Sidetrack glossary

🧄 aioli

Also: aïoli, aiolis

Garlicky mayo’s Mediterranean cousin (sometimes just fancy garlic mayo, and that’s fine). Fries’ best friend. Also excellent on sandwiches.

🍝 al dente

Italian for “to the tooth” — pasta cooked so it still has a gentle bite. Not mushy, not chalky. The Goldilocks zone of spaghetti.

🍸 amaro

Also: amari

Italian bitter herbal liqueur — digestif energy after a big meal. Sip slowly; it grows on you like a charmingly bitter friend.

🍽️ amuse-bouche

Also: amuse bouche, amuse-bouches

A tiny free nibble the kitchen sends out just because they love you. Not on the menu, not ordered — pure chef flair. One perfect bite of “welcome in.”

🥂 aperitif

Also: aperitifs, apéritif, aperitivo

A pre-dinner drink to wake up the appetite — light, bitter, bubbly, or all three. Aperol spritz season has no end date in London.

🍔 bao

Also: baos, gua bao

Soft steamed buns, often stuffed with something sticky-savoury (or sweet). Cloud bread, essentially. Hug in carb form.

🛢️ barrel-aged

Also: barrel aged, barrel-age

Rested in wooden barrels so it picks up vanilla, spice, and depth. Whisky, cocktails, even beer — wood is a flavour, not just furniture.

🧈 beurre blanc

A buttery French sauce — white wine, shallots, and lots of butter whisked silky. Fish’s little black dress. Rich, glossy, unforgettable.

🦞 bisque

Also: bisques

A rich, smooth seafood soup — usually shellfish — blended until velvety. Lobster bisque is pure treat-yourself energy in a bowl.

🍾 brut

Dry sparkling wine — Champagne-speak for “not sweet.” Toast with confidence; leave the sugary bubbles for birthdays (or don’t — free country).

🧀 burrata

Fresh mozzarella with a creamy, oozy centre (literally “buttered”). Tear it open, watch it spill, pretend you’re in Puglia.

🍾 BYO

Also: bring your own, byo wine

Bring Your Own bottle — sometimes with a corkage fee. London’s love language for people with a favourite natural wine and a plan.

🐟 carpaccio

Paper-thin slices of raw meat or fish, dressed simply (oil, lemon, cheese, you name it). Named after a painter; tastes like pure elegance.

🍋 ceviche

Also: cebiche

Raw fish “cooked” in citrus juice instead of heat — zingy, bright, and super fresh. The lime does the heavy lifting; you just bring the appetite.

🥂 charcuterie

A spread of cured meats (and often cheese, pickles, bread). Fancy picnic energy. Perfect for sharing — or not sharing. We don’t judge.

👨‍🍳 chef's table

Also: chefs table, chef’s table

Seats right by the kitchen action — front-row for the chaos and the magic. Book ahead; bring curiosity (and sometimes a bigger budget).

🌿 chimichurri

Zippy Argentinian herb sauce — parsley, garlic, chilli, vinegar, oil. Turns grilled meat into a party. Green, punchy, addictive.

🦆 confit

Slow-cooked in its own fat until meltingly soft (classically duck). Translation: the kitchen has been very patient, and your taste buds get the medal.

🧄 confit garlic

Also: garlic confit

Garlic cloves slow-cooked in oil until sweet, soft, and spreadable. Vampires hate it. Toast loves it. You will put it on everything.

🍵 consommé

Also: consomme

A crystal-clear broth that’s been fancily clarified. Looks delicate; tastes like the chef spent all morning on it (they probably did).

🍓 coulis

Also: coulises

That vibrant, silky-smooth fruit or veg sauce they drizzle for extra wow-factor. Think strawberry coulis kissing your cheesecake — basically posh purée that makes everything look and taste chef-level.

🫒 crudo

Italian for “raw” — usually fish or veg dressed with oil, citrus, and herbs. Like ceviche’s cooler Mediterranean cousin.

🧂 cured

Also: curing

Preserved with salt (and often time, smoke, or sugar) — think gravlax, prosciutto. Not “raw” chaos; it’s craft. Trust the process.

✋ cuticles

Also: cuticle

The thin living skin at the base of your nail (not the dry bits you’re tempted to pick). Good nail techs push them back gently rather than cutting — happy cuticles = healthier nails and a cleaner polish line.

🥃 digestif

Also: digestifs, digestivo

A after-dinner drink meant to settle the stomach (and the evening). Cognac, amaro, grappa — the “one for the road” of grown-ups.

🥡 dim sum

Also: dimsum

A whole meal of little plates — dumplings, buns, sticky rice — meant for sharing. Best with a crowded table and zero FOMO.

