Christmas specials to try this December in London

If there’s something that people love doing together – despite the restrictions and hurdles – is eating good food together. And that’s a fact even more true at Christmas time. Plus the festive period always offers those special dishes that are a little bit different and, of course, brilliantly indulgent. We’ve rounded up some of the best new plates to try in the UK’s capital this December that provide a fresh twist on traditional British Christmas classics.

Junsei’s limited-edition Wagyu Beef Sando

Is Christmas even Christmas without a Christmas sandwich? We think not. But if you fancy something a bit different from what gets thrown together on Boxing Day, make sure to pay a visit to acclaimed Japanese restaurant and yakitori-ya Junsei to taste their limited-edition Wagyu Beef Sando (£35), which they boldly claim is London’s most luxurious Christmas sandwich. At its centre is a generous slab of richly marbled A4 Wagyu tri-tip beef from the coastal region of Kagoshima, carefully grilled to perfect medium-rare over flaming Binchōtan charcoal and then tucked into lightly scorched Shokupan milk bread slices and served with pickled cabbage and a Tonkastu style plum chilli sauce, perfectly combining spice, sweet and salty notes in umami bliss.

To book a table at Junsei, 132 Seymour Place London W1H 1NS, call 020 7723 4058 or visit their website here.

Dishoom’s Turkey Raan – and the brand-new vegan No-Turkey Raan

A highlight on the reliably-delicious Dishoom Christmas menu is the Turkey Raan. Here, the traditional British Christmas turkey sits front-and-centre, but with an Eastern twist, featuring a marinated and slow-cooked turkey leg. Or if you’re looking for a vegan alternative, you can try the brand-new No-Turkey Raan. Both are accompanied by a host of trimmings, which again take the familiar ingredients and give them the Dishoom treatment: Bombay potatoes, masala winter greens, chilli sprouts coupled with hazelnuts and a cranberry chutney.

Dishoom has venues in Covent Garden, Carnaby, Kensington, King’s Cross, Shoreditch in London, and in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. For further information or to book visit their website here.

Kanada-Ya’s Luxury Seafood Ramen

To mark the festive period, Kanada-Ya’s new Carnaby restaurant has launched an exclusive limited-edition, luxury seafood ramen. The Shifudo Ramen (£15.90) features their famous tonkotsu pork bone broth, here infused with the best seafood available, including crab, Scottish langoustines and tiger prawns to infuse. It’s served with chashu pork belly, sweetcorn and angel hair, topped with a deep, rich langoustine and prawn oil, transforming the typical street food dish into something far more refined. And while you’re slurping down your broth, you can also indulge in a glass or two of their draught Kirin; the perfect accompaniment.

Kanada-Ya has venues in Carnaby, Piccadilly, Covent Garden, Islington and soon Ealing. For further information or to book visit their website here.

Wahaca’s Turkey Taquito 

Mexican restaurant Wahaca are offering their own Christmas-themed fare this December. Don’t miss out on a taste of Britain-meets-Mexico from their special menu with the Turkey taquito (£6.50), which combines traditional roast turkey with smoky bacon, chestnut, sage and apricot stuffing in a crisp corn tortilla, topped with a sweet hibiscus salsa, fresh tomatillo guacamole and crema. Make the feeling of festive cheer complete with a touch of fizz with the Christmas Bellini (£7.25), which mixes prosecco with fresh pomegranate and is garnished with pomegranate seeds and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Wahaca has venues in Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, White City, Southbank, Waterloo, Shoreditch, Islington, Stratford, Canary Wharf and Wimbledon, as well as Brighton Cardiff and Edinburgh. For further information or to book visit their website here.

Poppies’ Giant Battered Pigs in Blankets

If cheap and cheerful is your bag, look no further than East-end chippie Poppies, who famously battered British classic chocolates Quality Street back in 2019, and are now back with a deep-fried version of another of the nation’s favourite Christmas staples: giant battered pigs in blankets! Made with jumbo sausages wrapped in a strip of smoked streaky bacon from family butcher Walter Rose & Son, all battered in Poppies’ signature batter, they can be all yours for an oh-so-reasonable three quid from one of their locations in Camden, Spitalfields or Shoreditch. Yes please.

Poppies has venues in Camden, Spitalfields and Shoreditch. For further information or to book visit their website here.

The editorial unit