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Mildred's
Central London's most inventive veggie restaurant, Mildred's heaves at lunchtime so don't be shy about sharing a table in the skylit dining room. Expect the likes of roasted fennel and chickpea terrine and Puy lentil casserole as well as more standard (and hugely portioned) salads and stir-fries. Drinks include juices, coffees, beers and organic wines.
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Mirch Masala
The new(ish) kid on the block and thus even more eager to please, 'Chilli and Spice' is a less hectic alternative to New Tayyab and the Lahore Kebab House, and the food is every bit as good. Order the prawn tikka as a 'warmer' followed by the masala karella, a curry-like dish made from bitter gourd, and a karahi meat dish.
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Momo
Sister of the celebrated 404 in Paris' Marais district, this wonderfully atmospheric North African restaurant is stuffed with cushions and lamps, and staffed by all-dancing, tambourine-playing waiters. It's a funny old place that manages to be all things to all diners, who range from romantic couples to raucous office-party ravers. Service is very friendly and the dishes are as exciting as you dare to be, so after the meze (from £4 ) eschew the traditional and ordinary tajine and tuck into the splendid Moroccan speciality pastilla , a scrumptious nutmeg and pigeon pie. There's outside seating in this quiet backstreet in the warmer months.
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Moro
As its name implies, this landmark restaurant run by husband and wife Sam and Sam Clark serves 'Moorish' cuisine, a fusion of Spanish, Portuguese and North African flavours. Some diners love it, while others complain about odd seasonings and small portions; we're in the former camp and have been since we attended launch night in… well, a long time ago. The constantly changing menu might include such dishes as wood roasted bream with moros y christianos (black beans and rice) and fennel cooked in anise and chicken cooked in Pedro Xímenez sherry.
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Mr Wing
The oddly named Mr Wing is a very smart Asian-fusion place offering the full spectrum of Chinese cuisine with a few bits of Thai cooking thrown in. To recommend it are a plush, dark interior filled with greenery and tropical aquariums, helpful staff and a basement where live jazz sessions are held regularly.
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Nahm
Australian chef David Thompson is the man behind the excellent tucker at this hotel restaurant, the only Thai eatery in Europe to have a Michelin star. On offer are Thai classics like tom yam gai (hot and sour chicken coconut soup) as well as more exotic fare such as minced trout curry with basil and stir-fried pigeon with bamboo. The surrounds may be somewhat sterile but the leafy views are worth a booking alone. Go for lunch.
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Namo
This very bohemian place takes the Vietnamese dishes so characteristic of nearby Dalston and pulls them into the 21st century; expect things like chilli jam with your slow-cooked pork and a new take on bo bun hue (around £7 ), the signature beef noodle soup. Seating is a bit cramped, but the array of plants and flowers brings nearby Victoria Park even closer.
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Narrow
This gastropub with commanding views of the Thames may or may not be Mr Ramsay's idea of slumming it - or at least be Gordon without the glam. Housed in what was once the Limehouse Basin dockmaster's residence, the place comes with a lot of history and tradition and the food reflects that. Expect such old favourites as London Particular (pea and ham soup), braised Gloucester pig cheeks with bashed neeps and Huntingdon fidget pie made with bacon, onion and apple.
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New Tayyab
From the enticing aroma on entering, it's clear this buzzing Punjabi restaurant is in another league to its Brick Lane equivalents. Seekh kebabs, masala fish and other starters served on sizzling hot plates are delicious, as are accompaniments like dhal, naan and raita. With New Tayyab's now appearing regularly in guidebooks and the huge London Royal Hospital round the corner, you should expect to wait for a table (and there will always be a doctor in the house).
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New World
Chinatown doesn't have much to recommend itself in the way of food these days but if you hanker after dim sum, the three-storey New World can oblige. All the old favourites - from ha gau (prawn dumpling) to pai gwat (steamed pork spare rib)- are available from steaming carts wheeled around the dining room daily to .
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Newens Maids Of Honour
The name of this quirky Kew tearoom a short distance from the main entrance to Kew Gardens comes from its famed dessert, supposedly created by Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's ill-fated second wife. It is made of puff pastry, lemon, almonds and curd cheese, and anyone visiting should try it at least once (around £3 ).
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Nobu
A London designer's idea of a Japanese restaurant with some of the best Asian food in town, Nobu is minimalist in décor, anonymously efficient in service, and out of this world when it comes to exquisitely prepared and presented sushi and sashimi. The black cod with miso and salmon kelp roll are divine.
