Open secret
Fonda, Knightsbridge listings, best new wave sandwich shops, The Palm Tree, Jolene, Ruuby, Permit Room, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
More than a mirage
The Skinny: Opened last fall, Fonda is the more casual little sister to Santiago Lastra’s modern Mexican fine dining smash hit Kol. Fonda is still fine dining — albeit a buttoned-down version, with playful interiors and an a la carte menu.
The Vibe: Slick, arty and fun, Fonda fits right into a neighbourhood bursting with galleries, museums, and great restaurants, like next-door Sabor. With the amount of bespoke art and artefacts adorning the colourful walls, it could moonlight as a gallery itself. The most photographed and talked-about feature is Pancho, a bright pink sloth who hangs from the ceiling as diners descend to the lower-ground floor. Made by Mexican designer Fernando Laposse from waste agave fibres from the mezcal and tequila industry, Pancho fits in well with Lastra’s sustainable ethos.
Make like Tom Cruise (reportedly among the restaurant’s A-list fans) and fill the large group table at the back of the room with friends, or book the diner-style booths at the front for catch-ups and excellent people-watching on buzzy Heddon St. For more intimate dates, head to the cosy downstairs Sala Rosa, which can also be hired for private parties.
The Food: Much like Kol, Fonda focuses on Mexican flavours made from (mostly) British ingredients — so don’t expect to find guacamole here. Instead, there’s the sikil pak, a dip made from pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds), accompanied by rectangular totopo crisps for dipping. The menu is divided into the usual starters, mains, and desserts but there’s also a section for the comal, a smooth, hot griddle where Lastra’s team finishes beer-battered cod tacos and baked beetroot tostadas.
Four choices of main follow the same format. A plate of charred monkfish or slow-cooked short rib with bottomless tortillas allows you to assemble your own tacos at the table. The specials should perhaps be renamed ‘new classics,’ as it’s home to a confit scallop with gooseberry and the crispy quesadillas stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and topped with generous amounts of Wiltshire black truffle that are proving to be among Fonda’s greatest hits. For dessert, rice pudding with mezcal custard and/or Santiago’s signature cheesecake.
The Drink: While the food is mostly of British provenance, the cocktails are more Mexican, with an agave-focused menu featuring some of the best mezcals and tequilas, a dedicated Paloma section, and even frozen margaritas. There are four Micheladas made with beer or mezcal and local seasonal flavours, and a wine list showcasing lesser-known regions and grapes.
The Verdict: Vibrant Fonda is a great way to sample Lastra’s highly original, delicious Mexican food without committing to a full tasting menu. –Laura Price
→ Fonda (Mayfair) • 12 Heddon St • Mon 530-1130p, Tue-Sat 12-230p & 530-1130p • Book.
LONDON RESTAURANT LINKS: Patron team readies French Society to open next week in West Hampstead • Islington sushi restaurant Sasa relocating to new St John St location • Parisian restaurant group readies Tigermilk’s London outpost to open next month • Inside the redesign of Borough Market seafood favourite Applebee’s • How London’s Little Italy is making a comeback.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Knightsbridge that recently came to market:
→ Pavilion Rd (Knightsbridge) • 2BR/2BA/1R, 160 m2 terraced house • Guide Price: £3.75mn • over 3 floors with ground floor garage • Ownership type: leasehold (with 112 years) • Agent: Alex Crown.
→ Cadogan Sq (Knightsbridge) • 3BR/3BA, 142 m2 flat • Ask: £3.8mn • furnished duplex on top floors of red-brick Victorian • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Will Pitt, Sotheby’s.
→ Wellington Ct (Knightsbridge, above) • 4BR/3BA/2R, 190 m2 flat • Ask: £6.25mn • with private terrace overlooking Hyde Park • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Joshua Marks, Park Lord.
