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Restaurants The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. All restaurant bills are subject to VAT (Value Added Tax) of 17.5%, which is usually included in the prices given. A service charge (usually 12.5%) may be included in the prices stated on the menu but it is more likely to be added to the bill at the end. This is technically an optional charge but it would be very unusual to ask for it to be removed. Where ‘Service is not included’, a tip of at least 10% is expected, although 12.5%-15% is becoming more common. Diners should check the bill thoroughly as tipping is not required on top of a service charge. The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include VAT but not service charge or tip. Gastronomic The Connaught The 25-year-long reign of award-winning chef Michel Bourdin at the distinguished Connaught Hotel in Mayfair has come to an end. Gordon Ramsay, nominally in charge, has made his protégé Angela Hartnett chef over the two formal spaces due to reopen in October 2002. The Edwardian-style mahogany-panelled dining room, previously known as The Restaurant, will be home to Angela Hartnett’s Menu, while the more intimate 11-table Georgian-style Grill Room will also serve a ‘Menu Prestige’. It remains to be seen whether the impeccable service and cuisine will continue. The Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place, W1 Tel: (020) 7499 7070. Fax: (020) 7495 3262. E-mail: info@the-connaught.co.uk Website: www.savoy-group.co.uk Price: Menu unavailable on publication. Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s The combination of London’s only chef with three Michelin threes, Gordon Ramsay, and the funky New York designer, Thiery Despont, is nothing short of sensational. Having only opened in 2001, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s won Time Out Magazine’s ‘Best New London Restaurant’ award and deservedly so. Possible starters on the three-course set menus (one for lunch and one for dinner) include Mediterranean bouillabaisse with escabéche vegetables, or lobster ravioli poached in lobster bisque, while delicious mains might include filet of sea bass wrapped in basil leaves, steamed with new potatoes and caviar sauce, or roasted baby lobster, cooked in lime butter, served with tomato couscous and pink grapefruit vinaigrette. The two highlights of the desserts are the simple but irresistible caramelised apple tart with vanilla ice cream and the bitter chocolate soufflé with white chocolate sorbet. The excellent lunchtime menu is not as much of a steal as it was on opening but still represents great value for money. Booking well ahead is essential for lunch and dinner. Claridge’s Hotel, Brook Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7499 0099. E-mail: gordonramsay@claridges.co.uk Website: www.savoy-group.com Price: £35 (set lunch), £50 (dinner). Wine: £25. Le Gavroche Since its opening in 1967 by brothers Albert and Michel Roux, Le Gavroche has been setting the culinary benchmark for the British restaurant scene. Currently run by Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux Junior, with the assistance of award-winning maitre d’, Silvano Giraldin, diners can expect the highest standards of food, wine and service – at prices to match. Highly praised dishes include the artichoke hearts with foie gras, truffles and chicken mousse, the grilled sea bream with pea and wild mushroom sauce and the baked sea bass with tiger prawns. 43 Upper Brook Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7408 0881. Fax: (020) 7491 4387. E-mail: gavroche@cwcom.net Website: www.le-gavroche.co.uk Price: £65. Wine: £20. Lindsay House Irish-born chef, Richard Corrigan, has been lauded with praise for his modern British top-of-the-range cooking at Lindsay House. Encased within a discreet Regency-style townhouse, diners must ring the doorbell for admittance to the two-floor gold-embossed interior, which seats just 48. The innovative menu changes daily depending on market purchases but mains to look out for are the guinea fowl with cream cheese, basil and madeira jus or the red mullet with barigoule cream and artichoke vinaigrette. Sommelier, Thierry Talibon, also presents an extensive and impressive wine list. 21 Romilly Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7439 0450. Fax: (020) 437 7349. Website: www.lindsayhouse.co.uk Price: £65. Wine: £24. Nobu This devastatingly fashionable restaurant, located on the first floor of the Metropolitan Hotel, provides award-winning Japanese cuisine melded with South American influences in a relaxed yet classy environment. Smiling, uniformed staff guide the diner through an extensive menu with head chef Mark Edwards at the helm. The presentation is impeccable and the food itself unique. Signature dishes include black cod marinated in miso, chocolate cake with tea-tree ice cream or sake with gold leaf. There is plenty of opportunity for celebrity spotting. Tables should be booked weeks in advance. 