Mike Davies knows good pub dining. He’s cheffed his way around classics like the Canton Arms in Stockwell and Waterloo’s The Anchor & Hope, and since 2014 he’s been reeling in punters as chef-owner at The Camberwell Arms. There, he uses seasonal ingredients to concoct dishes like onions caramelised with ale and piled on toast with comté, and pork fat on toast fired up with scotch bonnets. Top-shelf meat – he also has a hand in Farmer Tom Jones butcher in Bermondsey’s Spa Terminus – is also a star and the pub’s Sunday roast has become a weekend pilgrimage for many. And we also partly have Davies to thank for Frank’s Cafe; along with Frank Boxer (Below Stone Nest) he co-owns the seasonal rooftop bar that helped kick off the capital’s love of a sky-high cocktail and played a part in ushering a new generation into Peckham.
Davies has been part of a milieu that’s brought the gastropub into the 2020s and led London’s rooftop drinking boom. So we asked him his thoughts on London’s food scene right now, the other pubs he rates and his favourite spots around the capital to drink and dine.
What’s happening in London’s food scene that’s getting you excited right now?
Pizza is my favourite food, and it’s having quite the moment. The first few times I went to the old Crisp W6 at The Chancellors [in Hammersmith] I was amazed to feel a sense of discovery and eat a type of pizza which, despite being obviously recognisable, felt different and proprietary. All the new wave “London-style” pizzerias excite me: Dough Hands, Vincenzo’s, Gracey’s, Breadstall. Jim [Woodley] from Gracey's used to work for us at The Camberwell Arms back in the day, which is a source of pride for me for sure.
Apart from The Camberwell Arms, of course, which other London pubs do you love?
From the perspective of a “pub pub” – pints, etc – I will always have a place in my heart for the Blythe Hill Tavern in Catford. A properly run pub, which manages to feel authentic and welcoming just by being as pubs should be. Food-wise, I have always loved The Cow in Notting Hill for a close to seamless merging of a food offering into a real pub. Also The Plimsoll, which dare I say reminds me of a more confident and knowledgeable version of The Camberwell Arms when it opened – a type of polished chaos with strong roots of very good menu writing and an understanding of what a pub is.
What’s your go-to for a quick takeaway dinner?
Given the opportunity I would almost always choose Chinese food for a takeaway, but good spots are few and far between. On occasion, though, when I lived in Forest Hill, I would drive back with food from Silk Road, the legendary Xingjiang region restaurant just down from The Camberwell Arms. TEP (tomato, egg, pepper) noodles; homestyle cabbage; lamb and spring onions; chicken and green chilli; pork with black fungus have for years been my favourites. They don’t fuck around seasoning-wise, which I love.
You want to go all-out – where are you booking?
Hunan in Pimlico. It’s been open for nearly 40 years, run by the same family. There is no menu to speak of, but you can tell them how hungry [you are] or how many courses you’d like. From the clear pork broth with fragrant mince, which is their signature starter, all the way through different regional expressions of Chinese cookery, and even a nod to anglicised Cantonese food like crispy aromatic duck and pancakes, it’s a luxe but super satisfying experience. They also have a separate handwritten wine list of oddities and collectibles, which is an excellent point of difference and a chance for wanton spending should you so desire.
Where do you go to eat if you also want to have fun?
Cheemc is a Korean restaurant which specialises in Korean fried chicken. I love Korean drinking etiquette, multiple types of drinks on the table at once – beers, soju, makgeolli (served in little golden bowls) – with the youngest at the table pouring for the elders. The fried chicken is totally delicious, and the spread of boozes always promises entertainment.
If you have friends visiting from out of town, where are you taking them?
