's Whiskers, Bethnal Green   A photo posted by Georgie (@belleswhisky) on Aug 3, 2016 at 12:33pm PDT   'Taxidermy and dive-bar vibes make it perfect for a nightcap.' Rawduck, London Fields   A photo posted by Rawduck Hackney (@raw_duck) on Aug 25, 2016 at 1:33am PDT   'This covers all bases, from fresh and healthy to down and dirty, and for those truly special hangovers, the range of fermented drinking vinegars is a miracle. They play music on vinyl, you can help yours

Food writers are the unsung heroes of the culinary world. They can inform and inspire, delve into the cultural history of cuisines and bring some back from the brink of extinction. They bring us timeless recipe books that read like novels, or shine light on cuisines we barely knew existed. They encourage us to get back in the kitchen – or to just eat more. And where there's a writer, there's usually a trusted café to retreat to when deadlines need to be met. Here, five food writers share their most beloved spots in London to work in. Anna Jones's top three With books like 'A Modern Way to Eat' and 'A Modern Way to Cook', Anna Jones has put the flavour back into vegetarian cooking. Her Guardian Cook column showcases the vibrant, sumptuous possibilities of meatless cooking – most of which you don’t realise are vegetarian until you have saved £10 and feel lighter than air. Dalston Eastern Curve Garden 'When it's sunny there is no better place to work. Surrounded by herbs and vegetable beds, this Dalston gem is a real community resource. In the summer local kids do pizza-making classes in one corner, but this place is big and so there is still always a quiet corner. The downside is there is no wifi and no plugs so you have to charge up before you leave, but for writing when I welcome a day without distraction, it is perfect. It serves tea, cake and wine but you can also bring in your own food and there is a wealth to choose from on Kingsland Road nearby.' 13 Dalston Lane, E8 3DF

It doesn’t look like London will be getting over Lyle’s any time soon. The Shoreditch restaurant burst onto the scene back in the summer of 2014 and has been seducing guests ever since with its inventive seasonal tasting menus and impossibly cool interior. James Lowe is the head chef and brains behind the operation, and here, he gives us his five go-to cheap eats in town. Koya Bar 'There is nowhere better for a quick dish in the shape of an udon, or as a place to eat lots of small plates. The food is clean, healthy and addictive.' 50 Frith St, W1D 4SQ. P. Franco 'Will Gleave has started cooking at this brilliant wine shop in Clapton. The small menu changes each week. You can grab a plate of homemade pasta with ragu, a beautiful salad or squid noodles.' 107 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0NP.  BaoRob Greig Bao 'My favourite street food crew opened a restaurant last year and unsurprisingly it's been a runaway hit. People stop by for a few steamed buns or stay for longer and eat the whole menu.' 53 Lexington St, W1F 9AS. Kricket 'Interesting, super tasty small Indian plates in a fun little restaurant. These guys will be a hit this year.' 49 Brixton Station Rd, SW9 8PQ F.A.T 'This stand at Druid Street market has the best toasted sandwiches in London. You won't find it down there every week but Freddie Janssen’s toasted kimchi and blue cheese sandwich is my favourite street food around at the moment.' 126 Druid St, SE1 2HH. Want more bargain bites? Take a look at the 100 best cheap eats

This year is set to be a year of sustainable eating. More than ever, restaurants are working to reduce their wastage, up the quality of their ingredients and look to their neighbours for locally sourced, lovingly cultivated produce. The future of eating is looking more virtuous than ever, and nobody is backing this revolution more than Tom Hunt, the eco-chef and restaurateur behind seasonal small-plate hotspot Poco. When he’s not coming up with ‘root to fruit’ dishes to add to his menu or campaigning for conscious cooking, Tom can be found at one of his five favourite cheap eating destinations. Silk Road 'I’m not usually a fan of Chinese food but Silk Road’s food is stunning. Dumplings, ribbon noodles and vast bowls of chicken broth fill the tables, and I always finish with a kelp salad.' 49 Camberwell Church St, SE5 8TR. Roti King 'My friend and chef Marente (van der Valk) took me here recently for the first time. It’s gone straight into my top five cheap eats. The roti are thrown in front of you while you eat, and served with delicious Malaysian curries.' 40 Doric Way, NW1 1LH. Meze Mangal 'This is my local cheap eat. The grill is always full, in fact last time I counted 47 kebabs on the grill! I love it because it’s usually filled with people from all around the world, showing off the brilliant multicultural mash-up that is London.' 245 Lewisham Way, SE4 1XF. Bonnington Café 'Quirky like your aunt's living room, this art-adorned co-op establishment is the definition of a

Along with his brother Ed and cousins Anna and Will, Ollie Templeton is the brains behind Carousel. The Mayfair joint hosts rotating bi-weekly residencies from some of the world’s most exciting cooks, with lovingly tailored menus served up on bustling communal tables. Ollie cooks alongside each guest chef, whipping up dishes with the likes of Jordan Bourke, Selin Kiazim and Olia Hercules. Here's a list of his favourite cheap eats in London. Chilli Cool 'The Sichuan restaurant Chilli Cool is a hidden little gem on Leigh Street near Russell Square. I love it for many reasons, not least its proximity to work, but the food is amazing, which is the main thing. Start with mouth-numbing cucumbers in a chilli and ginger sauce (I like to pour the juice over my rice when I run out of cucumber), then go with the cumin chicken, smothered in Sichuan peppercorns and chilli. To finish things off I'd recommend the braised pork belly with its layer of delicious gelatinous fat and its deep umami sauce – it comes with crunchy greens on the side, too. Wash it down with a mix of Tsingtao and jasmine tea.' 15 Leigh St, WC1H 9EW. Kanada-Ya 'I love a nourishing bowl of ramen and Kanada-Ya is my favourite place to get it. There are a couple of sites now – both are great. I like how they ask you how you want your noodles cooked. I usually go for the Original (medium-hard) with extra egg and a pint of Asahi on draught. I was doing the whole no-meat thing in January but it came to an abrupt end here. No

