Obsessed with: Brussels sprouts — where to celebrate the divisive veg
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London
If Brussels sprouts were a guest at a dinner party, they’d be the person you don’t want to invite but feel obliged to. You might seat them at the end of the table, next to someone nice enough not to care. At my dinner party, however, sprouts are the forever friend. As soon as they come into season, the invite is there.
When dining alone, I like my sprouts simple: steamed whole for six minutes and served only with butter and black pepper. If I’m trying to convert someone, I’ll be more adventurous. In animated discussion with the Globetrotter team, a colleague suggested sautéing the vegetables in salt, butter and oil, before finishing off with a sprinkle of parmesan and chilli flakes
Supermarkets stock Brussels sprouts as early as September, but they are tastiest after a couple of frosts, reaching their peak around December and January. Colder temperatures sweeten these leafy vegetables, alleviating some of their bitterness. Sprouts have long been enjoyed in Brussels, the city from which they take their name, and are grown widely across Europe. Their hardiness during winter makes them a go-to vegetable for Christmas lunch.
But sprouts are so much more than a festive side dish. Cooked right — al dente and not a second more — they are a chef’s secret weapon. “I love a dish of sprout,” says Jeremy Lee, chef-proprietor at Quo Vadis, who uses sprout tops — the crowns of leaves that grow at the top of a sprout stalk — across his winter menus. “I like them fresh as daisies, cooked until tender and dressed in olive oil. They are also rather good fried lightly in olive oil with a salmoriglio of lemon, garlic and oregano added at the end.”
Sprouts are certainly the most Marmite-y of all vegetables; often this is to do with how they’re cooked. Overboiling them can lead to an increase in sulphur compounds, not to mention a mushy texture and unappetising colour. Another reason for sprouts’ divisiveness could be a chemical called PTC (phenylthiocarbamide); studies show that some people register it bitterly. But for others it merely enhances the vegetable’s ability to carry rich, fatty flavours.
“Sprouts add a real earthy note,” says Oliver Marlowe, owner and director of the Lunar Pub Company, which has pubs in Clapham, South Kensington and Belgravia. Marlowe serves sprouts in all three sites with parmesan, pancetta and a blue-cheese dip. Similar dishes include The Pelican’s caramelised sprouts with bacon, chestnut and thyme and Mr Bao’s “hot and sour” option with a “bacon crumb”.
Less traditional offerings around the capital include Firebird’s Brussels sprout martini (part of a growing trend for vegetable-based cocktails — see below), Scully St James’s barbecued sprouts with green sambal and pistachio, and Yauatcha’s duck, sprout and peanut stir-fry. Even Dishoom has a sprout in the game: the cult Mumbai-inspired chain chars them with chopped hazelnuts and chilli.
The sprout dishes listed here are a testament to the vegetable’s versatility, and a sign that these tiny cabbages are more welcome at dinner parties than they once were. You’ll find them at the restaurants below from now until at least the end of December, and in supermarkets until early March. I’ll have seconds for anyone who doesn’t want them.
Pizzeria Mozza
treehouse hotel, 4-5 Langham Place, London W1B 3DG
The festive aim of this West End restaurant is to “convert non-[sprout] eaters into huge fans”. What better way to do so than pizza.
Nancy Silverton opened Osteria Mozza, her cult Los Angeles Italian, in 2007; a London outpost launched in 2021. Her speciality is pizza, made light as a feather with the perfect ratio of air to bite. Silverton loves sprouts for their ability to “take on the flavour”, she says. “[They’ll] soak up whatever seasonings and sauces you put on [them].” This season’s Brussels sprouts pizza combines them with salty guanciale, sweet red onion, chilli and pecorino on a signature Silverton base.
You might expect a sprout pizza to be soggy; quite the opposite is true. The vegetables — each lightly charred and broken up into individual leaves — are spookily fresh. It makes sense: Silverton prefers her sprouts raw and in a salad. “I like to shave them and toss them with high-quality olive oil and lots of sliced mint,” she says. “Pair them with shaved pecorino, toasted salted almonds and freshly squeezed lemon.” Website; Directions
Kapara
13-14 Greek Street, London W1D 4DP
Based in Soho’s new Ilona Rose House development, Kapara offers a chichi take on Middle Eastern cooking. “Welcome to Kapara, Darling” goes the tagline.
Diners can expect a shared festive sharing menu: a 10-dish smorgasbord that includes spiced carrot hummus, blackened Aubergine Mess and freekeh-stuffed poussin (Hot Chick). Of course, no festive menu would be complete without sprouts, which chef Eran Tibi combines with a sunflower-seed gazpacho, smoked streaky pork belly, blood-orange marmalade and chives for his Sunflower & Sprouts option.
