London Restaurant Tips by sue_stone

Restaurant Name: The Ledbury

My husband knows I always get a little down when my birthday comes around, so to cheer me up we went to The Ledbury for dinner. The Ledbury is a classy restaurant located in Notting Hill. It serves up modern European cuisine and currently holds 1 Michelin star, making it one of the best renowned restaurants in the area.

The dining room is stylish but relaxed. Tables are not too close together making this the perfect place for a romantic meal. Service was first class, though at the same time making us feel very welcome and relaxed. The sommelier was most helpful in assisting us with our wine choice and her recommendations proved to be excellent.

Favorite Dish: The food was amazing. We opted for the 8 course tasting menu. While we were waiting we were given a little treat of Foie Gras mousse on a thin cracker. It was a good indication of things to come.

The brief descriptions of courses follows (full descriptions on menu photo - see additional photos):

Amuse - mushroom style soup with a deep fried crab stick
Loin of Tuna - my favourite course
Salad of Organic Vegetables - more delicious than it sounds
Terrine of foie gras - this was sooooo rich! It was Alex's favourite course
Roast Halibut
Roast Duck
Vanilla & Yoghurt Pannacotta
Fig Soufflé - this was a full size soufflé....I couldn't fit it all in!

Check out the photos for a pic of all the courses.

It was as amazing as it sounds. We will definitely go back again one day.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7792 9090
Address: 127 Ledbury Road, London W11 2AQ
Directions: Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate is 10-15 minutes walk
Website: http://www.theledbury.com/
Other Contact: info@theledbury.com

Restaurant Name: Arbutus

On a culinary website that I frequent, I read with great interest about a new restaurant called Arbutus opening up in Soho. The owners were well renowned restaurateurs in London, and I had the feeling that their new venture was going to be worth checking out. Then when I heard that they were offering 50% off food for the first 4 days of trading, I was even keener!

So, I booked a table for 4 for opening night - and hoped that they would hit the ground running….and they did.

Located close to Soho Square, Arbutus is a classy looking restaurant, offering international cuisine with a bit of a French slant. The design is fresh and airy, service was impressive for opening night, and the food was very good, and excellent value, even without the discount.

One of the best things about Arbutus is that all of the wines on the well selected list are available in a 250ml carafe, giving you a great opportunity to try a few different wines with your meal. Only complaints would be that it was quite noisy once the place filled up, and the lack of side plates for bread.

Favorite Dish: So, to the food. For entrée, Anita had the Warm cod brandade, young squid, sea purslane, parsley cromesqui, Kelly had the Smoked eel, pressed beetroot, horseradish cream, young leaves, and Alex had the Chicken sot-l'y-laisse (oysters), macaroni, broad beans, lemon thyme and hazelnuts. I tried them all and enjoyed the Chicken Oysters the best, but all were yum and well presented.

Main courses - Kelly and I both had the Elwy valley rump of lamb, tortellini of goats cheese, artichokes, tomato, Taggiascha olives, which was absolutely delicious!! The lamb was perfectly cooked and the goats cheese tortellini the perfect accompaniment. Alex had the Breast of veal lacquered with spices, butternut squash, cavolo nero and Anita had the Roast rabbit, shoulder cottage pie, Hispi cabbage, mustard sauce, which was also pretty special.

Well, we just had to sample some desserts. Kelly decided to keep it savoury and had a couple of cheeses which she deemed most tasty. Anita and Alex both ordered the Warm chocolate soup, caramelized brioche, pecan nuts and I had the Floating island with pink praline, custard, mainly because I was intrigued by the name! All desserts were really tasty.

We tried a few different wines throughout the meal and enjoyed them all. All the meals were above average in flavour and presentation. Basically it was a fabulous night, and we will return one day soon.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7734 4545
Address: 63-64 Frith Street, London W1D 3JW
Directions: Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road is about a 5 minute walk. Leicester Square is around a 10 minute walk.
Website: http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/
Other Contact: info@arbutusrestaurant.co.uk

Restaurant Name: Chez Bruce

When friends invited us to join them for dinner at one of the best loved restaurants in London we couldn't say no - we had been wanting to try Chez Bruce for a long time. Chez Bruce is an award winning restaurant located opposite Wandsworth Common, in southwest London. Although not in the most convenient location, it is well worth the trip.

Not only known for its excellent food, the restaurant somehow manages to maintain a very relaxed, though stylish atmosphere, whilst still having very professional service. Staff were very friendly and helpful, particularly the Aussie sommelier who recommended some excellent wines to accompany our meals.

