Photograph by Polly Brown
Chef-owner Adejoké Bakare was a self-described home cook before winning a competition that landed her a coveted restaurant space on South London’s Market Row in Brixton Village. And while Chishuru is better known for Bakare’s creative take on the food of West Africa than it is for its tight, well-curated wine list, the combination makes for an unmissable experience. Where else can you marvel at how the light creaminess of a Burgundian Aligoté tames the scorching heat of Scotch bonnet sauce, or the way a dark-fruited red blend from the Languedoc plays with the spiced depth of jollof rice?
One can pop into this Hackney mainstay in the middle of the afternoon to snag a bottle of excellent wine to go, but it’s not advisable if you’re on a tight schedule. Because this tiny wine shop–slash–bar, inspired by the caves à manger of Paris, has a peculiar sort of gravitational pull. Maybe the staff offers you a pour of the bottle you’re considering just to make sure it’s to your liking. Perhaps you strike up a conversation with another shopper and, well, if you’re both going to have another glass, you may as well order a bottle, right? Before you know it the kitchen is open, and menus featuring small plates from a rotating cast of guest chefs get passed around, and—wouldn’t you know it—you could use a snack. P. Franco is a required stop for anyone on a wine tour of London. Just don’t expect to leave on time.
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Ali Dirik opened this ocakbaşi, a style of Turkish eatery focused on charcoal grilling, in the mid-’90s and quickly gained a following. Fast-forward nearly 30 years and his sons Ferhat and Sertaç are at the helm, with a revamped menu—think grilled sourdough pide topped with shaved lamb heart, and raki-battered purple broccoli—and a mostly natural wine list that sets their place apart from other more casual shops in Dalston.
