TREAT

Jay Patel, co-founder of Legare restaurant

Legare is one of those ‘almost secret’ restaurants that has a very special atmosphere and equally special menu. It’s one of my favourites.

“I grew up in a fairly traditional East African-Indian household where food was a huge part of my life. Naturally, that love of eating turned into cooking and feeding others. With Legare the idea was simple – myself and my business partner (head chef) Matt wanted to create a great local Italian restaurant with a small seasonal menu and cosy atmosphere. The menu isn’t traditional but it is rooted in the ideals of Italian cooking: simple, seasonal, artisanal ingredients with a focus on hand-made dishes. We may use sobrasada de iberico instead of ’nduja, or maybe Greek olive oil instead of Sicilian, all based on what would work best with each dish. Our signature is our cannoli but my favourite is our orecchiette with fennel sausage ragu. It’s our take on Nancy Silverton’s signature dish and it’s such a special recipe.”legarelondon.com