Newsletter - 9th October 2026
Jackie’s Counter
When: Opened 15 August
Where: 178 Kensington Church, W8 4DP
Book: Jackie’s Counter
Jackie’s Counter brings a little New York deli spirit to west London. With its bright red-and-white sign and small, intimate space, this American-style café is an inviting spot for a morning coffee, an all-day breakfast or a proper lunchtime sandwich.
Start with the breakfast bagel filled with egg, cheese and bacon, or take your time over waffles with bacon or maple syrup. There’s banana bread with peanut butter dressing too, alongside hot coffee and cold brew.
At lunchtime, the Salt Beef Reuben brings together sauerkraut, mustard and cheese on American rye. Other deli classics include a Turkey BLT, Egg Roll and Tuna Melt, plus a hot dog with gherkins and French’s mustard. Nothing overly complicated, just the sort of food you’re glad to find when lunch calls.
For something sweet, choose an ice cream milkshake in Biscoff, Oreo or matcha, a New York-style cookie with changing daily flavours, or a slice of NYC cheesecake. Pop in for coffee and you may find yourself staying for lunch.
Taste Film: The Lord of the Rings
Autumn is a good excuse to settle in with a film, and Taste Film offers a rather more generous alternative to the usual bowl of popcorn. Its upcoming The Lord of the Rings screening pairs the film with a themed menu served as you watch.
Dishes include “Raiding Crops”, with roasted carrots, cheese curds, cobnuts and crispy sage, and “Perilous Pie”, a chicken sausage and wild mushroom pie served with smoked mash, crispy bacon and black cabbage. To finish, there’s a pear and chocolate “dirt” cake with yoghurt and molten chocolate sauce. Explore the full menu and book Taste Film tickets.
Gourmet Odyssey: Shoreditch
This Sunday, the London Restaurant Festival’s Gourmet Odyssey takes you through Shoreditch, stopping for a drink and a course at each restaurant. Begin with Peruvian cooking at Llamas Inn, move on to British and Mediterranean flavours at Noisy Oyster, then finish with Indian cooking at Kricket.
It’s a chance to explore three kitchens in one outing, without having to choose just one for lunch. Find tickets for Gourmet Odyssey Shoreditch.
Last Chance: Paule Béké at The King & Co
There’s still time to catch chef Paule Béké’s Douceurs d’Ivoire residency at The King & Co in Clapham. Now in its final week, the pop-up brings her French-Ivorian heritage to the pub’s kitchen.
Look out for sugar-glazed short rib, marinated chicken buns with slow-cooked onion compote and Lafiti-seasoned fried rice. If you’ve been meaning to go, this is your nudge. Book a table for Douceurs d’Ivoire.