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North Sea Fish Restaurant
The North Sea sets out to cook fresh fish and potatoes, a simple ambition in which it succeeds admirably. Look forward to jumbo-sized plaice or halibut steaks, deep-fried or grilled, and a huge serving of chips. There's takeaway next door if you can't handle the soulless dining room.
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Nyonya
One day in the not-too-distant future the world will discover nyonya (or peranakan) cuisine as prepared and enjoyed by the so-called Straits Chinese of Malaysia and it will be bigger than Thai and sushi combined. Neither Malay nor Chinese but both, nyonya highlights include laksa (soup noodles with seafood), Penang char kway teow noodles, bean sprouts with salt fish and fiery sambal dipping sauce.
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Ognisko
This is Polish of another world and time: a baroque dining room complete with filled with portraits of military heroes (that would be the White Army) and chandeliers and mirrors and overlooking a verdant square. But stick with the basics at 'The Hearth': barszcz czwerwony (beetroot soup) and pierogi (dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese and potatoes). Outside seating in the warmer months.
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Olivo
This colourful restaurant specialises in the food and wine of Sardinia and Sicily, and has a dedicated clientele of sophisticates who, quite frankly, would rather keep it to themselves. Not surprising, really, because this gem near Victoria station is a true gem. As a general rule, drink Sicilian and eat Sardinian. Excellent pasta dishes (from £11 .
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Ottolenghi
The busiest of what is now a three-outlet operation, including the Notting Hill branch, this very sleek, very minimalist bakery-cum-restaurant looks as good as its food tastes, and that's saying something. The set menus (from £9 ) are great value for food of this quality, although the desserts are the real highlight. The electric cables hanging over the table are actually for toasters at breakfast.
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Oxo Tower Restaurant & Brasserie
The Oxo Tower is about event dining, with the emphasis generally more on the event than the food. In the stunning glassed-in terrace you have a front-row seat to probably the best view in London here, and you're paying for this (not the fusion food) handsomely in the brasserie and stratospherically in the restaurant. Fish dishes - smoked haddock souffle, Japanese-style scallops, Thai red curry sea bass - make up half the menu.
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Paternoster Chop House
Delightfully British fare is on offer at this Conran City restaurant next to St Paul's Cathedral. Dishes range from the 'beast of the day' (around £21 ) to a huge shellfish and grill selection and other traditional favourites such as bubble and squeak, and haggis. Sunday brunch (noon to ) features a carvery.
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Patisserie Valerie
This sweet Soho institution was established in 1926. With a warm, wooden interior and a comforting atmosphere, it has delicious, delicate pastries, stylish sandwiches, filled croissants and strictly no 'phones le mobile'. There are eight more branches around town and you'll be lucky to get a seat at any of them.
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Petersham Nurseries Café
In a greenhouse at the back of the gorgeously situated Petersham Nurseries is this award-winning cafe straight out of the pages of The Secret Garden . Well-heeled locals tuck into confidently executed food that often began life in the nursery gardens - organic vegetable dishes, such as artichokes braised with preserved lemon sage and black olives, feature alongside seasonal plates of, say, roasted quail with walnut sauce or white polenta with squid and sherry butter. There's a teahouse ( - Tue-Sat, from Sun) should you have failed to book at the cafe (and well in advance).
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Place Below
In a church crypt, this pleasant veggie restaurant is of the old school. Think spinach and mushroom quiche, celeriac and blue cheese gratin and (steady on, getting a bit modern here) sun-dried tomato and rice salad. So it's not the most innovative of vegetarian menus: it's still cool to be eating in a crypt.
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Plateau
Treat yourself to a delicious meal among Canary Wharf's corporate crowd, in a room with striking Finnish chairs and glass walls.
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Porters
Porters specialises in pies, long a staple of English cooking but not regularly found on menus nowadays. There are unusual ones like lamb and apricot or chicken and broccoli as well as the more commonplace steak, Guinness and mushroom pie. It also does a mean fish and chips and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.
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Portrait
This stunningly located restaurant above the excellent National Portrait Gallery - with views over Trafalgar Sq and Westminster! - and just past the Tudors is a place for a decent meal after the gallery; why not pop in for brunch when the two-course menu is around £20 . Unfortunately, Portrait is restricted in its opening times by the gallery, so it only serves (early-ish) dinner on Thursday and Friday.