🍸 dry

In cocktails: less sweet (a dry martini isn’t dessert). In wine: not sugary. Basically “I’m sophisticated, not sticky.”

🥩 dry-aged

Also: dry aged, dry-age

Beef hung in controlled cold air so moisture leaves and flavour concentrates. Pricey, funky in a good way, deeply beefy. Special-occasion steak energy.

🥜 dukkah

Also: duqqa, dukka

An Egyptian mix of nuts, seeds, and spices you dip bread into (or sprinkle on everything). Crunchy, toasty, and dangerously moreish.

✨ emulsion

Also: emulsions

Two things that shouldn’t mix (oil + water) forced into a creamy friendship. Think hollandaise vibes — glossy sauce that clings to every bite.

🥧 en croûte

Also: en croute, en-croute

Wrapped and baked in pastry. Beef Wellington’s whole personality. Crunch outside, juicy inside — show-off cooking we fully support.

🦠 fermented

Also: fermentation, ferment

Good microbes doing flavour overtime — kimchi, miso, sourdough, natural wine. Science you can eat. Tangy, complex, very now.

✈️ flight

Also: flights, wine flight, beer flight

A line-up of small pours for tasting and comparing. Commitment-phobe’s dream; curious drinker’s playground.

🥔 fondant

Also: fondants, potato fondant, fondant potato, fondant potatoes

Usually means those little potato cylinders cooked until the outside is golden and the middle is spoon-soft butter clouds. Also the gooey centre of a chocolate fondant pudding.

🍄 foraged

Also: foraging

Ingredients gathered from the wild (or the chef’s secret woodland). Mushrooms, herbs, coastal greens — menus love this word; so do we when it’s real.

🧀 fromage

French for cheese — and sometimes the whole cheese course. When the menu says “fromage,” lean in. Life is short.

🌿 garnish

Also: garnishes, garnished

The pretty (and tasty) finishing touch — herbs, edible flowers, a dusting of spice. Not just decoration: the last plot twist on the plate.

💅 gel manicure

Also: gel mani, gel manucure

A manicure finished with gel polish cured under a lamp, so the colour sets hard and lasts much longer than regular polish. Think salon-level shine that survives typing, commuting, and the occasional fridge raid.

✨ gel polish

Also: gel polishes, gel manicure, gel mani, shellac

Nail colour that cures under a UV/LED lamp into a hard, glossy coat — typically lasts weeks without chips (unlike classic polish you air-dry). Pros love the pigment and shine; at-home kits do the same thing with a small lamp. Often paired with “HEMA-free” if you want a gentler formula.

🍨 gelato

Also: gelati

Italian ice cream — denser, silkier, often more intense flavour than scoop-shop soft serve. Pistachio gelato has ended friendships (in a good way).

🤌 gnocchi

Soft little potato (or ricotta) dumplings. Pillowy pasta-adjacent pillows. Brown butter and sage? Yes please.

🧀 gratin

Also: gratins, au gratin

Baked with a golden, crispy top — usually cheese or breadcrumbs. Dauphinoise potatoes are the hug of the gratin family.

🥓 guanciale

Cured pork cheek — the authentic star of carbonara and amatriciana. Richer than pancetta, smokier soul. Crisp it and thank Italy.

🥟 gyoza

Also: gyozas

Little Japanese dumplings, usually pan-fried on one side then steamed. Crispy bottoms, juicy middles, dip in soy-vinegar and try not to order six more.

🔥 harissa

North African chilli paste — smoky, spicy, a little floral with spices. A spoonful wakes up eggs, roast veg, marinades… your whole week, honestly.

💅 HEMA-free

Also: HEMA free, Hema-free, hema-free, HEMA free gel

Made without HEMA (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) — a common gel-nail chemical that can irritate skin and trigger allergies for some people. HEMA-free gels are gentler on the nail bed and surrounding skin while still curing under a lamp for that glossy, long-wear finish. If you’ve ever had a gel manicure that left your cuticles angry, this is the upgrade worth asking for.

🍳 hollandaise

Egg-yolk and butter sauce with a lemon wink — eggs Benedict’s reason for living. Warm, yellow, luxurious. Worth the brunch queue.

🥩 jus

Also: au jus

A light, glossy meaty sauce made from pan juices — not gloopy gravy. Think elegant juice that makes roast dinner feel restaurant-y.

🌶️ kimchi

Korean fermented cabbage (and friends) with chilli, garlic, and attitude. Tangy, spicy, and secretly good for your gut. Puts zing on everything.