WORK & PLAY LINKS: How London became the new Hollywood • Tate Modern is the museum of the century • Number of U.K. entrepreneurs closing businesses hits highest level since pandemic • The new codes of smart-casual.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Sandwich shops, new wave
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of London’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
Dom’s Subs (Hackney, City), hip sub shop serves packed American-style hoagies in 3 locations
Sandwich Sandwich (City), trendy Bristol outfit’s unpretentious, flavourful sandwiches now in London
Secret Sandwich Shop (Notting Hill), diner-like shop serving Japanese-style sandos with British fillings
Max’s Sandwich Shop (Stroud Green), North London mainstay known for overfilled originals like Korean Gangster
Cafe Mondo (Camberwell), near original Mondo Sando pop-up, beloved sandwiches and wraps
The Dusty Knuckle (Dalston, Harringay), creative fillings on sourdough and bubbly focaccia
Rogue Sarnies (Hackney), wood-fired sandwiches from 2 brothers in former East London conservatory
Chatsworth Bakehouse (Crystal Palace), ever-changing menu of pre-order-only sandwiches
The Black Pig (Southbank), Borough Market favourite w/ toasted ciabatta highlighting slow-roasted pork
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Pod living
INÉS MAKULA • host • Made IT
Neighbourhood you live in: Hackney
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m at my dining room table overlooking the Hackney canal, drinking iced coffee, responding to emails. Today, I’ll be preparing my next podcast interview, talking to sponsors, creating content for our social media channels, and recording a podcast.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My favourite local lunch spot and coffee shop is called Helma. They make the most delicious scrambled eggs with sourdough I’ve ever eaten. I can never get bored of it, but if I’m feeling something lighter, I’ll have the lentil dal. In the evening, I love the food and vibe at Jolene, and weekends at Brat x Climpson's Arch or Planque for a more sophisticated vibe. I grew up in Italy, so food is one of the most important things in my life. When I lived in West London, I struggled to find good restaurants that weren’t exorbitantly priced, but when I moved to East London, I discovered the most incredible food scene.
How about a little leisure or culture?
My ideal night out is having an early dinner at Palomar in Soho — delicious Israeli food — followed by stand-up at the Comedy Store (I love laughing more than anything). Sit in the front seats if you can take getting roasted.
Any weekend getaways?
I love to book a little getaway on Unique Homestays — they have the most wonderful and cosy cottages for rent. For a weekend escape, I usually go to Kent or the Cotswolds. For anything longer, I love going to Cornwall, but with the long drive it’s worth going for at least four days.
What was your last great vacation?
Two weeks in Kenya! It started with climbing Mount Kenya for four days, a truly incredible but physically intense experience, followed by a relaxing few days at the famous Peponi Hotel in Lamu, then a safari trip to the Masai Mara. We stayed at Emboo Camp, a beautiful eco-lodge with only electric vehicles so that when going on safari you don’t disturb the wildlife.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I highly recommend Ruuby for all things beauty — I save so much time getting my mani and pedi at home.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Dishoom’s tiny new hotel Permit Room opens this week • Chef Larkin Cen returns to Welsh resort Celtic Manor • New hotel brand Crafted readies East Sussex hotel for fall opening • Anyone can shop at the Pope’s tailor in Rome • In Florence, Rocco Forte Hotel’s Hotel Savoy debuts new restaurants • New European hotels, spring 2025.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Hey
Eric Church • Royal Albert Hall (South Kensington) • Sat @ 545p • section M, £225 per
Pixies • O2 Academy Brixton (Brixton) • Sat @ 7p • circle 3, £106 per
Super League Basketball Finals • O2 Arena (Greenwich) • Sun @ 1230p • section 102, £34 per
BARS • First Round
Cash bar
I’ve lived a stone’s throw from The Palm Tree for four years now, and I’m still finding new excuses to pop down there. Maybe I’m in the mood for spellbinding live jazz, or I’m trying to show off a local icon to visitors.
Or maybe, as is often the case, I’m just thirsty. And the Palm Tree, with its cosy tables, Twin Peaks-style deep-red lighting, and convivial energy cultivated by owners who’ve been there for decades — and steadfastly refused multiple lucrative offers to sell up — is just too inviting.
The moods you’ll encounter at the Palm Tree are as varied as the reasons to visit. On a quiet afternoon or weeknight, it might just be a few local punters enjoying a drink, chatting to the bar staff, reading a newspaper, and enjoying the time-warp 1960s atmosphere of one of the city’s great ‘old man pubs’.
Come down on a weekend night, and it’s a different beast entirely. You can barely move for the arty types and hot young things who have descended on East London in the last 20 years. House band The Palm Trio (a jazz outfit with a combined age to rival Methuselah) defy any notion of growing old gracefully, whipping up a storm from the tiny corner stage, virtually nose-to-nose with the crowd but cordoned off by brass and velvet. There’s no DJ, no house or disco, but it’s still one of the liveliest nights in East London.
The Grade II listed pub on Regent’s Canal, Mile End, is not one you’re likely to just stumble across. It’s tucked away, an open secret for people who suspect any change to pub culture in the last 50 years (wine lists, small plates, shabby- chic, TV screens) was a step in the wrong direction.
With that in mind, know that it remains cash only, has a limited drink selection, and no hot food (but a solid selection of crisps). It’s all part of the magic of the Palm Tree. –David Bard
→ The Palm Tree • (Mile End) • 127 Grove Rd • Daily 12p-12a.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in London and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
Three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
If you haven’t already, tell us your favourite London restaurant.
What London hotel do you always recommend for out-of-town visitors?
Tell us about your favourite driving-distance getaway?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.