Jan 26, '19

My revised London restaurant list (April 2019 edition)

Fine dining

The Greenhouse (contemporary French fine dining; excellent new chef since last year)
Bibendum (contemporary French fine dining; love the roast and the Black Forest soufflé)
The Ledbury (classic fine dining, consistent quality since years)
The Clove Club (modern British fine dining)

Mid-range

Ikoyi (Nigerian inspired contemporary cooking)
Wiltons (old school seafood,one of the oldest restaurants in London)
Scott’s (seafood institution, take Dove sole)
Saint John (“Nose to tail”, traditional British)
Beck at Browns hotel (“fine” Italian, one of the best in London at the moment)
Zafferano (“comfort food” Italian; great saffron risotto)
River Café (Italian)
Il Baretto (best thin crust pizza, excellent pasta)
Il Portico (family owned trattoria)
Aquavit (Swedish, love their meat balls)
La Petite Maison (Provençal with an ambiance)
Mari Vanna (Russian food fix; piroshki are very good)
Harwood arms (go for Sunday roast only, the rest is just ok..)
Noble Rot (Wine bar with great food)

Japanese

Endo at The Rotunda (Currently best sushi omakase comparable to the ones in Japan)
Umu (Kaiseki inspired high end Japanese)
Yashin Ocean House (contemporary Japanese)
Cafe Japan (top quality low key sushi shop in the north of London)
Dinings SW3 (Japanese with a twist)
The Araki (top sushi, but the master is leaving back to Japan in March, so need to revisit once he is gone)
Koya (Japanese, udon noodles)
Yen (go for handmade soba only, the rest if just ok)
Atariya (Fish and Wagyu supplier of best Japanese restaurants in London. Go to their shops to get sashimi quality fish and other seafood.)
Wa (Japanese pastry,2 locations)
Minamoto Kitchoan (Japanese pastry and baumkuchens; outpost from Tokyo)
Happy Sky Bakery (Japanese bakery)

Chinese

A Wong (modern dim sum; go for lunch)
The Imperial Treasure (top dim sum and heard the duck is great too; opened last December)
Royal China Club (great dim sum)
Min Jiang (excellent Chinese with a view)
Xi’an Impression (Hand pulled noodles)
Chili cool (dan dan noodles)

Thai

Som Saa (old style Thai)

Indian

Gymkhana (favourite Indian)
Kutir (newly opened excellent Indian)
Jamavar (another great Indian, but if to choose, would rather go back to Gymkhana)
Indian Accent (“fine dining” Indian)
Dastaan (far from the Central London, but very good Indian)
Hafez (favourite Persian)

Middle Eastern

Palomar (contemporary Israeli)
Ishbilia (Lebanese)

Sri Lankan

Hoppers (Sri Lankan, go to the original one in Soho)

Balkan

Peckham Bazaar (Mezze and Balkans cooking)
Smokestak (barbecue)

Sandwiches and burgers

Bleecker (another great burger)
Monty’s deli (salt beef sandwich)
Kappacassein (cheese toastie)

Breakfast

Granger and Co (breakfast)
Towpath café (breakfast)

Cafés and pastries

Ottolenghi (great bakeries and pastry shops around London)
Lisboa bakery (best pasteis de nata)
Aux Merveilleux de Fred (meringue and chantilly pastries from Lille; two locations)
Kova (go for matcha mille crêpe and strawberry shortcake)
Maison Assouline (Most beautiful café in London)
Omotesando Koffee (Recently opened coffee shop from Japan)
Le Café Alain Ducasse

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