Winter warmers | Our favourite slow-cooked stews and casseroles in London, bookable with OpenTable

As soon as the temperature drops, the nights draw in, leaves turn red and begin to fall off the trees, all we crave is comfort and warmth. This comes mostly in the form of food. Apparently 45% of Brits listed their favourite meal as a slow-cooked bowl of winter stew*. You just can’t beat food like this – whether at home snuggled under a blanket or in a restaurant by a log fire, it’s comfort food like stews and casseroles that make our seasons great.

Here’s three of our favourite slow-cooked stews and casseroles in London:

Why did the coq cross the road? To avoid the white vin man!

Perfectly slow-cooked beef + mash = a hug on a plate

Something French….
L’Escargot actually boasts not one, but two fantastic dishes that hit the spot. A Coq au Vin (£12) – drenched in a rich red wine sauce with meat that falls off the bone, this is one of my all-time favourite meals and is surprisingly hard to find on a menu. Not only is this one incredible, it’s pretty good value too. Their Beef bourguignon (£12) is a super-rich beef casserole, another famous French dish that never fails to disappoint. L’Escargot’s version is amazing, robust and succulent and arrives served as it should – with a generous dollop of creamy mash and a parmesan crisp. Staggeringly low prices for such high quality French food in a beautiful restaurant, there’s even a log fire. Winter eating doesn’t get cosier than this.
lescargotrestaurant.co.uk | 48 Greek Street, London W1D 4EF
Book online with OpenTable | Follow them on Twitter | Find them on Facebook

Spice it up at Dishoom

Something spicy….
Dishoom’s Haleem (£16.50) is a special and unique dish served only at the original Covent Garden branch – one of our most favourite places to be. This unusual delicacy is often eaten at weddings and religious events such as Ramadan. For around eight hours the wheat, lamb and lentils simmer with coriander, turmeric, cumin and dozens of other spices. This aromatic stew is ridiculously comforting, so thick, soft and delicious smothered on warm sesame and onion seed naan. We love the addition of ginger, fried onions, and chillies to add extra oomph and texture to an already perfect dish. Best served with a cooling and delicate Rose and cardamom lassi (£3.70) and a portion of Steamed basmati rice (£2.20).
dishoom.com | 12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB
Book online with OpenTable | Follow them on Twitter | Find them on Facebook

Slow-cooked oxtail – perfect hearty food

Something different…
The Palomar on Rupert Street is fantastic for something different (and quite frankly, amazing). It’s a new(ish) buzzing restaurant serving up modern day food of Jersualem and it has a perfect winter warmer on the menu – Persian oxtail stew (£14) with herbs, barley and turnips. Perch at the bar and watch the chefs cook this fragrant, sweet and comforting dish which is ideally suited to a glass of Rioja and a helping of torn fluffy Kubaneh tin-baked bread (£5) to soak up the juices at the bottom of the bowl that a spoon just can’t reach. Any stew with barley gets a thumbs up from us, we love the almost nutty flavour and texture it adds. The portion could do with being a little larger, but then again with a menu as impressive as the Palomar’s, you need to save space to try everything. Read our full review here.
thepalomar.co.uk | 34 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DN
Book online with OpenTable | Follow them on Twitter | Find them on Facebook

*Statistic from booking.com.

This post is in conjunction with OpenTable.