Smokestak’s David Carter reveals his favourite London dining spots
Born and raised in Barbados, open fire cooking specialist Carter moved to London in 2008 to work with Gordon Ramsay, first at Claridge’s then the Savoy Grill. After a stint at Roka he opened Smokestak in 2013, inspired by a barbecue pilgrimage around the southern states of America.
After a series of successful pop-ups, he opened a permanent site for Manteca in Shoreditch in 2021.
Brawn, Columbia Road
This is the perfect neighbourhood restaurant. I love Braun as much for what it serves (and by who serves it) as much as what it represents. It’s renowned as an institution for restaurant folk for good reason.
Quality Chop House & Quality Wines, Farringdon Road
Here at this restaurant we have two of the best cooks in London – who cook food they genuinely want to eat – sat side by side on Farringdon Road. They have created waves and hype across all sorts of London food types just by doing what they love.
Ikoyi, St James
There’s something very special about Jeremy Chan, the chef behind Ikoyi. He’s as clever with his hands as he is with his head, his technical cooking ability matched by his vivid imagination and deep creativity. This is a chef with respect and understanding of produce and his craft. I look forward to seeing how far he goes as I think he is arguably the most inspiring cook of our generation.
Mangal 2, Dalston
When we started off in Dalston in 2014 I used to visit Mangal 2 twice a week to get a proper ocakbasi fix. You’d often be the only one in there for lunch and it was amazing. Now, there’s not one table free and it’s better than amazing. The brother duo have taken a leap of faith, gone against the grain (in a neighbourhood of traditionalists and purists) to write their own script and create what they wanted to create. Against all the odds, it’s a masterpiece.
Singburi, Leytonstone
There’s no fuss and no thrills at Singburi. It’s BYO, damn-tasty, proper thai. The Moo Krob is worth the trek alone. It’s the kind of place where the manager will think nothing of telling you off should you dare to be three mins late – magic! She’s a sweetheart but doesn’t give one toss, which is half her charm.