Lowe spent nearly a year searching for the right space to open his restaurant before finding a spot in Shoreditch at the landmark 1930s former factory called the Tea Building. “When a site became available here it just felt right. It has lots of natural light and high ceilings and it gave me the opportunity to have an open kitchen, which I felt was incredibly important for the type of restaurant I wanted to create.”

At lunch, Lowe serves an a la carte menu but for dinner it’s prix fixe. “This means we get to put things on the menu that guests might not have tried before and because they have no choice, hopefully this makes it more memorable for them.”

Lowe is reconnecting with many of the farmers and fishermen he met while working at St. John. “It makes a difference to use a certain person that you have a link with. A day boat fisherman will ring and say he’s landed a 10kg ray wing and I get to buy all of it. I bought the first of the Scottish Chanterelles a few days ago and was blown away by how good they were. I made everyone smell them and it felt amazing to serve them. This morning I was sent French instead and one of my chefs said ‘they’re alright though aren’t they?’ so we did a side by side comparison - the difference was enormous. Once you start being really picky with ingredients, you can’t go back.”

Courtney Stebbings calls her list a wine buyer’s dream. “John and James wanted a dynamic, concise wine list that constantly evolves with the seasons and food and I work with an excellent margin, so that allows me to bring in exciting and unique wines at a fantastic price.”

Some of the gems on the list that Courtney’s calls her favorites are a Vidonia from Spain. “It’s salty and savory with juicy green olives, toasted almonds, saline, and volcanic minerality,” and Burlotto’s Pelaverga from Piedmont, Italy. “It’s ancient and indigenous. Light enough to be served chilled and perfect for those late summer nights.”

While many of the selections fall in the natural category, Courtney says this is not intentional. “The boys and I believe in quality wine that is characteristic of the grape varietal and expressive of the region / terroir. The wines listed are made by producers who are diligent about farming, have passion for their craft and take care of their environment to the best of their ability.”

James Lowe and Courtney Stebbings share their recommendations for eating and drinking in London. To get their full list, download the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app.

Find | Markets

Maltby Street Market

James: “It's a market on Saturday under the railway arch. There are really great people here, like the London Honey Company and the best butcher in London, who only carries rare breed meats. There are also two fantastic vegetable suppliers, Fern Verrow and Tony Booth. It’s where the St. John Bakery is located. It's just a genuine place to buy good produce.”

Ropewalk, London SE1 2HQ, United Kingdom

www.maltby.st

Eat | Classic British

St. John Bread & Wine

James: “It’s my favorite restaurant in the world. The menu is the best expression of Fergus Henderson’s nose-to-tail philosophy with a format of smaller dishes and only a couple of mains. I love that the menu changes regularly and is super seasonal. It’s a really democratic, buzzy dining room with an open kitchen. I am obviously biased since I worked here for five years, but I worked here because I love it.”

94-96 Commercial Street, London E1 6LZ

T: +44.(0)20.7251.0848 (Book a Table) | www.stjohngroup.uk.com

Quality Chop House

James: “I love it for classic modern British cooking.”

92-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA

T: +44.(0)20.7278.1452 (Book a Table) | thequalitychophouse.com

Eat | Restaurants

Clove Club

James: “There is a real comfort about the place. It’s fun, not pretentious and the food is really interesting and well thought out. They are doing a fixed menu, but you can eat snacks in the bar room. If you go in the main dining room, it’s got a really great vibe, high ceilings, and very simple. They have a crackin’ wine list as well.”

Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

T:+44 (0) 20.7729.6496 (Book a Table) |  www.thecloveclub.com

Koya

James: “You always leave feeling like you’ve had something incredibly healthy, no matter how much you eat. I love that chef Junya Yamasaki changes the menu regularly. He’s a Japanese guy cooking British food with a Japanese sensibility. It’s very simple, but with a lot of thought and care behind the food. They are the only ones in the country making their own udon and everything in-house.”

Courtney: “This is my idea of soul food. A big bowl of ramen noodles that are warming and hearty. Don’t forget to check out the specials, some serious treats. The focus in not on drinks, so chill out with a beer or a carafe of house wine.”

49 Frith St, London W1D 4SG

T: +44 (0)20.7434.4463 | www.koya.co.uk

Mayfields

James: “This is a new restaurant, just a year old. It’s on fire at the moment.”

52 Wilton Way, London E8 1BG

T: +44 (0) 20.7254.8311 | www.mayfieldswiltonway.co.uk

Drink | Wine Bars

Courtney: “There is definitely no shortage of interesting places to drink wine in London at the moment and especially in East London. There are a few really exciting places that have popped up over the last year or so. My new favorites for drinking interesting wines, or splurging on that special bottle without paying a large markup are Sager + Wilde and Verden.

Sager + Wilde

Courtney: “They constantly change their wine by the glass and the options are always exciting and tempting. On any given night, you will find industry people on their night off or wine student students propped up at the bar, glass in hand and textbook open. I’m excited to see what Sager + Wilde are doing for their new Mission restaurant in Bethnal Green, which is opening later this month.

193 Hackney Road, London E2 8JL

T: +44.(0)20.8127.7330 | www.sagerandwilde.com

Verden

Courtney: “Verden is great for drinking interesting wines or splurging on that special bottle. They have a slightly smaller and concise list to navigate, but they have great values, well selected wines and delicious homemade charcuterie.”

181 Clarence Road, London E5 8EE

T: +44.(0)20.8986.4723 | www.verdene5.com

P. Franco

Courtney: “This is their sister shop opened by Noble Fine Liquor in Broadway Market. Not only can you buy wine to take out, but you can sit at the communal bar table and have a glass of wine with some cheese.”

107 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 0NP

T: +44.(0)20.8533.4660

Drink | Cocktails

White Lyan

The opposite of what you’d expect in a cocktail bar. They have no perishable items. No ice, no garnishes, no fresh juices, not even bottles of spirits. Everything is pre-batched or made bespoke for them. Courtney says, “It is my go to place for cocktails in Hoxton.”

153-155 Hoxton Street, London N1 6PJ

T: +44.(0)20.3011.1153 | www.whitelyan.com

Drink | Coffee

MacIntyre Coffee

Courtney: “I’m a real fan of their coffee and it’s around the corner from the restaurant.”

9-21 Hoxton Street, London N1 6NN

www.macintyrecoffee.co.uk

Get the full London city guide with chefs, bartenders and sommeliers’ eating, drinking and shopping recommendations by downloading the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app.