You’ve probably encountered Vesper’s burger, on Tiktok or Instagram, at least: a juicy patty in a perfectly glazed bun, oozing cheese and peppercorn sauce. Why is everyone so obsessed? Because most of us can’t get one. The kitchen makes just 10 per service, ratcheting up the Fomo to unprecedented levels. It’s not the only sought-after dish served in tiny quantities, whether it’s Cometa’s Mexican fried chicken or Cassette’s coq au jaune pie. How do you score a portion? And why can’t they make more? We found seven of the best, and asked for the story behind them.
The coq au jaune pie at Cassette
There’s a lot to enjoy at Covent Garden’s buzziest new bistro, from chef Essa Fakhry’s bite-sized beef croustades to his pigeon chou farci. Most coveted of all, though, is the coq au jaune pie, made from Burgundian black chicken, with a scaly foot poking from the buttery puff pastry. “We use it to show the bird’s provenance,” says co-founder Mark Gurney. “You can’t fake a black-footed chicken. And for a bit of theatre – we are in theatreland, after all.” The pies take time and space to make, so the team bakes four to six a day, which aren’t on the specials board for long. “Get in early,” says Gurney. “Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
The burger at Vesper
As anyone who keeps an eye on Instagram will know, Vesper’s is no ordinary patty. Made from the offcuts of the menu’s dry-aged ribs, it’s grilled with parmesan rind-infused beef fat, topped with whipped gorgonzola, and anointed with a complex, cognac-laced peppercorn sauce. The kitchen makes 20 a day – which is plenty, says chef Jackson Boxer. “Were an infinite quantity available, I’d end up cooking more of them than anything else, which wouldn’t be good for my soul.” With 10 sold at each service, timing is everything. “Book your seat for noon or 5.30pm, and you're basically guaranteed to get one.” Is it genius marketing? Absolutely. Do we still really want one? Yes.
The lobster and chips at Quality Wines
Dishes come and go on the blackboard at this lo-fi corner wine bar, but the one to look out for, as acolytes know, is chef Nick Bramham’s lobster and chips. In the tiniest of kitchens, Bramham turns out an impeccable lobster thermidor, made with a luscious veloute involving comte, cream and brandy. It only appears in native lobster season, which peaks in July and August while sourcing constraints (and the sheer amount of prep) means servings are strictly capped. “It’s pretty laborious,” says Bramham. “Twelve is the maximum we can manage a day.” They can’t be reserved, so it pays to book an early spot.
The fried chicken at Cometa
This Mexican seafood spot has a sneaky sideline in fried chicken. Served in minute quantities (15 portions at dinner, five at lunch), it’s a nod to the bar that formerly occupied the site. “I wasn’t that up for doing fried chicken,” says co-founder Ollie Templeton. “So if we did, it had to be good.” And it is, from the high-welfare birds – St Bride’s or Sutton Hoo – to the recado negro marinade (a spiced, smoky paste, black with charred chillis). Marinated for 24 hours, then bathed in buttermilk for a day, it’s finished with a slow-roasted agave and habanero glaze – all requiring painstaking prep. Far from being a marketing ploy, Cometa tries not to promote it. “We’re a seafood restaurant,” Templeton says. “And we want that to be the focus.” To try it, arrive before 7.30pm. “After that, your chances diminish.”
The Pembrokeshire crab roll at Bara
A homely, coffee-fuelled corner of Wales recreated off Peckham’s Rye Lane, Bara dispenses Swansea breakfasts with laverbread and cockles, and butter-slathered slabs of bara brith. Its weekend-only special, though, is a sesame-sprinkled toasted milk bread roll filled with dayboat-fished Câr-y-Môr crab. There are 10 per day on Saturdays and Sundays, available from 11am. Why such restricted numbers? “We wanted it to be a hero dish,” explains co-founder Cissy Dalladay. “If it was on all the time, I think it would feel less special.” It means the crab – delivered Fridays – is at its best, and the dish invariably sells out. “Peoples’ brains hone into it being a limited thing, and it does bring customers down here.”
The suckling pig at Legado
No dish better exemplifies the spirit of Legado than its signature suckling pig. “It represents what we’re all about,” says chef-patron Nieves Barragán Mohacho. “Celebrating tradition, and whole-animal cookery.” The entire pig’s cooked in a wood-burning asador until it’s crisp-skinned and tender; the meat can be cut with the edge of a plate, which the team does tableside, adding to neighbouring tables’ envy. With just eight to 10 pigs roasted per day, it’s wise to pre-order by the whole, half or quarter, avoiding the scramble for the six to eight portions available à la carte. Don’t be daunted if you get a forequarter, says executive chef Frankie van Loo. “The cheek is super tender, and the crispy ears are prized.”
The Torbay prawns at Toklas
Torbay prawns is a dish the team at Toklas serve whenever they can: lightly fried, sweet native prawns from Henderson’s Seafood, served with a lemon wedge and mayo. “Because the prawns are so small and young, you don’t shell them,” says head chef Chris Shaw. “It also means you can eat the whole thing, rather than just the tail.” In season, there could be 15 to 20 portions a day, if the kitchen can source them. “Each trap, laid by a guy in a little boat, might only pull up a few hundred grams – it’s very weather dependent. We do our best to get first dibs, but a lot of restaurants want to snap them up.” Roll up on the right day, though, and you could be in luck: while people in the know will always order them, says Shaw, they seldom sell out straight away.
