The most controversial list ever
Imagine eating about 3,000 meals over the course of seven years, including two years thinking, revisiting, rethinking, filtering, ranking all the restaurants you’ve visited, compiling a list titled “The 99 Best Restaurants in London” and publish it saying, “I hope you disagree with it!” This is exactly what Jonathan Nunn did. Nunn is the founder and co-editor of the Vittles Substack and magazine, which features objective restaurant critics and food culture articles. Vittles itself has started being an alternative guide to the eating world in London, the authors paying for their meals, never accepting freebies and greatly focusing on the outskirts of the city, going beyond central London, quite unlike most existing guides. Vittles itself was born from the urge to be controversial, pretty much like an antidote to the PR manicured, sponsor-supported establishments, in quest for bringing the small enterprises unseen by the mainstream media. Naturally, the “99 Best” list turned out to be very controversial against the gastronomic establishment.
Published in the United Kingdom, the Vittles caused quite a stir here in Türkiye, especially in Mersin, the southeastern Mediterranean city. The reason for this buzz was that five Turkish restaurants made the list, two of which were “tantuni” joints, a Mersin street food specialty. On top of that, Neco Tantuni, located in one of the northernmost neighborhoods of London, ranked fourth, just two spots behind the legendary The Ritz — the renowned luxury restaurant in London where even the city’s elite struggle to get in, with strict dress codes that refuse entry to anyone without a tie. While everyone was surprised by this list, I wasn’t particularly shocked. That’s because Jonathan Nunn is someone I've known for years, whose writings I follow and whose opinions I am familiar with. We met years ago when he was working at Postcard Teas, a uniquely special tea shop just off Oxford Circus. It must be back in 2007-2008, when I started attending the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, I was introduced to Timothy Doffay, the founder of Postcard Teas by my dear friend Fuchsia Dunlop, herself an acclaimed food writer and expert on Chinese food. Jonathan knew London like the back of his hand and, in particular, his knowledge of Turkish food and restaurants amazed me. Dedicated to bringing forth the unsung heroes of the London food scene, he launched the Vittles blog about 5 years ago. Vittles means provisions, but in cowboy slang, it also means rations, something to eat, or just food, originating from the Latin word “vitus,” meaning “nourishment” or “way of living.” While Vittles continues as an online publication that anyone can subscribe to via Substack, there is now a printed Vittles Magazine, its second edition just launched.
What does 'The Best' stand for?
Vittles, founded in response to the London-centric approach of the press and the complete transformation of the once legendary Time Out London magazine, which has rendered anonymous restaurant reviews, now a thing of the past. It focuses primarily on restaurants outside the capital’s center, essentially staging a rebellion against an increasingly shallow world of food criticism. It paves the way for a platform outside of other “Best” lists that are clearly trapped in the grip of sponsors and PR agencies. Ultimately, by creating what he calls an extremely subjective list, he sets the stage for brand new debates. After all, he says, lists are meant to be debated. He never accepted invitations to any of the meals he ate; he paid for all of them himself. He focuses on where ordinary Londoners eat as much as he does on luxury establishments. He says that the food people eat in supermarket parking lots, gas stations and at football matches is actually more real than the sensational, image-focused food found in restaurant reviews.
For his own top 99 list, Nunn says he’s not claiming to be superior to other lists. On the contrary, he attempts to bring another angle to the culinary scene, an attempt to accurately reflect the surprising diversity of London’s food culture. It may seem ridiculous to many, but it’s certainly surprising. What other crazy list would dare to place Neco Tantuni two spots after the prestigious The Ritz! The goal is to offer a different perspective, to give space to places that go unnamed but are always in our hearts. The Vittles list achieves this and the buzz it creates echoes all the way to Mersin.
Bites of the Year:
So, which Turkish restaurants made the list? Jonathan Nunn is genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about Turkish cuisine. At Vittles, he frequently visits and writes about establishments in areas outside the city center where there is a large Turkish population. Thanks to this, five restaurants serving Turkish fare have made it onto what he describes as a highly personal list. In the list, there is one more place with a Turkish touch. Trivet, co-founded by Isa Bal, who was titled the World’s Best Sommelier, ranks 64th.
No: 4-Neco Tantuni
This establishment in Enfield breaks Jonathan Nunn's 90-minute rule from the center. Nunn says if he were the mayor of London, he would make it mandatory to make every chef come here and show what is possible if you do just one or three things to their absolute best. The "tantuni" and "künefe" made by mother Hafize Kaya and her son, Eren Kaya, excel in doing so.
No. 17: Umut 2000
Dalston is one of the London neighborhoods where the smell of kebabs wafts through the air. A major source of these smells is the Umut 2000 grill. Jonathan Nunn points out the pleasure of sitting at the grill “ocakbaşı” ordering one and half portions of ribs and eating them by scraping the bone clean, leaving your hands covered in grease. But he seemingly misses the place before its renovation and adds that those looking for the old Umut should go to the new one on Green Lanes.
No. 42: Durak Tantuni
This place on West Green Road is especially popular with night owls. Open after midnight, it only serves "tantuni," offering two options: Tucked into a lavash wrap or bread roll. Jonathan Nunn says he brings his friends here to prove that it's possible to eat well in London's nightlife.
No: 55: Haringey Çorbacısı
Jonathan Nunn liked this place on the days when it served only “çorba” soups and “sulu yemek” stews. Unconvinced by the newly added kebab grill section, he says that one can live on their “kelle paça” head and trotters’ soup for a lifetime.
No: 74: Antepliler/Antepliler Döner/Antepliler Ciğer&Beyran/Antepliler Künefe
Anyone who steps into Green Lanes in North London knows. This place instantly transports you to Antep. Indeed, when we prepared a meal about Antep cuisine at the Oxford Symposium, all the syrupy desserts, the "baklava," "şöbiyet" and "kadayıf" came from them.