December 19, 2025 |
Trivet, the two Michelin-star restaurant just off London Bridge, doesn’t do the winter season as you might expect. Instead of opting for the classic wreath-and-Christmas-tree decor, Trivet leans on its stellar food to show its customers what winter is all about. Taking its name from a time-honoured cooking utensil – an iron tripod placed over a fire for home cooking – there’s an innate warmth to Trivet’s way of doing hospitality.
Founded and helmed by Chef Jonny Lake and Master Sommelier Isa Bal, Trivet welcomes you with open arms, despite its high-flying achievements. From the wooden panelling on the walls to bauble-like lights that suspend an orange glow from above, to the colourful, characterful artworks by Turkish illustrator Merve Atilgan, both the space and the plates are crafted by people who genuinely value the dining experience. They want you to relax and enjoy the beauty of the food, not be intimidated by the two stars as you come in. Winter at Trivet is characterised by friendly staff eager to help, regulars who sit and chat with Lake and his team and food that takes seasonal produce to a whole other level.
Inspired by dishes from around the world, Trivet’s menu is more an exploration of the wonders of food than a particular cuisine. “Isa and I have travelled extensively and are always inspired by the extraordinary culinary history and international diversity around us,” says Lake of Trivet’s A La Carte menu, which is concise enough not to be overwhelming, but broad enough to accommodate differing taste buds.
We kicked off our Trivet experience with a classic that you can rarely go wrong with – bread and butter. Plating up some generous slabs of sourdough from Cornwall’s beloved Coombeshead Farm and focaccia made in-house, we slathered on the delicious homemade kefir-cultured salted butter with relative excess, before tempering ourselves so as not to ruin the rest of the meal. After this, we saw Trivet’s aptitude for capitalising on seasonal ingredients really come into play. Jerusalem artichoke, a reliable late-season veggie, was prepared in confit and placed on a bed of velouté for starters, topped with a white truffle only available in the winter season. To follow, we feasted on Chicken sourced from Devon’s Slades Down Farm, topped with a vinegar sauce, cavolo nero and winter truffle. For dessert, we opted for the saffron-poached pear and roasted vanilla cream, its sweetness cut through by pickled ginger and a gelato made from the French dessert wine Sauternes. All exquisitely presented and mouthwateringly delicious, our trip to Trivet cemented the value of good food to cheer you up whilst the weather is wet and dreary.
And as we were getting ready to leave, we were treated to one final delight. Chef Lake, who had come over to have a quick chat with us mid-meal, offered us a Butter tart, a traditional, small pastry tart famous in Lake’s native Canada, for the journey home. This, of all things, summarised the Trivet experience. Warmth and connection made over truly great cuisine.
Photography courtesy of Trivet.