🥓 lardon

Also: lardons

Little batons of bacon or pork belly, fried until crispy. The salad topper that makes “I’ll just have greens” a delicious lie.

🫙 marinade

Also: marinades, marinated

A flavour bath for meat, fish, or veg before cooking. Time + seasoning = deeper taste. Overnight heroes are made here.

⚓ marinara

Also: salsa marinara, alla marinara

A quick, bright tomato sauce — typically tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano or basil, no cream, no mince. The name nods to “alla marinara” (sailor-style): Naples-area cooking that used pantry staples seafarers could keep (tomatoes, garlic, oil, dried herbs) rather than a whole meat day. (Not the same as American “marinara” as a catch-all jar sauce, though the idea travelled.) Vs sugo: marinara is usually faster and sharper; sugo can mean any house sauce, including longer-simmered ones. Vs passata: marinara is a finished sauce; passata is the smooth tomato base. Vs ragù: no slow meat. Perfect pizza and spaghetti night energy.

⭐ michelin

Also: michelin-starred, michelin star, michelin stars

The famous tyre company’s restaurant guide (yes, really). Stars mean exceptional cooking — and often a booking war. Worth it when you can.

🍲 miso

Fermented soybean paste — the umami booster behind miso soup and a million marinades. Salty-sweet depth that makes dishes taste “finished.”

☁️ mousse

Also: mousses

Something whipped until it’s lighter than your Sunday plans — savoury or sweet. Chocolate mousse, salmon mousse… airy luxury in a spoon.

🍇 natural wine

Also: natty wine, natural wines

Wine made with minimal intervention — funky, cloudy, sometimes wild. Love it or side-eye it; London bars are full of it either way.

🌶️ nduja

Also: ’nduja, n’duja

Soft, spicy Calabrian sausage spread that melts into everything. Pizza, pasta, toast — fiery, porky, impossible to stop.

🥃 neat

Spirit served as-is — no ice, no mixer. Just the drink and your courage. Best with good whisky and zero rush.

🌊 nori

Toasted seaweed sheets — the wrap around your sushi roll. Also great crumbled over rice or eggs for instant ocean umami.

🍣 omakase

Japanese for “I leave it to you” — the chef picks your whole sequence. Sit down, trust the sushi master, leave full and slightly emotional.

🌈 ombré

Also: ombre, ombrè, ombre nails

A soft gradient from one colour (or shade) into another — no hard line. On nails it’s that blended fade look; in fashion and hair it means the same seamless shift. Spelled ombré with the accent if you’re feeling fancy.

🧊 on the rocks

Also: rocks

Over ice. Simple. Chilled. Clink-worthy. The opposite of neat; the friend of warm evenings.

🧊 palate cleanser

Also: palate-cleanser, palate cleansers

A tiny in-between course (often sorbet) to reset your taste buds. Like hitting refresh before the next delicious chaos.

🥛 parfait

Also: parfaits

Layered dessert (or a silky frozen cream, depending on the kitchen). Pretty glasses, crunchy bits, spoonable joy.

🫙 passata

Also: passata di pomodoro, tomato passata

Sieved, smooth tomato purée — the blank canvas, not the finished painting. In Italy, passata is often homemade in late summer (la giornata del pomodoro): ripe tomatoes cooked, passed through a mill to strip skins and seeds, then bottled for winter. Shop passata is that idea in a carton — unseasoned or lightly salted, no big herb show. Use it as the base to build sugo, marinara, or ragù; by itself it’s thinner and milder than a simmered sauce. Vs marinara/sugo: passata hasn’t “become” dinner yet. Vs ragù: still no meat story — just pure tomato silk.

💷 prix fixe

Also: prix-fixe, set menu

A set menu at a fixed price — courses chosen for you (sometimes with options). Great value when the kitchen’s on form. Check the fine print for wine!

🥄 purée

Also: puree, purees, purées

Blended until totally smooth — like mash that went to finishing school. Potato purée, pea purée: silkier than regular mash, same comfort.

🍞 pâté

Also: pate, pates, pâtés

A smooth (or chunky) spread of seasoned meat or fish. On toast with pickles = instant dinner party. Even if it’s just you on the sofa.

🍝 ragù

Also: ragu, ragus, ragùs, ragu bolognese, ragù bolognese, bolognese

A long, slow meat sauce — minced or chopped meat, soffritto (onion/carrot/celery), wine, stock, and often a little tomato, simmered until rich and clingy. The famous cousin is ragù alla bolognese (Bologna): traditionally more meat than tomato, milk sometimes sneaks in, and it’s for tagliatelle — not a swimming bowl of red spaghetti. “Ragù” as a word is broader (any slow meat sauce; Neapolitan ragù is a different Sunday ritual). Vs sugo: ragù is specifically the meat-led simmer; sugo can be vegetarian tomato. Vs marinara: hours of meat vs a quick pan of tomato and garlic. Vs passata: passata might go into a ragù, but passata alone isn’t ragù. If the menu says ragù, expect depth, time, and probably beef/pork/veal — not a five-minute jar.

