Forty chefs open up their address books for Observer Food Monthly and reveal their favourite places to eat, from Inverness to Paignton and from Michelin-starred restaurants to a pie and mash shop
1 Wright Brothers, Spitalfields
Chosen by Angela Hartnett, Murano, Cafe Murano
What with Hawksmoor, Tramshed and the rest, east London’s dead meaty these days, so Wright Brothers made a very welcome change when it opened a year or so back. It’s a brilliant fish joint that just happens to be five minutes’ walk from my house. I often pop in for a quick bite and a drink, and I love sitting at the long, marble-topped bar. In fact, I’ll sit there even when I’m having a full-blown meal – it’s just so classy and conducive to eating great fish. The starters have a slight Italian slant, which is right up my street, but it’s the fresh-as-can-be shellfish you really come for. It always takes me ages to choose what to have, which I’ve always thought is a sign of a good restaurant. I start off wanting everything on the menu, then whittle it down to something more manageable.
Must-have The oysters – they have such a wide selection. And the deep-fried olives, to keep you going while you make up your mind what else to have.
Wright Brothers, 8a Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields Market, E1 6EA, 020 7377 8706, thewrightbrothers.co.uk