London Undone with Jar Kitchen

TB_HQ’s regular feature offering a view of London from the inspirational folk who make this city great. It’s a double whammy this issue, with the view of not one, but two lovely local lasses, the wonderfully charming Lucy Brown & Jenny Quintero from Drury Lane’s award winning JAR KITCHEN

Home is?

Jar Kitchen, we live here! As do our wonderful staff, friends and locals. And we try and make it feel as homely and welcoming as possible.

Favourite watering hole?

The Sun pub on Drury lane, we don’t get much of a break most days, but if we’re lucky to get a half hour, we all pop over for a quick pint to relax and talk away from the restaurant.

Favourite place for everyday eats?

Ecco on Drury Lane is amazing, great pizzas and burritos and the guys who run the place are awesome.

Favourite place to eat for a treat?

Tough call, but it’s a toss up between The Barbery in Neal’s Yard, The Opera Tavern on Catherine Street, or Frenchie on Henrietta Street.

Best coffee?

Monmouth – we use their top quality coffee at Jar kitchen.

Favourite street (and why)?

Drury Lane for the diversity. On that one street you have two theatres, several pubs, numerous restaurants, a Majestic, some quirky corner shops and an Oxfam. What more do you want?

Shop you most frequent (or wish you could)?

We go to Leylands and Nisbets almost every day! We also pick up a few of our supplies; Neal’s Yard Dairy for cheese and milk, Fabrique for bread, Monmouth for coffee, Stems for our flowers so get to see the beauty of Seven dials, Covent Garden and Holborn on a daily basis. The ones we’d like to frequent are mostly other restaurants, but we work awkward hours so have long list of places we’re yet to visit! Native & Clos Maggiore are at the top.

Your earliest memory of London/the West End?

Christmas shopping in Seven Dials with all the Christmas lights twinkling and people bustling from one shop to another. Its still our favourite time of the year.

What, if anything, would make London a better place?

Transport. Being central is great, but having to travel in on the tube at rush hour is a horrible experience, better bike lanes would make things quicker and safer.

The building/view/piece of architecture that inspires you most?

Covent Garden piazza is truly beautiful and steeped in history, we love the beauty of Tower Bridge too. But for us the, the view from Duck & Waffle at the Heron Tower is incredibly inspiring, eating there is an experience you won’t forget, the combination of views, food, service, everything about the place for us is aspirational.

What do you miss the most when away from London?

Our community, the lovely people we see day in and day out who are all hugely important. There’s a certain freedom and an air of liberal thinking and diversity that those who live in London have. Also the amount of culture and activities are at our fingertips that we often take for granted living here.

The ultimate place in London to live would be?

Somewhere as green as Primrose Hill, with the vibe of East London and the restaurants of the West End.

I only have 24 hours in London, what are your Must Do’s?

JAR KITCHEN obviously, great for a Saturday bottomless brunch (if you can get in, we are always fully booked but keep some tables back for walk ins). Borough Market with so many amazing stalls selling cakes, to sausage rolls, fresh veggies to oysters. – check out Ropewalk too. Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday is a must and a walk through Regents Park any time of year is lovely.

Any top secret tips/places you’d like to share?

The outdoor pool at Oasis sports centre is incredible in the summer, nothing better than an open air dip in central London on a hot day.

If you’ve not been and tried our bottomless brunch on a Saturday, then what have you been waiting for?!

Call us to book a table, and readers of IN THE KNOW will get a 10% discount on their bill for any booking in January.

For more stories, news and views from the streets of London’s West End, check out the latest issue of TB_HQ’s INTHEKNOW