Restaurants in London
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Chakalaka
This South African restaurant, done up in brash tiger patterns and colours, serves springbok and kudu (both types of antelope), ostrich, zebra and other creatures that are usually seen grazing – not being grazed on – and is probably best visited on a dare. It also has bobotie (£11), a very South African dish of spiced minced meat baked with a breadfruit-custard topping, on the menu. Good selection of South African wines.
reviewed
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Rosie’s Deli Café
Park yourself on one of the mismatched wooden chairs at this much-loved Brixton cafe run by cook and author Rosie Lovell as it’s a wholesome treat. She’s certainly every bit as charming – and a real celebrity in Brixton Market and wider with her recipe book, Spooning With Rosie – and serves some fantastic cakes and biscuits. Quiches, wraps, ciabattas, sandwiches and steak and kidney pies also emerge from her kitchen.
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Addis
Cheery Addis serves pungent Ethiopian dishes such as ayeb be gomen (cottage cheese mixed with spinach and spices) and fuul musalah (crushed fava beans topped with feta cheese, falafel and sautéed in ghee), which are eaten on a platter-sized piece of soft but slightly elastic injera bread. The restaurant is normally full of Ethiopian and Sudanese punters, which is always a good sign.
reviewed
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Cow
Owned by Tom Conran, son of celebrated former restaurateur Sir Terence, this attractive boozer was one of London’s original gastropubs. Name of the game both upstairs and downstairs at the main bar is seafood: Irish rock oysters, haddock fishcakes, and pasta with cuttlefish and samphire.
reviewed
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Primrose Bakery
Set in decor reminiscent of 1950s America, this little bakery specialises in the UK’s latest food craze: the cupcake. There are more than 30 flavours to choose from, which can be savoured with a pot of tea in the tiny cafe.
reviewed
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Morgan M
This gourmet French restaurant in Highbury used to be an old pub. It has retained an old-school feel to it but the cuisine is resolutely modern and so very French. It’s all about the set menus here, which run from a relatively restrained two courses at lunchtime to the full gastronomic blow out of the six-course tasting menu in the evening.
reviewed
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Breakfast Club
Despite the name, breakfast (£3 to £8.30) is not the only game here (although many people do come to nurse a hangover): it also does sandwiches, salads and decent pies, all dished out in an oasis of bright and quirky decor. Staff are all smiles and there’s generally good, chilled-out music for relaxing.
reviewed
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Natural Kitchen
This is a decent, practical place to drop in for a relaxing pit-stop in between raiding the shops on Marylebone High Street. The organic shop – with fresh produce, butcher’s, deli and wine – has a cafe on the 1st floor. It offers good-value breakfasts (£3 to £5) and quick lunch fixes such as warm sandwiches, salads and freshly baked quiches
reviewed
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E&O
This Notting Hill hot spot presents fusion fare, which usually starts with an Asian base and then pirouettes into something resembling Pacific Rim (eg green curry with aubergine and lychee, or blackened cod with miso and chilli tofu). The decor is stark and minimalist – a ‘cheaper and cooler version of Nobu ’, the tout. You can do dim sum (£3.50 to £7) at the bar if no tables are available in the evening.
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Busaba Eathai Fitzrovia
We prefer the slightly less hectic Store St premises of this West End favourite, but there are also a couple more locations, including a Wardour St branch. Here the sumptuous Thai menu greets you via an electronic screen outside and the über-styled interior is softened by communal wooden tables. This isn't the place to come for a long and intimate dinner, but it's a superb option for an excellent and (usually) speedy meal of stir-fries and noodles.
reviewed
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Mandalay
Despite its unprepossessing appearance and location on a fairly grim part of Edgware Rd, Mandalay is actually one of the capital’s most wonderful secrets, not to mention its only Burmese restaurant. The crispy a-kyaw fritters (£2.40) of vegetables and shrimps and the spicy bottle-gourd soup with noodles (£2.90) make great starters, while the twice-cooked fish curry with tamarind and lime (£6.90) is a scrumptious main course.
reviewed
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Glas
A favourite when it was in Borough Market, Glas remains a mecca in its new location perched above Upper St in Islington. It's still the best Swedish restaurant in town and its 'grazing' portions (from around £4 to £8) allow you to try a number of specialities, including the phenomenal herring three ways and salmon pudding with horseradish sauce. The three-course set lunch is around £15. The welcome here is always warm and the service friendly.
