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St John Bread & Wine
Little sister to St John in Clerkenwell, this place is cheaper and more relaxed but offers similar 'nose to tail' traditional fare (duck hearts on toast, jellied ham, salt lamb and turnips) in an austere (though airy) space popular with Spitalfields creative types. There's also excellent British cheese and puddings.
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Thyme
As at Clerkenwell's Club Gascon, dishes are starter size only, and served tapas style. So, although the prices look low, this is a mid-range place if you're in any way hungry. It's still worth the outlay, though, because the tastes at this multi-award-winning gem are innovative, subtle and divine. Book ahead.
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Tom Aikens
The Tom of the title made his name by picking up two Michelin stars at Pied à Terre by the time he was only 26. He returned with this handsome restaurant in 2003 and, three years later, the even more relaxed Tom's Kitchen nearby. The food here is excellent, with phenomenal starters like braised scallops with pork belly and partridge with truffled mash. The tasting menu is around £80 (or around £140 with accompanying wines).
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Tom's Kitchen
There's never been any question about chef Tom Aikens' technical skill, but his cooking has sometimes been criticised as overly fussy. In this new brasserie-style 'diffusion' restaurant, however, this Michelin-starred genius is not only bringing good, more affordable food to the mass market, he's sticking to uncomplicated fare such as soups, casseroles and pies, plus classic fish, meat and poultry dishes.
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Tugga
The psychedelically floral wallpaper and cerise and purple cushions in this King's Rd restaurant make it a favourite with the Chelsea set, who come to enjoy the Portuguese cuisine (which is sold as modern but is actually more classic). The long menu of pestiscos (starters; around £5 to around £8 allows you to sample such classics as roasted chorizo, caldo verde (Portuguese green cabbage soup) and bacalhau à Brás (dried cod with potatoes, egg and onion).
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Verso
This unpretentious neighbourhood restaurant serves consistently excellent pizza (around £6 to around £9 ), including such unfamiliar varieties as rocket, grilled prawn and courgette pizza bianca (without tomato paste). Pasta (around £8 to around £11 ) is also excellent, as are the seafood dishes and terrific homemade desserts.
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Villandry
This excellent Modern European restaurant with a strong Gallic slant has an attractive market/delicatessen attached (not to mention a bar) so freshness and quality of ingredients is guaranteed. Try the cassoulet (around £17 ) or one of the several daily fish dishes.
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Wallace
There are few more idyllically placed restaurants than this French brasserie in the courtyard of the Wallace Collection, London's finest small gallery and virtually unknown to most Londoners. Michelin-starred chef Thierry Laborde's seasonal menus are a veritable tour de France and cost around £32 to around £36 for three courses.
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Wapping Food
We've all seen converted factories masquerading as restaurants but nothing compares with this erstwhile power station (and now restaurant/gallery/performance space), which has chosen to let all of its hydraulic equipment hang out. The food is modern European bending towards the Mediterranean, the wine list all-Australian and the staff pleasant.
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Wells Tavern
The Wells was once a raucous venue for 'clandestine or unpremeditated marriages' at Hampstead Spa. Now it's a popular gastropub, with comfortable sofas and couches, dark walls and big flower arrangements. The modern European food is well above average and, particularly at lunch, offers pretty good value - for Hampstead.
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Wine Library
This is a great place for a light but boozy lunch in the City. Buy a bottle of wine at retail price (no mark-up; around £5 corkage fee) from the large selection on offer at this vaulted cellar restaurant and then snack on pates, cheeses and salads.
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Wolseley
This erstwhile Bentley car showroom has been transformed into an opulent Viennese-style brasserie, with golden chandeliers and stunning black-and-white tiled floors, and it remains a great place for spotting celebrities. That said, the Wolseley tends to work better for breakfast, brunch or tea, rather than lunch or dinner, when the dishes (choucroute à l'Alsacienne, Wiener schnitzel) are somewhat stodgy and the black-attired staff more than a bit frayed. Daily specials are around £16 .
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Zafferano
This glamorous place, sparkling with diamonds and wall-to-wall with highlights and perma-tans, serves excellent seasonal and inspired Italian dishes with a twist that succeed every time. So it's a shame that the service is sometimes snooty. Don't let them try to fob you off with an inferior table.
