The meals pattern Nathaniel Mortley, aka NattyCanCook, is sending to Room 101, in the meantime? Smash burgers, controversially – “you need so many patties to make it feel like you’re biting into something…”
Then got here the name to order. Condé Nast Traveller’s world editorial director, Divia Thani, took the mic, effortlessly quieting a room. She spoke about meals as a “bridge across borders” – which, in that second, felt like a really correct description of the room: accents, cuisines, and personalities all colliding over bubbles. “Three years ago, we started the UK’s Top New Restaurant awards to celebrate the very best of British dining right now. We know this is a hard business, we know it’s a challenging time, but what you do every day is what makes the UK an exciting, vibrant and dynamic place to be. Our audiences around the world look to this list when planning their trips to London – and many of them say they’re booking restaurants even before they’ve booked flights!!”
As the winners have been introduced, chaos ensued (the good type), with cheers erupting in pockets throughout Motorino as names flashed up – some anticipated, others prompting that unmistakable “oh wow, them?” power. From a comfy Herne Hill hideout by NattyCanCook to a buzzy Japanese spot in Edinburgh, the crowd was invested, cheering on every announcement.
There have been a couple of standout moments that everybody stored whispering about at the bar. Maria Bradford owned the room after being named Best New Chef, shouting out Sierra Leonean flavours whereas Big Zuu hyped her up like her private cheerleader. “Representation matters,” declared Bradford, resplendent in emerald inexperienced.
Meanwhile, Margate’s Willy’s crew leaned totally into the double entendres after successful the Readers’ Favourite Awards – clearly having the finest time with it.
