01 March 08

Features

The Chain Gang

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Le sandwich is the plat du jour at this upmarket Parisian chain, with branches across the country and, indeed, the world. Muted tones, elegant furnishings, pictures by upand- coming artists and a carefully considered music policy are all designed so the customer can unwind. Soups, salads, quiches and sarnies are ordered at the counter. But forget indecision-inducing encyclopedic lists of ingredients; Lina’s simple combinations: prawn and avocado, bacon and egg, ham and cheese… are based on topnotch produce and offered on a small selection of breads. Phew.
BRANCHES ACROSS PARIS; ALSO NICE, MONACO AND TOULOUSE. WWW.LINASCAFE.FR

Obikà

‘A restaurant chain dedicated entirely to cheese?’ we hear you cry. This mini-chain of mozzarella bars launched in Rome in 2004 to the delight of protein-guzzling fashionistas, and now has an outlet in Milan and one in London’s Selfridges (where else?). There’s slick, Japanese-inspired décor and sushi-style counters filled with fresh meats and greenery, but it’s the tanks of buffalo mozzarella balls that steal the show. Flown in daily from the mozzarellaproducing region around Naples, they’re served up raw, smoked, grilled or baked with Italian wild boar salami, bresaola, prosciutto, smoked fish and salad. Obikà is surely Londoners’ best chance of getting stuck into a creamy burrata, a treat for true mozzarella connoisseurs, which must be eaten within 48 hours of production.
BRANCHES IN ROME, MILAN AND LONDON.
WWW.OBIKA.IT

Unsurprisingly, given the Scandinavian penchant for all things piscine, the Danes can’t get enough of the raw stuff. Sticks ’n’ Sushi, Copenhagen’s first sushi restaurant, now owns seven takeaway cafés and restaurants across Copenhagen, all combining contemporary Danish minimalism with classic Japanese touches. Indeed, the modish Euro-Jap has become something of an institution, but style is undoubtedly underpinned with substance. Sushi without sparklingly fresh fish is, well, a mouthful of rice, so naturally one of the chain’s main concerns is the quality of its catch, and the restaurants serve organic fish where possible. It’s all made to order, including the ‘sticks’, which refer to the skewers of meat, fish and veg on offer. And the democratic policy extends to nippers too, who are offered menus of their own with maki rolls, beginners’ chopsticks and mini chocolate fish. Super-sleek packaging makes takeaway a stylish option.
BRANCHES ACROSS COPENHAGEN. WWW.SUSHI.DK

The name of Madrid-based chain, La Vaca Argentina, gives you a fairly clear idea of its main selling point: huge hunks of Argentinian cow. Founded in 1994, the growth of its herd has been relatively measured – 16 restaurants in 14 years – and the variation among them is marked. As you might expect, cowhide is a consistent theme, but styles range from unashamedly old-fashioned to cutting-edge contemporary. The menu, on the other hand, largely sticks to tradition, with man-sized chargrilled steaks alongside salads, hot and cold sharing plates and lighter grilled fish dishes to appease the less carnivorous. As well as 14 restaurants in the capital, La Vaca Argentina also has two other European outposts. i BRANCHES ACROSS MADRID; ALSO IBIZA AND VALENCIA. WWW.LAVACAARGENTINA.NET