19 Old Park Lane, W1 Tel: (020) 7447 474. Fax: (020) 7447 4749. Price: £85. Wine: £18. Business The Archipelago (formerly The Birdcage) Dining at The Archipelago is guaranteed to be a memorable experience. The restaurant is filled with global artefacts, exotic plants and racy paintings. Menus are written on papyrus scrolls and feature an outrageous pot pourri of ingredients for the dishes created by German chef Michel von Huschka. Diners must partake of a fixed-price meal – either two courses or three courses. The possible dishes are many and varied and change regularly, however, unusual ingredients – like crocodile, kangaroo, peacock and locusts – always feature. Not to everyone’s palate, The Archipelago certainly is unique. 110 Whitfield Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7383 3346. Fax: (020) 7383 7181. Price: £32.50 (fixed-price two-course menu) or £38.50 (fixed-price three-course menu). Wine: £18.50. Chives Chives is a sophisticated yet understated establishment in Fulham that has retained its reputation in spite of the change of chef, with Justin Earl coming in. Subdued lighting, besuited waiters and gentle classical music create a peaceful, gracious mood for a formal evening occasion. At Chives, there are no brash elements to detract attention from the excellent cuisine or the diners’ own conversation. The menu is of an impressively high standard and the food is fastidiously presented. Recommended dishes include roasted baby chicken stuffed with foie gras on a bed of girolles and leeks or the delicious rhubarb crème brûlée. 204 Fulham Road, SW10 Tel/fax: (020) 7351 4747. Price: £35. Wine: £14.50. Incognico Nico Ladenis’ unfussy West End restaurant provides the best-value set lunch in London. For a meagre £12.50, diners can enjoy a well-composed three-course meal, with a choice of two dishes per course. Sample menus include artichoke heart stuffed with wild mushrooms, chargrilled chicken with spinach, and a rich bavarois (custard cream) with blackcurrant sauce. An à la carte menu is also available. The interior is cosy and uncluttered but the service is patchy. 117 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 Tel: (020) 7836 8866. Fax: (020) 7240 9525. Price: £35. Wine: £12.50. The Ivy The restaurant of choice of many a celebrity, The Ivy is notoriously difficult to get into without a famous name or advance booking of at least six weeks. Once inside, the comfortable decor suggests a gentleman’s club with dark wooden panelling and diamond-patterned stained-glass windows. The food is simple but of high quality and includes traditional British favourites, such as bangers and mash, braised beef in stout or the potted shrimps, along with more European recipes, such as pork tenderloin on lemon polenta. The cosy environment, pleasing food and guaranteed celebrity spotting makes The Ivy a laid-back yet impressive venue for a business meal. 1 West Street, WC2 Tel: (020) 7836 4751. Fax: (020) 240 9333. Price: £50. Wine: £13. Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie For panoramic views of London, there is no better place to eat than the restaurant at the top of the Thameside Oxo Tower. In good weather, diners can eat on the terrace, otherwise they take a seat in the stylish minimalist interior. At lunchtime, the place is a favourite venue for business meetings, with light, well-prepared food and a set menu available (£28.50 for three courses). In the evenings, the place takes on a more festive mood, with its busy bar set against the stunning London nightscape. The cuisine is modern European, with dishes such as shaved smoked swordfish on vine tomatoes, whole fried sea bass with Thai dressing or Portuguese risotto, however, too often the dishes sound promising but fail to shine. The service can also be poor, but with those views the Oxo Tower remains perennially popular. Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, SE1 Tel: (020) 7803 3888. Fax: (020) 7803 3838. E-mail: oxo.reservations@harveynichols.co.uk Website: www.harveynichols.com Price: £65. Wine: £12.50. Trendy Deca Deca has risen from the ashes of the excellent Firebird and it is a worthy successor. Although this is the tenth restaurant from Nico Ladenis, Paul Rhodes is the actual chef who works his magic with the freshest of ingredients, for example oysters brought in from Loch Fyne in Scotland. Although Deca only opened in Spring 2002, dishes like the excellent duck breast in honey sauce or veal sweetbreads Pojarski have already won a lot of fans. The setting is intimate, bordering on nosy, with too many tables stuffed together at the front, so it is advisable to book one of the larger and more spacious tables to the rear. Although hugely expensive, the set lunch is excellent value at £12.50 for three courses. 