What's the draw:
As the latest restaurant from Sam Herlihy and James Ramsden – the duo you've got to thank for Pidgin and forgot to thank for Magpie – Sons + Daughters is a casual sandwich spot that's recently opened up its doors in Coal Drops Yard. Named for Ramsden and Herlihy's children, Sons + Daughters employs a similar sense of parental responsibility over its well-behaved bready offspring. The sandwiches here are hefty two-handers, made using bread fresh from Paul Rhodes Bakery and rifling with fillings that range from the classic (egg salad) to the deliciously chaotic (tenderstem broccoli). Joining Morty & Bobs and Bodega Rita's in Coal Drops Yard's already stacked sandwich line-up, we can see S+D becoming a lunchtime fixture in next to no time. May the great King's Cross sandwich wars commence.
What to drink:
Although primarily a daytime spot, S+D's after-dark offerings include a decent spread of alcoholic bevs. The negroni does what a negroni does best, delivering a well-stirred concoction of gin, Campari and semi-sweet vermouth to give your palate the politest of awakenings. A half pint of Braybrooke Keller Lager – a sweet and chewy Leicestershire brew – comes served in a dinky glass that prevents your beer from ever getting warm. If you're visiting in the morning, a piping hot Climpson & Sons coffee and a cool glass of umami-laden miso milk are the moves to make. To be drunk separately, of course. Though, now that we think about it…
What to eat:
The sandwiches. No shit. Using bread supplied by Paul Rhodes Bakery and meat from Swaledale in Yorkshire, the sandwiches here are thick (read: thicc) and one is easily enough to count as dinner. That being said, you'd be stupid not to get a portion of the sriracha salt-punched-up fries as a side. Picking your sandwich here is no easy feat and, feeling in a particularly meaty mood, we decide on the mortadella and merguez. Mortadella is the underrated king of cured meats and deserves your respect and attention, especially when that silky meat – a far-cry from Dinosaur Turkey Roll-esque renditions you might find at inferior joints – is given the Sons + Daughters treatment. Toasted rosemary focaccia forms the outer shell of the stacked sandwich, which is made moist by excellent an in-house mayonnaise and the effortless way the mortadella works in tandem with a spread of taleggio. Cider vinaigrette pipes up just often enough in the conversation with Messrs rocket and Thai basil to stop the sarnie from becoming a cacophony of lipids. The merguez number arrives in a warm baguette and those mahogany lamb sausages send a racy aroma throughout S+D's sleek and industrial space. Chips, rammed like a gorilla in the midst, are a nice touch and – although the gremolata and pickled onions feel a like a bit of a haunted afterthought – it's still one of the best sausage sandwiches you'll find in London. Grab a soft serve for dessert and you've eaten well, my friend.
Drinks from £3, sandwiches from £8.5. Unit 119a Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DQ; sonsanddaughterslondon.com