🍷 reduction

Also: reductions

A liquid simmered down until it’s thicker, shinier, and louder on flavour. Balsamic reduction = sweet-tart drizzle that looks very “I cook.”

🍚 risotto

Also: risottos

Creamy Italian rice dish stirred lovingly with stock until it’s silky. No cream required — the rice does the magic. Patience tastes delicious.

🌶️ romesco

Spanish roast-pepper and nut sauce, smoky and a bit sweet. Brilliant with fish, veg, or anything that needs a warm hug of flavour.

🟢 salsa verde

“Green sauce” — herb-packed and bright. Italian version is punchy with capers/anchovy; Mexican is tomatillo-tangy. Either way: drizzle liberally.

🍣 sashimi

Expertly sliced raw fish, no rice required. All about quality and knife skills — pure, clean flavour.

📅 seasonal

On the menu because it’s at its best right now. Asparagus in spring, game in autumn — nature’s own reservation system.

🪵 sharing board

Also: sharing boards, sharing platter

One big board of snacks for the table — meats, cheeses, dips, bread. Friendship, carbs, and negotiation skills required.

🍃 shiso

Also: perilla

A Japanese herb with a minty, basil-ish, slightly spicy personality. Often with sashimi or in cocktails. The cool kid of the herb garden.

🧡 skin contact

Also: orange wine, skin-contact

White grapes fermented with their skins — amber colour, tea-like texture, big personality. Also called orange wine. Not juice. Promise.

🍽️ small plates

Also: small plate

Sharing-size dishes — order a few, pass around, pretend you’re decisive. Ideal for the “I want to try everything” London mood.

🍧 sorbet

Also: sorbets, sorbetto

Fruit (or booze) ice without dairy — light, bright, palate-cleansing. The dessert that pretends to be healthy. We love the confidence.

🌡️ sous vide

Also: sous-vide

Food sealed in a bag and cooked in a precision water bath. Geeky science for perfectly even doneness — no dry chicken, ever.

🍅 sugo

Also: sughi

Italian for “sauce” — usually a cooked tomato (or meat) sauce for pasta, not a raw drizzle. Classically simmered with olive oil, garlic or onion, herbs, and time; every nonna’s sugo is slightly different. Compared with the rest of the family: thicker and more “made” than passata, more general than marinara, and not automatically a meat ragù. On a London menu, sugo often means the house tomato gravy — ask if it’s meat-free if you need to know. See also marinara, passata, ragù.

🍋 sumac

Deep-red berry spice with a lemony tang, no juice required. Dust over hummus, onions, grilled chicken — sunshine in powder form.

🥩 tartare

Also: tartar

Finely chopped raw meat or fish, seasoned to the nines and served cold. Steak tartare, tuna tartare — it’s all about bold flavour and trust in the kitchen.

🎟️ tasting menu

Also: tasting menus, degustation, dégustation

A parade of small courses chosen by the chef — sit back, they drive. Perfect when you want the full story, not just one chapter.

🍤 tempura

Ultra-light Japanese batter fried until shatter-crisp. Veg, prawns, even ice cream — if it’s tempura’d, it’s crunchy heaven.

🔪 terrine

Also: terrines

A set loaf of layered meats, fish, or veg, sliced like a savoury cake. Looks impressive; tastes like a picnic that got a promotion.

😋 umami

The savoury fifth taste (alongside sweet, salty, sour, bitter). Mushrooms, soy, parmesan, tomato paste — that “mmm more” feeling has a name.

🥗 vinaigrette

Also: vinaigrettes

Oil + vinegar (plus mustard, herbs, secrets) shaken into a salad dressing. The difference between sad leaves and a side dish with opinions.

🍊 yuzu

A fragrant Japanese citrus — floral, bright, not quite lemon or lime. A few drops make cocktails and desserts taste expensive.

🌿 za'atar

Also: zaatar, za’atar

Middle Eastern spice blend — thyme-y herbs, sesame, sumac tang. Sprinkle on flatbreads, yoghurt, salads. Instant “who made this?” energy.

📋 à la carte

Also: a la carte

Order what you fancy off the menu, dish by dish — not a set menu. Freedom fries, but make it French.