“I wanted to avoid the classic, but I didn’t want to insult the classic,” says Tibi of his inspiration. “It’s fresh and crunchy next to a heavy, sticky bird.” As a child, the chef hated sprouts; he’d only ever had them out of a can. Once he’d tried them fresh, however, he was obsessed.
More than anything, Tibi enjoys “the umami side of the sprouts — when you cook them they release very strong umami, so they’re very meaty”, he says. The flecks of blood orange keep the dish from being overwhelming, as does the relaxed, sharing-style format. Website; Directions
Pastaio
19 Ganton Street, London W1F 9BN
An “affordable” restaurant in Soho? Admittedly, I was doubtful. And yet, Pastaio manages to serve up freshly made — and delicious — pasta for as little as £11.
At other pasta restaurants in the capital, it’s not unusual to order a few plates to share. And while it’s tempting to do so at Pastaio — recent dishes include cavolo nero paccheri, crab spaghetti and wild mushroom tagliatelle — one per person is more than enough to be getting on with.
Pastaio founder Stevie Parle is offering sprouts two ways this season. New to the antipasti section is burrata served with hazelnut, pecorino, lemon and raw, thinly sliced sprouts. “What’s not to love?” asks Parle. “They’re tiny, round cabbages. Come on! We’re good at growing them in this country, and they’re usually fresh and delicious.” The burrata is in good company with Pastaio’s black truffle and mozzarella sandwich and roasted squash with red cabbage and salted ricotta.
But it would be dangerous to fill up too much. Parle’s main event is a Brussels sprout, chestnut and fontina gnocchi. It’s “not traditional”, he admits, but “tastes surprisingly nostalgic”. In fact, it’s so hearty it’s almost hard to believe it’s vegetarian. Finish with a glass of moscato and an obligatory portion of tiramisu. Website; Directions
The Grill by Tom Booton
the dorchester, 53 Park Lane, London W1K 1QA
As the youngest head chef in The Dorchester’s history, 30-year-old Tom Booton has given The Grill a welcome shake-up since he joined in 2019.
This is, however, still The Dorchester: sportswear is ill advised, the chandeliers are ornate and you’re supplied a tiny stool on which to rest your bag (no matter how ugly it is). But Booton’s cooking is anything but stuffy. In fact, some of his greatest hits are served in the form of snacks: Welsh lamb belly skewers, cod doughnuts and fried shimeji mushrooms. The laminated brioche is among the best I’ve had.
“I love sprouts,” says Booton. “[They] give that cabbage vibe, and make you feel nice and festive.” That said, he doesn’t feel the need to lean on festive classics: his key sprout dish this season adds them to baked cod, parsnips and chicken sauce. “You’d have cabbage with a fish,” he says of his decision to avoid a traditional roast-dinner format. “It’s just treating sprouts the same.”
Grading sprouts, says Booton, is “super important”. Vegetables that are too small might be chopped up and thrown raw into a salad. Sprout tops, meanwhile, are “lovely just cooked in a bit of water and butter”.
For traditionalists, Booton has devised a Brussels sprouts and smashed pigs in blankets side dish, part of a collaboration with Big Green Egg (there are two of its grills behind the chef’s counter). It’s rich, meaty and extremely decadent. Pair with a glass of Nebbiolo to compliment the earthy notes. Finish with Booton’s signature soft-serve. Website; Directions
Apricity
68 Duke Street, London W1K 6JU
Chantelle Nicholson likes sprouts so much that they’re illustrated on the uniforms at her restaurant. “They’re super cute, packed full of nutrients and delicious,” says the award-winning chef. “I love cooking them in butter and adding a little miso paste with water.”
It was a rush in the kitchen that led to Nicholson’s Crispy Sprouts side dish; the quickest way to get them done was to chuck them in a deep fat fryer. But rather than a charred mess, the sprouts become intense, nutty and deliciously crunchy. Some turn to crispy flakes; others hold their shape. Nicholson completes her creation with vermouth vinegar, chilli oil and salt. They’re almost like chips — but better.
Above all, Apricity is a seasonal and — where possible — zero-waste restaurant, a USP that led Nicholson to her most unusual offering yet: the Sproutini. Using gin infused with sprout tops and cuttings from the kitchen, the bar serves a martini that’s “clean and fresh”, says Nicholson, who champions vegetables both in her restaurant and cookbook, Planted. But unlike her Crispy Sprouts, the drink is perhaps only for true sprout enthusiasts: the pickle-like tang of vegetable is unmistakable. Did I eat the pickled-sprout garnish at the end? Absolutely. Website; Directions
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