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Sarastro
Any place that bills itself as 'The Show after the Show' has got to be more concerned with entertainment than food. Come to Sarastro, behind the Theatre Royal and round the corner from the Royal Opera House, for opera music (piped and impromptu) and faux baroque decor that is camper than a bunch of Boy Scouts (think kitsch frescoes and fake 'opera boxes' adorning three sides of the restaurant). It's all quirky good fun and certainly a night you won't forget.
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Levantine
Levantine is an atmospheric Thousand and One Nights-themed restaurant (lots of red velvet cushions and brassy stuff) where the set menus (including a vegetarian one) are the best value. The fare is well prepared and delicious, including wonderful renditions of Lebanese staples such as tahini, hummus and muhammarah (mixed nuts crushed with red pepper) as well as more complex grills. The inevitable belly dancer makes an appearance at weekends.
reviewed
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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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Taqueria
You won’t find fresher, limper (they’re not supposed to be crispy!) tacos anywhere in London and that’s seguro (definite) because the ‘Tacory’ (for lack of a better translation) makes its own fresh corn tortillas next door – as you’ll see through the window. It’s a small casual place serving Mexico’s favourite street food. The last time we visited, the Mexican embassy was having a party here.
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Bocca di Lupo
Hidden on a dark Soho backstreet, Bocca radiates elegant sophistication. The menu has dishes from across Italy (the menu tells you which region they’re from) and every main can be served as small or large portions. Enjoy with an array of Italian wines and fantastic desserts. It’s often full so make sure you book.
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Dragon Castle
It’s hard to imagine that what just might be the best nonchain Chinese restaurant in London is hidden within one of the brutalist buildings of deepest, darkest Kennington. But it’s true, and even the incomparable food critic Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard concurs. The duck, pork and seafood (deep-fried crispy oysters; crab with black bean) are renowned – but come for the dim sum (£1.90 to £3), especially at weekend lunch.
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Tas
An established chain of good Turkish restaurants with a roll-call of stews, grills and mezes that rarely disappoints.
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Capital
Of the eight restaurants in London to have been awarded two Michelin stars, the Capital behind Harrods is the least known, and so much the better. The modern yet warmth-inducing decor, welcoming and accommodating staff and chef Eric Chavot’s award-winning dishes (roasted lobster with chilli and coconut broth, a saddle of rabbit seared calamari and tomato risotto) all remain our secret. And now yours. Tasting menu is £70 (add £55 for accompanying wines).
reviewed
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Skylon
Named after the defunct 1950s tower, this excellent restaurant on top of the refurbished Royal Festival Hall is divided into grillroom and fine-dining sections by a large bar (open 11am to 1am). The decor is cutting-edge 1950s: muted colours and period chairs (trendy then, trendier now) while floor-to-ceiling windows bathe you in magnificent views of the Thames and the City. Weekday lunch is £24.50/28.50 for two/three courses. Dress smart casual (no sportswear).
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Bar Shu
The story goes that a visiting businessman from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province in China, found London’s Chinese food offerings so inauthentic that he decided to open up his own restaurant with five chefs from home. Well, it’s authentic all right, with dishes redolent of smoked chillies and the all-important Sichuan peppercorn. We love the spicy gung bao chicken with peanuts and the mapo doufu (bean curd braised with minced pork and chilli).
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Duke of Cambridge
The UK’s first certified organic pub is a great place to avoid the crowds, as it’s tucked some way down a side street off the Essex Rd where casual passers-by rarely tread. There’s a fantastic selection of beers and ales on tap, a great wine list and an interesting organic menu with a Mediterranean bent. You can eat in the pub proper for a relaxed meal, or enjoy more formal service in the restaurant at the back (reservations are a good idea in the evenings).
reviewed
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Bermondsey Kitchen
As this is a great place to curl up on the sofas with the Sunday newspapers or enjoy brunch at the weekend, it’s hardly surprising that many locals seem to have made BK their second living room. The Modern European food (with a nod towards the Mediterranean) that comes from the open grill is as homely and unpretentious as the butcher-block tables, and the refreshingly brief menu (six starters and as many mains) changes daily. Set lunch can cost below £10 on weekdays.
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Roast
The focal point at this unique restaurant and bar perched directly above Borough Market is the glassed-in kitchen with an open spit, where ribs of beef, suckling pigs, birds and game are roasted. The emphasis is on roasted meats (featherblade of beef, lamb’s kidneys) and seasonal vegetables, though there are lighter dishes such as salads and grilled fish. Also open for good breakfasts (Monday to Saturday), trading days at Borough Market (Thursday to Saturday) are the restaurant’s busiest. If you’re on the move, join the queue at the handy takeaway outside the main entrance at ground level for pork belly with Bramley apple sauce (£6), bacon butties (£3.20) or devil…
reviewed