Ramael Scully is the head chef at NOPI and co-author of its ridiculously beautiful cookbook. 'Scully' (as he’s known to his friends, family and now us...) joined the Ottolenghi team in 2005 and his rich, colourful dishes have made NOPI a perennial favourite. His Indian, Chinese, Malay and Irish heritage heavily influence his vibrant cooking, which has taught Yotam Ottolenghi himself a thing or two about bold Southeast Asian flavours. Here, Scully gives us his five go-to places to chow down on the cheap in London. Bao  'I just love steamed buns. These ones are different to others, with slightly more filling. I love the peanut topping. I ordered the whole menu twice on my last visit.' 53 Lexington St, W1F 9AS. Plum Valley 'This place is so cheap and tasty. Make sure you try the foie gras dim sum. I always take my chefs here for dinner. Years ago I would walk past and thought it was a posh Chinese restaurant, one of my chefs said “Don’t judge a book by its cover!"' 20 Gerrard St, W1D 6JQ.   Smoking GoatPaul Winch-Furness Smoking Goat 'This is basically a pub with really good Thai food. I really love their whole mackerel and papaya salad.' 7 Denmark St, WC2H 8LZ.  Victory Mansion 'I love coming here on Sundays. There are really great small plates and cocktails. Try the milk chicken or lamb chops.' 18 Stoke Newington High St, N16 7PL.   Pizza Pilgrims 'They do consistently good, real Naples-style pizza.' 11 Dean St, W1D 3RP. Want more bargain bites? Take a look at the 100 best c

There's been a serious influx of female chefs, food writers and photographers in the last couple of years, filling London with more feasts than ever before. Here are five women who are on top of their game and will be popping up on your food radar soon.  Olia Hercules As much as we've acquired a taste for different cuisines in London, many of us have been oblivious to Ukrainian food. That is, until Olia Hercules turned up and showed us all what we’ve been missing. The south Ukrainian moved to London 13 years ago, landing straight into the kitchen of Ottolenghi in Islington. Since then she's released a cookbook 'Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Beyond', and has been teaching Britain about the layered, warming, flavour-packed dishes of her native cuisine. She is just about everywhere at the moment, even popping up on 'The Great British Bake Off' to give Mel a lesson in traditional Ukrainian wedding bread.  <<gs id="d1f6f94a-2b08-4ecd-8357-c34d89ac2c3e" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="eb8591db-9c2c-45d8-95fd-0a4d9bf6f9de" class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">img</gs> id="f1404853-0809-fdc4-a46d-baa6c4900939" data-caption="Mina Holland" data-credit="Photo by Issy Croker" data-width-class="" type="image/<gs id="80ee85ee-6cc8-49d2-b6e2-c61a20bdab64" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="eb8591db-9c2c-45d8-95fd-0a4d9bf6f9de" class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">jpeg</gs>" t

There’s a new market in town and it’s making us drool. Druid Street Market launched in July, and is strolling distance from nearby Maltby Street and Bermondsey markets. Taking place every Saturday from 9-4pm, this new fella offers up a mix of regular traders as well as guest spots and the odd cookbook signing. The market rather whimsically takes place beneath the Bermondsey railway arches and is the brainchild of Toast Magazine's Miranda York. We think this latest addition makes it official; Southwark is London’s prime borough for weekend guzzling. Here are the Druid Street stalls you’re most likely to find us at this Saturday - and probably every Saturday for the foreseeable future. <img id="92e5c69e-b44d-bdba-9386-3bc6fbaaaf7d" data-caption="Weligama" data-credit="" data-width-class="" type="image/jpeg" total="2216037" loaded="2216037" image_id="102853061" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102853061/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Weligama   Weligama Never heard of a hopper? Now’s your chance to dive headfirst into one of these vibrant Sri Lankan pancakes heaped with eggs, coconut and spices and topped with chilli salt. These babies are cooked up by Ducksoup veteran Emily Dobbs, who describes the snack as a ‘a flavour bomb’. This is the only hopper pop-up in London right now, but we smell a new craze in the works…   <img id="daf27043-cb06-ff76-408e-d74c5c6aecc7" data-caption="Butter Culture" data-credit="" data-width-class="" type=

We're launching a new Blog Network that involves getting a bunch of cool bloggers to write for us, such as writer and photographer duo The Curious Pear. Here are their favourite secret places in Peckham and Camberwell. 1. No67 Cafe & Restaurant You’ll find us in here most afternoons, gnawing on the homemade banana bread with dark chocolate and pistachios. It's the airiest of cafés set inside The South London Gallery but you don’t have to be art smart to enjoy this place. Lunch is excellent, from chargrilled mackerel to a tzatziki, baba ghanoush and stuffed pepper plate. You can also get a three-course dinner on Wednesdays and Thursdays for just £20. 2. Fowlds Café You can grab your morning brew at this ex-upholstery shop, which has been making fabric on site since 1926 and is still in production at the back. The front-of-house has been turned into a whimsical little spot for delicious coffee and cake, tucked away in peaceful Addington Square. The space also plays host to candlelit supperclubs, which we'll be wangling our way in to as soon as possible. 3. Maloko Our dinners at this lovingly disheveled crêperie usually go something like this: Jerk tofu, sweet potato and aubergine galette times two; beetroot, goat’s cheese and spinach galette times one; dulce de leche, banana and almond crêpe times two; cinnamon, coconut cream and granola crêpe times one; BYO bottle of corner shop white times two. If there is one place that makes us momentarily consider vegetarianism, it’s here.