23 Conduit Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7499 2964. Price: £50. Wine: £15. The Electric Brasserie Opened in May 2002 as part of the refurbishment of Portobello’s famous Electric Cinema, the Electric Brasserie has already garnished a regular clientele who come for the filling comfort food, such as chunky steak sandwiches, the traditional mains, such as fish and chips or sausage and mash, as well as more esoteric offerings like smoked eel. The setting is historic, as part of a building that was England’s first purpose-built cinema. A major revamp has brought in soft leather seating and chic wooden tables, with a large mirror on the wall creating a sense of space. A nice touch is the open kitchen where diners can watch their meals being whipped up by the young and often painfully hip cooking crew. 191 Portobello Road, W11 Tel: (020) 7908 9696. Website: www.electricbrasserie.com Price: £30. Wine: £12.50. Mash Brainchild of entrepreneur Oliver Peyton, who also owns the Atlantic Bar and Grill, Mash is a novel combination of restaurant, bar, micro-brewery and deli, housed in a bright, open space just off Oxford Street. The bar and micro-brewery downstairs is open until 0200, serving a trendy post-work crowd stylish cocktails, heady own beers and Modern European dishes ranging from the snacky to the more substantial. Enormous beer vats encased in glass line the back wall, while chairs are space-age pods and there is also a sunken cushioned seating area. Upstairs, the quieter restaurant is more exclusive and the food slightly classier, such as roast rack of lamb on thyme-roasted root vegetables with cranberry jus or baked halibut fillet with potato dumplings, ginger and savoy cabbage ragout, and saffron and anchovy butter. Some of the smart set may have moved on, but this is still a good West End choice. 19-21 Great Portland Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7637 5555. Fax: (020) 7637 7333. E-mail: info@gruppo.co.uk Website: www.gruppo.co.uk Price: £15 (bar); £30 (restaurant). Wine: £13. Beer: From £2.90 (pint). Moro Set in trendy, pedestrianised Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell, Moro is a Mecca for the cooler City crowd and hip media mob. Apart from an extensive zinc-topped bar, its decor is understated, allowing the vibrant Spanish/North African cuisine to speak for itself. Chefs Sam and Sam Clark have accrued prizes for their wonderful combinations of high-quality ingredients, herbs and spices, which include veal, farika and turmeric soup with almonds, chargrilled mackerel with potatoes or a fantastic Moroccan mezze platter. 34-36 Exmouth Market, EC1 Tel: (020) 7833 8336. Fax: (020) 7833 9338. Price: £30. Wine: £10.50. Sumosan This new Japanese restaurant, opened in May 2002, has gone down a storm, winning some favourable comparisons with Nobu (see above). Executive chef Bubker Behlit, formerly of the Radisson in Moscow, has created a menu that pleases lovers of sushi and sashimi, as well as offering tempura, soups, salads and extensive and adventurous appetisers and mains, such as foie gras teppanyaki or ebi fry, tiger prawns and scallops deep-fried in three different crusts. Lunch sets (such as salmon teriyaki set) range from £22 to £27, while tasting menus are available at lunch (£45) or dinner (£65). For pre- or post-dinner drinks, the J Bar below serves up some good cocktails and is an alternative eating choice for those looking for smaller sushi dishes and other nibbly treats. 26 Albemarle Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7495 5999. Fax: (020) 7355 1247. E-mail: info@sumosan.com Website: www.sumosan.com Price: £30. Wine: £13. Budget Café Emm This brasserie serves the best-value good food in Soho, so its no-booking policy means that a queue is inevitable unless it is very early evening. There is a selection of ten main courses at £5.95, including Cajun-style chicken with potato skins, homemade lentil rissoles and smoked salmon crêpes. Pay £2 extra and diners can choose from ten classier dishes, like chargrilled rump steak with new potatoes. The dark-wood interior is packed with candle-lit tables and the service is brisk but not rushed. 17 Frith Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7437 0723. Fax: (020) 580 2947. Website: www.cafeemm.com Price: £11. Wine: £9.90. Duke of York A quirky, little gastropub in a quiet Bloomsbury street, the Duke of York is a relaxed yet vibrant place to spend an evening. Unlike most gastropubs, it is not overly trendy, overly crowded or overly priced. Diners can mingle with pub punters and eat in the brighter red-toned bar area, decorated with contemporary art, or instead sit in private, little booths in the back dining room. The dishes range from modern British dishes like calves’ liver with herb mash through to sea bream tempura with stir-fried noodles, although they often sound better than they taste. 7 Roger Street, WC1 Tel: (020) 7242 7230. Price: £18. Wine: £9. Golden Dragon One of Chinatown’s best restaurants, the Golden Dragon is bedecked in red and gold and has a noisy, bustling atmosphere. In the daytime, the dim sum snack selection, brought to the table in a never-ending parade of bamboo steamers, is of exemplary quality. Main dishes, available both night and day, are excellent value and come in generously sized portions. As well as standard dishes, more unusual combinations are on offer like duck braised with bean curd, mushrooms and pak choi. 28-29 Gerrard Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7734 2763. Fax: (020) 7734 1073. Price: £15. Wine: £9.50. Mildred’s Mildred’s is a popular Soho establishment renowned for its tasty vegetarian cuisine. Although it recently moved a few streets, thankfully, the warm decor, relaxed atmosphere and low prices remain. One improvement is the size, with more space to accommodate the steady stream of regulars and savvy tourists. The healthy menu changes, however, the range of homemade veggie burgers are a constant temptation for even committed carnivores. Vegans are always catered for, as are those with wheat or dairy intolerances. A selection of organic wines and juices is on offer. The staff are young, trendy and helpful. Closed Sunday. No credit cards. 