Papi is one of the most deliciously creative & innovative restaurants in the city, a crown it’s made permanent ironically thanks to near-constant change – and now they’ve taken that to the next level with a whole new head chef.
Alice McCleary’s well-seasoned CV has seen her handle the pans at Shoreditch Arts Club, The Laundry and Lasdun, and to celebrate her arrival, Nudge Members (plus a lucky guest) are getting 40% off the food bill from the 11th – 25th February.
A tiny soupçon of background, if you haven’t yet had the inestimable pleasure of dining at Papi – it was a born out of a zero waste pop up in lockdown, courtesy of chef Matthew Scott and wine wizard Charlie Carr. And as we all know, when you’re forced into the crucible of zero-waste cookery, the result is often highly imaginative. Just ask the team at Fallow.
You’ll find Papi itself on London Fields‘ ever-shinier crown jewel, Mentmore Terrace, where its all-glass fronting is emblazoned in huge letters with the restaurant’s name. The room behind it is an extremely simple, almost spartan space, with blonde wood walls & floors encasing blonde wood furnishings, and the occasional splash of blue for contrast. But right at the back, there’s a bar hemming in a tiny, two-person open kitchen. And one of the people in that kitchen will invariably be Alice, who beavers away diligently slicing, grilling, and occasionally firing out balloons of flame from a huge blowtorch.
The food she’s cooking up? Well, Alice has honed a style that’s a little more classical than Matthew’s. She has a knack for bringing the best out of vegetables, as seen in the addition of beets with goat’s curd, cobnuts & Douglas fir, or the tomato, black garlic, and shiso salad. But you’ll also find highlights like BBQ potato buns with tuna belly ‘nduja and lardo; wild mushroom cacio e pepe with truffle; garlic butter clams; and half poussin with Caesar mayonnaise and sauce charcutière. Even the fries are punched up with cod’s roe.
Alice also trained as a pastry chef, a skill that’s being deliciously exploited on the dessert menu with a new standout pudding every season. Kicking things off is a sumptuous sticky toffee pudding made from date and pumpkin, and served with tahini caramel and soft cheese ice cream.
And then there are the drinks, handled ably by Charlie Carr. He’s pairing his wonderful wines with anything & everything on the menu, and there are beers, simple cocktails, and a “humble” glass of pet nat cider too.
NOTE: Papi is open now, Tuesday-Saturday. You can find out more, and book a table, at the Papi website.
PREVIOUS PERK: Nudge Members (+1) got 40% off the food bill at Papi from 11th – 25th February 2025. Not a Nudge Member yet? Sign up for a free 7 day trial.
Papi | 1F Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PN
Hanging out in the area? Have a peep at our itinerary for a perfect Saturday Morning in London Fields…