I recently moved to near Deal in Kent, so I’m quite keen to shout out The Blue Pelican in Deal. When my wife and I had just moved down, she was still pregnant with our second child, and in the three weeks we had in the new house before he arrived, we managed to get a babysitter for our daughter and went for dinner at The Blue Pelican. It’s seasonal Japanese food, inspired by the chef’s time living in Japan. Honestly, everything we have eaten there has been exceptional. You wouldn’t necessarily expect to find such an esoteric gem outside of London, but as it’s our new town, I’d take people there. The last time I went my highlight was a rice bowl with a lobster chawanmushi (savoury custard) served over it. I have rarely eaten something so delicious. What’s more, my wife is vegan, and it’s not often that a place has the same attention to detail across its vegan dishes [as meat], so bonus points there, too.
Where do you go for a good drink and a snack?
I love the bar at Rules. It’s quite a mad slice of old London glamour in the touristy heart of Covent Garden. Perfectly executed classic cocktails and an idiosyncratic list of house specials are all excellent, but for me a gin Martini, made with Tanqueray 10 and an olive, and then ordering some bits from the restaurant downstairs (some oysters, a rarebit, or potted shrimps, for example) make for a perfect escape from the all-too-crowded streets in that part of town. A few years back they opened the conservatory at the back, which feels like a wealthy Victorian’s greenhouse, but I should give special mention to Christmas time, when a wood fire burns in the bar replete with the bar in full-on Christmas dress and a wheel of stilton on a silver cheese trolley warming slightly. I don’t even really like Christmas but it's impossible not to be drawn in to the traditionalism in a spot like Rules.
Your favourite breakfast spot?
I love a caff. My favourite is Sema’s cafe in Catford which was very close to my old house in Forest Hill. Specifically, they do a breakfast wrap, I suppose inspired by the golden arches, but so much more rewarding. Inside the wrap there is sausage, bacon, egg, hashbrowns and Kraft singles. It’s actual magic. Also, if you’re in a real state they deliver (not sure if that's helpful information or not).
Where do you buy your groceries?
Despite being a bona fide ingredient snob, access is important when you’ve got kids. Currently we do quite a bit of our grocery shopping at Deal Saturday Market on a Saturday; the fruit and veg guy there is lovely and always chats to my three-year-old; he also has a lot of in-season local bits from Kent, which are some of the best in the country. I’m also a sucker for good bread, and I love Steve’s [Gadd] bread from Staple Stores all around north-east Kent. In London you're spoilt for choice, but when I work at my butchery Farmer Tom Jones in Spa Terminus, I have pretty much the whole gamut of incredible suppliers represented: Neal’s Yard for cheese, Monmouth for coffee, Natoora for fruit and veg, obviously the best meat in town from Farmer Tom Jones – all without the crowds of Borough Market or other food hubs.
What’s a London hidden gem?
I don’t think it’s super hidden, and I’m certainly late to the party, but I recently ate at Planque in Haggerston and it was truly exceptional. I know it is spoken about amongst chefs and restaurants, and even The Observer covered chef Seb Myers’s efforts recently, but honestly it feels like it could easily be some of, if not the, best restaurant cooking in London at the moment. But at the other end of the scale, I’d say Lao Dao on Walworth Road, which is an offspring of the aforementioned Silk Road, serving the Spice Route-infused cuisine of Xinjiang. An amazing and authentic expression of regional Chinese cookery, which is the perfect reminder of the brilliance of multiculturalism in a city like London.
What’s your favourite sweet treat in London?
If I’m eating anywhere in Soho, I’m getting ice-cream from Gelupo afterwards. So many stunning flavour choices, always updating with the seasons. I find it hard to not have the ricotta and sour cherry, which is a signature of theirs, but all of the flavours are rich, balanced and delicious.
Tell us your bucket list restaurant?
I would love to eat at Etxebarri in the Basque country. Etxebarri is the mecca for solid fuel cookery, and sort of the dream set up for ingredient nerds and charcoal enthusiasts globally. Separately, I’ve had the pleasure of having lunch with Daniel Calvert on a couple of occasions. Daniel has just stopped heading the kitchen at Sezanne in Tokyo, where he achieved three Michelin stars and the number one spot in Asia’s 50 Best. Whatever Daniel does next will by default be on the list.