45 Lexington Street, W1 Tel/fax: (020) 7494 1634. Price: £15. Wine: £10.50. Wagamama An incredibly successful Japanese noodle chain, Wagamama provides reliably good food at bargain prices in a modern canteen-style environment. Not the place for privacy, diners are seated at long trestle tables next to strangers and served briskly by young, trendy staff. The menu is dauntingly long and contains countless combinations of ramen, soba and udon noodles, as well as stir-fry dishes, dumplings, soups and freshly squeezed juices. The food tastes remarkably good and has an aura of healthiness about it, emphasised by the no-smoking policy – unusual for London. This branch is just behind Selfridges on Oxford Street, but there are branches all over London, including Bloomsbury, Soho, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Covent Garden and Leicester Square. 101A Wigmore Street, W1H Tel: (020) 7409 0111. Fax: (020) 7409 0088. E-mail: info@wagamama.com Website: www.wagamama.com Price: £15. Wine: £9.50. Personal Recommendations Hakkasan Alan Yau, the brains behind the massively successful Wagamama chain, has recently opened this chic Chinese restaurant. A basement location down a shifty looking alley in central London deters passing trade and helps give Hakkasan an all too rare (for London) sense of exclusivity. Once inside, diners are separated from the bar area by a beautiful latticework screen that almost forms an entire room within a room, while the dim lighting, soft blue glass and oriental detailing complete the luxurious feel. For the best food, lunch is the time to go, with the excellent dim sum already something of a London institution. But at night, the interior and the exquisite cocktails outshine the food. Diners are advised to arrive early for a chance to sit in the bar, soaking up the atmosphere while sampling one of the exotic concoctions (all at £8). 8 Hanway Place, W1 Tel/fax: (020) 7927 7000. Price: £45. Wine: £15.50. H2O H2O opened in summer 2002 and offers a real escape from the city. The restaurant is housed in an old riverboat that floats on a picturesque stretch of the River Thames at Richmond in west London. Not only is the location superb, but the restaurant delivers on the plate as well, with affordable and enjoyable Italian cooking. The starters feature the likes of bruschetta and spicy roasted peppers, with the mains offering decent upmarket pasta dishes, such as spaghetti with black truffles, chillies and parsley, as well as generous ten-inch pizzas, the best of which is the hearty 'British breakfast', unusual but guaranteed to satisfy most appetites. The dessert board changes daily. Booking is essential on sunny days and there are indoor tables for more inclement weather. Richmond Park awaits nearby for post-meal strolls. Richmond Bridge, Richmond, TW9 Tel: (020) 8948 0220. Price: £20. Wine: £10.95. La Trompette La Trompette recently snuck into the top ten of Harden’s London Favourites and is well worth the journey out to sleepy Chiswick. Its unlikely location on a quiet street just off Chiswick High Road deters casual passers-by, but owner Nigel Platts-Martin and head chef Ollie Couillaud have worked miracles in creating a genuinely world-class menu at out-of-town prices. Highlights include tenderloin of venison with celeriac gratin and classics like smoked haddock with poached egg and hollandaise sauce, while their steak tartar can make a decent claim to be the finest in London. The chic modern interior has a buzz but never becomes too noisy, while most conversations seem to be dominated by discussions about the quality of this fantastic-value Epicurean treat. 5-7 Devonshire Road, W4 Tel: (020) 8747 1836. Price: £30 (three-course set menu). Wine: £15. Malabar Junction A smart South Indian restaurant decorated in cool whites and greens with a large central skylight, Malabar Junction offers delectable dishes at reasonable prices. Catering for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, the food is very different from the North Indian tandoori, korma and tikka masala options. Instead, diners can sample spicy potato dosas with hot lentil sauce and coconut chutney followed by a tangy Cochin prawn curry or a deep-fried marinated flat fish. If dining in a group, it is advisable to check the bill carefully as there may be hidden extras. 107 Great Russell Street, WC1 Tel: (020) 7580 5230. Fax: (020) 7436 9942. Price: £20. Wine: £10. Zuma Hailed as the 'New Nobu', Zuma is certainly not short of hype and attracts a smattering of celebrities. This chic Japanese restaurant is split into a number of funky spaces with a bar and main restaurant accompanied by a sushi bar and grill. Designers from Tokyo are behind the sleek modern lines and the atmospheric lighting, which both add to the unmistakable buzz. Stand-out dishes include the black cod with prawns and fresh tuna tataki with a sweet dip. For those looking to really impress friends or business colleagues there is a 24-seat private room. 5 Raphael Street, SW7 Website: www.zumarestaurant.com Tel: (020) 7584 1010. Fax: (020) 7584 5005. Price: £40. Wine: £16. |
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