Rahel Stephanie is one to watch on London's food scene – born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, she moved to the UK capital as a student and quickly discovered that the city's Indonesian food scene was sorely lacking. She started putting on dinner party for friends to cook the food she so missed from home, and these quickly became available to the public in the form of supper club Spoons. Here, she shares her favourite places in London.
“This is my favourite place for Vietnamese cuisine. It’s in Deptford and I’m a regular there. They serve unpretentious fare.
I always order two dishes there: the fresh and fragrant vermicelli fish soup, and the lemongrass marinated barbecue chicken. It's got a fun, buzzing atmosphere, people crowding over their food, sharing it in groups over laughter and chatter. On the walls there’s a hand-painted mural of Halong Bay, and they even have a karaoke spot in the basement, which is incredible.
” Address: Viet Rest, 113 Deptford High Street, London SE8 4NS Website: vietrestltd.co.uk “One of my favourite recent openings in the past year.
They do slightly contemporary interpretations of Malaysian food without compromising on the authenticity of the flavours. The guys are extremely lovely. Its BYOB policy creates a great vibe.
Their hero dish is ayam goreng susu, the classic Malaysian dish of fried chicken reduced in a condensed milk sauce. I'm all about that savoury-sweet combination. It's so, so good.
It's quite a small restaurant as well, so you have to book ahead.” Address: Janda Diner, 18 Peckham Rye, London SE15 4JR Website: jandalondon.uk “[ The Standard ] is a lovely, very contemporary hotel, but they also have exciting cross-cultural events.
Like they recently collaborated with Diet Paratha to host their annual barbecue series in their Double Standard Garden, with a curated lineup of South Asian chefs. I did a barbecue there last year. Being culturally relevant is what keeps them cool, otherwise they’d be just another luxury hotel.
” Address: The Standard, 10 Argyle Street, London WC1H 8EG Website: standardhotels.com “This Leytonstone restaurant is my favourite in London, and does the best Thai cuisine (if not best food in general) in the city, with super authentic flavours. They have developed quite a cult following and you have to book months in advance.
It’s run by a Thai couple and their son who have no plans on expansion because they prioritise quality, which I really respect. I’d love to see these small family-owned businesses being preserved because that's where London’s culture shines most vibrantly. I always go there with a big group and order everything on the specials blackboard.
I've never had a bad dish.” Address: Singburi, 593 High Road Leytonstone, London E11 4PA Website: instagram.com “There are quite a few community cultural spaces in South London , which I'm grateful to live close to.
For example, Spanner in Loughborough Junction. They’re a small, club or party venue where they have lots of really interesting, up-and-coming musicians and DJs. I'm always having a great time there.
Last time I went was for a friend's farewell party, and the DJ had this massive Indonesian rice mountain.” Address: Spanners, Arch 504 Ridgway Road, London SW9 7EX Website: spanners.club “This bar on Hackney Road has a distinct, sage-green tiled exterior.
I come here specifically for my favourite cocktail in the world, their exquisite Flor: distilled tomato, olive oil, Fino Sherry and Haku vodka. Imagine a kind of transparent gazpacho. It’s stunning, fresh and light.
That's genuinely my favourite cocktail ever.” Address: Equal Parts, 245 Hackney Road, London E2 8NA Website: equalpartslondon.com “My favourite wine bar is in De Beauvoir, a cute, intimate spot that’s quite tucked away on a residential street but very popular.
They have a spectacular wine list including old vintages and rare gems, and the atmosphere is really nice, especially when it’s sunny and people sit on the tables outside. It's an adorable place to have a date. Address: Hector’s, 49a Ardleigh Road, London N1 4HS Website: hectorslondon.
co.uk “This experimental film cooperative runs screenings in a disused railway arch at Loughborough Junction. It’s super DIY.
The films are either free or very low cost, maybe £5. Members of the community curate different screening programmes, such as an Indonesian cinema season, or a bunch of films about food and the diaspora experience – interesting cultural topics being explored through movies, which is really exciting.” Address: 1-7 Gastineau Yard, Loughborough Junction, SW9 7FA London Website: expcinema.
org “I love this spot on Kingsland Road. I’ll go there for coffee with a friend or a meeting, or just work on my laptop. It's so spacious and their live music programme is exciting.
My recent favourite performance was by the Danish composer ML Buch who does dreamy, gorgeous, experimental pop. They champion left field, up-and-coming experimental music acts.” Address: Cafe OTO, 18-22 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL Website: cafeoto.
co.uk “I love these two shops along Hackney Road, specifically for archival and vintage designer clothing. There's also WASTED , which stocks left-field independent designs as well as merch and zines, which is really fun.
” Address: Haut Corporation, 260 Hackney Road, London E2 7SJ; Twos, 258 Hackney Road, London E2 7SJ Website: instagram.com/haut_corporation ; instagram.com/twos.
care For more information about Spoons supper club, visit instagram.com/EatWithSp00ns.
