Mike Meets London Tastemakers

In this episode I chat to Eduardo, one of the co-founders of fresh pasta restaurant La Nonna and Spanish-inspired street food business EDū. We talk about the origins of the different concepts and focus on the journey of La Nonna to its first bricks and mortar restaurant in Brixton, as well as what the future might hold for the brands. You can find La Nonna in Brixton Village and EDū in Flat Iron Square and Boxpark.Eduardo gives shout outs to the meatballs at Gold, Notting Hill and octopus tacos at KOL.@lanonnaldn & @eduldn on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Leonardo from Badiani, who has the enviable job of thinking about the future of their gelato! We chat about Badiani's long and storied history and the origin of their Buontalenti flavour, as well as more recent developments such as their nationwide delivery service, store expansions and upcoming subscription model. If you've not already tried their gelato (I particularly recommend La Dolce Vita and Buontalenti Pistachio) you'd be mad not to seek it out!Leo gives shout outs to Mercato Metropolitano (now in multiple locations) as well as MBARE in Clapham.@badiani1932 on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Megumi Takeyama, owner of Megumi's and Rise Japanese Bakery & Bar. We talk about how Megumi learned to cook so she didn't have to lose her Grandmother's cooking and how she went from running her own bar in Shibuya to starting a supper club in London. We also dive into what she's doing at Rise and what makes it special, including the use of sake lees as an ingredient.Megumi gives shout outs to Noble Rot, Brat, The Little Viet Kitchen, Da Terra, Jugemu, Dinings and Endo. Also The Ethicurean as a destination restaurant.@megumitakeyama & @rise_bakery_bar on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Chef Tim Anderson, founder and chef behind Nanban, Masterchef winner, cookbook author, radio presenter and more! We talk about all things Japanese food, from the acquired taste of horse meat sashimi to the under-appreciated regional variation in cuisine. Tim deep-dives into fusing the flavours of Brixton and London as a whole into the dishes on the Nanban menu, and his grudge against udon. You can find Nanban in Brixton and Seven Dials Market.Tim gives shout outs to Sho Foo Doh, Koya, Jin Jiang, SiChuan and Shan Shui Jian. He also recommends Natural Natural for all your sake buying needs, and UK sake breweries Dojima, Kanpai and The Sparkling Sake Brewery.@cheftimanderson & @nanbanlondon on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Chef Michael Carr, Head Chef at Fenchurch Restaurant in London's Sky Garden. We talk all about his journey from the beginning all the way up to the 37th floor, via working for Gordon Ramsay, competing on Great British Menu and delivering beef wellingtons to people during lockdown. The recently launched tasting menus at Fenchurch sound absolutely fantastic and are well worth a look!Michael gives big shout outs to El Pastor and the Big Mamma Group, as well as The Dorchester, Smoking Goat and Brat.@fenchurchrestaurant and @chefmichaelkarr92 on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Charles Tyler, the Director of Paladar. Paladar is a fantastic modern Latin American spot in Elephant & Castle and one I strongly recommend everyone check out. We chat about the restaurant's origins and Charles' previous experience with Malaysian cuisine, as well as how Paladar became 100% gluten free and their plans for the future.Charles gives a shout out to Kudu in Peckham following a recent visit.@paladarlondon on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to Rowena Romulo, owner of Romulo Cafe in Kensington. Romulo Cafe has been synonymous with Filipino food in London for a number of years and really worth a visit. We talk about the origins of the restaurant - suggested by ambassadors as a place to entertain diplomats! - and everything from COVID struggles through to their brand new exciting spin-off concept Kasa and Kin which launches imminently.Rowena gives shout-outs to Cacciari's on Portobello Road and The Ledbury.@romulocafelondon & @kasaandkin on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.

In this episode I chat to James Chant, founder and main noodle man at Matsudai Ramen based out of Cardiff. Matsudai rocketed to nationwide fame through their incredible ramen DIY kits, and they're currently in the middle of their second London pop-up. We talk about James' path into ramen from the music industry and how he was almost put off ramen forever by Wagamama. He also described how he cobbled together his original recipes from blurry whiteboards in the background of YouTube videos from Rajuku ramen school, and how always serving tonkotsu is like Radiohead always playing 'Creep'. We caught up when James was - in his own words - "a little nervous guy from Wales coming to the big city to become a YouTube star with Uncle Roger".James gives shout outs to Supa Ya ramen, Kanada-Ya, Laksamania and Nanban (Tim Anderson) in London.He also recommends Brother Thai, Milkwood, Fowl and Fury and Ren Japanese Food around his parts in Cardiff.@matsudairamen on Instagram.You can find me at @mikeeatslondon on Instagram and the pod at @mikemeetslondon. Feel free to drop me a line!The intro and outro music is 'Swinging London 1966' by Lucas Perný & Miloslav Kollar, under a Creative Commons license. If you enjoyed the episode please do subscribe, leave me a review and share with friends and family! I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.