Add to List - #97
Happy as a scallop in London foodie pubs and dressing like a publishing house
Hello, thank you, and welcome. I love you for being here!
Add to List is my Sunday round-up. It’s the small things that brought me joy, evoked an emotional reaction, or became some short-lived stability in the past seven days.
Obsession
Bugonia.
Bugonia the latest black comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos which follows a kidnapper (Jesse Plemons) and a high-powered CEO (Emma Stone) who he believes is an alien sent to destroy Earth. Sounds mental? It is. But perhaps it’s the most realistic of Lanthinos yet? From the Amazon-esque warehouses to the boardroom delivering DEI messages, the disparity between the characters worlds is accurately provactively large; set to the backdrop of incompetent police, capitalist values, a declining populations’ health, drug addiction, and environmental damage. It’s definitely putting the black in black comedy.
And of course it’s also at points incredibly funny. I’m something of a Lanthimos stan. I adore his films— they’re a creation of merged worlds: grounded in eccentricity, emotionally rooted in philosophies of our existence. Obviously Emma Stone is fantastic, but that’s hardly surprising. The role gives her the space to do so. And this might be one of the best performances of Jesse Plemons’ life. It’s an investigation into what makes someone crazy. I’d say this stacks up joint second with Poor Things in my top four Lanthimos faves. Firmly after The Lobster but well ahead of The Favourite.
Confession
Am I allowed to admit I enjoyed a week off from this?
Last week I launched a poll as I look forward to 2026. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted their responses. Guess what — I loved it so much I’ve included another one in this week’s post. (read to the end for me). You’ll be pleased to know Add to List is going nowhere for 2026, I love it a lot and don’t want to get rid of it, but you lot? Well you have spoken!! There might be a couple of changes on the horizon.
Shook
Lots of newborn babies this week.
My female friends are amazing. Scorpio season has welcomed some tiny new humans to our clans, and it’s been a lot on the tear ducts. Brb crying for all of November.
Cook
Key highlights this week:
Monkfish with Saffron Buttermilk at The Baring, Islington
It’s a pub with a flickering open fire and inventive martinis (honestly, what’s not to love?). I headed there for the set £12 lunch but got so tempted by the saffron buttermilk monkfish that I decided to scrap the budget. Tucked away on a residential street near Essex Road in Islington, The Baring is the person I wish I was: effortlessly laid-back, old-school charm, and an innovative but firm sense of taste. And if you don’t believe me, know that Dua Lipa is rumoured to be a regular there for Sunday roasts.
Negronis at Café Kick, Exmouth Market
Last Friday I went for drinks and it rained the entire time. I got soggy on the way there, the chat puddled, and the vibes were generally miserable. However, this Thursday the forecast was the same but my experience was not. Café Kick was the spot. Retro tables, candle-plugged wine bottles, and multi-TV screens showing the darts — it’s charming cross-channel confusion. Somewhere between an old man boozer and your local café in the 11th Arrondissement of Paris. The doors remained wide open, allowing the rain to pour as a cinematic backdrop. (Some of the trendier clientele sit outside in leather jackets under large striped umbrellas in order to smoke Vogues in the rain.) Low stakes, high romance.
Scallops at The Eagle, Farringdon
There are scallops, and then there are The Eagle scallops. The Eagle is one of those pubs that serves genuinely good beer, scribbles the menu on a blackboard (not in a new-age way), and there’s always at least one table of people drinking when they should be working (myself included). The staff are (overly?) friendly in a sort of “you must finish your food” type way. (I was told she wouldn’t clear the plates until I’d devoured the remainder of our taleggio.)
Their beef sandwich makes the Instagram rounds on the reg, but the real reason you should go is for the fishy shells at £12 a pop. Garlicky, buttery, with a healthy dose of coriander. Small pearls of buttery goodness. I’d hand-dive personally to get my hands on these.
Syrian Canapés from Mouna’s Kitchen, Mercato Metropolitano
Tucked secretly inside a rattan-shaped section of Mercato Metropolitano, I was lucky enough to attend a screening of an upcoming food documentary called The Unknown Chef. In episode one, we meet Mouna, whose Syrian flavours have done more than just feed people — they’ve told stories, built community, and changed lives. Following her work for Amnesty International, Mouna began to see the impact that cooking was having not just on her loved ones and her friends. The documentary profiles four refugees who establish street-food stalls to tell the story of their heritage in the UK.
We were lucky enough to listen to a brief Q&A from the producers before tucking into some nibbles from Mouna’s Kitchen. I’ll be dreaming about the cherry and rose baklava for weeks.
Book
The Course of Love, Alain de Botton
This is such a beautiful bit of storytelling. A solo omniscient philosophical voice narrates the seemingly normal yet utterly unique love story of Rabih and Kirsten. They are the perfectly imperfect match, who struggle through their own neuroses, fears, cultural differences, and questions of what it means to be married.
Through a detached but beautifully human narrative, we see how love is less about the deeply romantic and sexual (although there is plenty of that too), but that when differences blend to create the sum of their parts, real love answers. De Botton showcases abstract reflections through the narrative of deeply human characteristics in a single-track love story that reads like the voiceover to your favourite rom-com (a non-clichéd one, mind).
I left the physical copy at home, and I have to say that despite my audio aversions, this one is maybe even better than the physical copy; it made a flooding-delayed journey exceptionally more entertaining.
Look
Outfits—Carraldo.
Is there such a thing as a performative female?
Actually, performative females = the entire female existence??
Can’t Stop Scanning
Next episodes of two shows I can’t get enough of right now:
I Love LA — The best thing since Girls. Rachel Sennott takes a whip-smart stab at influencer culture and young professional lifestyles working in the business of ‘content’. With raw, relatable comedic writing, it asks what happens when status and popularity come into play in friendship. It’s the first show I’ve watched where an ‘influencer’ feels real; not caricatured into a Gen Z–bimbo–livestream aesthetic. Grounded in a totally magnetic edge of love-hate dynamics.
Wayward — A psychological thriller starring Toni Collette (icon) and Mae Martin (legend — who also created the show). Set in the seemingly perfect town of Tall Pines, new police officer Alex becomes intrigued by an escape attempt and joins forces with two rebel teenagers. It’s an eerily fun ride.
Forward Planning
There are three more of these newsletters left until I take a short break for Christmas after hitting my 100-post milestone.
I plan to bring it back (perhaps with a few refreshes), so please do let me know if there’s anything you desperately want to see continued for 2026. If you’re not sure, you can massively help me out by letting me know which is your favourite section of this Sunday newsletter.
This is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts, access the full archive, and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I’d love it if you considered; it’s less than a flat white.
And I host quarterly London meet-ups for writers on here with Lex Hearth. You can subscribe to Writers IRL for more info about upcoming events. Our next event is happening in December.
Dreaming about swimming in a sea of that garlic scallop broth……………….. best lunch x
The course of love is one of my favorite ever reads! So clever/insightful/beautiful. Glad you enjoyed x