Favorite Dish: Dining at Chez Bruce consists of a 3 course meal, which was a set price of £37 per head (Aug 2006). We all started with a refreshing Gin & Tonic and perused the menu.

There was 6 of us at dinner, and our starters were:
- Ceviche of tuna with king prawn tempura, pine nuts, lime and coriander
- Fillet of red mullet with baby squid, black olives, fennel purée and basil
- Mackerel rillettes with chilled cucumber velouté, beetroot and horseradish x 2
- Gazpacho with buffalo mozzarella, frozen basil oil and salted almonds x 2

The stand out one was the Ceviche of Tuna, which was happily my choice. It just melted in your mouth!

Main courses included:
- Breast of Guinea Fowl with braised bacon, salsify, celeriac puree and tarragon x 2
- Shetland salmon with scallop and crab boudin, mussels, beurre blanc and samphire x 2
- Fillet of sea bream with mushroom duxelle, potato pancakes, oyster beignet and dill
- Roast cod with olive oil mash, provençâle tomato and gremolata

I had the Guinea Fowl, which was so moist and tasty.

Desserts were great too, with most of having the creamy Crème brûlée.

It was such a great restaurant, I would highly recommend it for that special occasion, or a decadent dinner with friends.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 8672 0114
Address: 2 Bellevue Road, London SW17 7EG
Directions: Nearest Train: Wandsworth Common is one minute walk
Nearest Tube: Clapham South & Balham are both about 15 minutes walk away
Website: http://www.chezbruce.co.uk/

Restaurant Name: Rhodes 24

Alex's 30th birthday was indeed a cause for celebration, so I organised a surprise dinner at Rhodes 24, which is a classy restaurant, with fabulous views. Rhodes 24 is located on the 24th floor of Tower 42, the tallest building in the 'City of London', and is one of celebrity chef Gary Rhodes restaurants.

The décor is modern and stylish and the views from the bar and restaurant are superb. Service was first class and the food was delicious. We started with a drink at the bar - they have some great cocktails on offer - and enjoyed the view of the nearby 'Gherkin' building, amongst others.

Favorite Dish: In the restaurant we were seated by the window, and so were able to check out the view throughout the meal. We enjoyed a tasty Amuse-bouche of Cauliflower soup whilst we perused the menu.

To start, Alex and Nik both had the Glazed lobster risotto thermidor, which was very rich but yum. I had the Asparagus, served 3 ways, which was also excellent, and Tandor had the Cumberland sausage with warm pickled cabbage.

Main courses were fantastic as well. Tandor and Nik both ordered the Roast loin of Veal with truffle macaroni cheese which they loved. Alex & I had the Rack of lamb (for two) with mutton hash - the lamb was perfectly cooked and the mutton hash was very tasty. The lamb was carved and served up next to our table.

We couldn't resist dessert - Nik, Tandor and I all had the delicious Pecan Pie with caramel pecan ice cream and Alex had the equally yum Warm chocolate pudding with kirsch cherries and black cherry ice cream.

All that food, plus cocktails, a couple of bottles of wine and then dessert wine for the boys, made it a pretty pricy evening. But the experience was so good that it was worth every pound.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7877 7703
Address: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HQ
Directions: Nearest Tube: Bank or Liverpool Street
Website: http://www.rhodes24.co.uk/

Restaurant Name: Racine

Racine is a small classy French Restaurant located near Knightsbridge/South Kensington in West London. It was highly recommended to me by a good friend (and VT'er - londonbabe), so I had high expectations....and was not disappointed!

Entering off a busy road, you go through some large thick curtains and voila, you are in a serene, perfectly lit environment, filled with relaxed diners and attractive waiters. Racine has fabulous service and traditional French food made from the best ingredients.

Favorite Dish: We started off with an amazing Smoked Duck salad. Mains were a melt-in-your mouth steak with béarnaise sauce and the tastiest chips I have had in a long time, and the special - Roast Grouse, which was also delicious. Washed down with a nice bottle of French red from Bordeaux. No room for dessert : (

A truly wonderful meal. Can't wait to return....

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Theme: French
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7584 4477
Address: 239 Brompton Road, London, SW3 2EP
Directions: Nearest Tube: South Kensington is no more than 5 minutes walk
Website: http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/display.php?Rest_ID=81247

Restaurant Name: Pret-a-Portea, at the Berkeley Hotel

My sister was visiting us from Sydney so a fancy afternoon tea was in order. We wanted something different - none of those traditional sandwiches and scones - so we headed to the Caramel Room at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge to sample their 'Pret-a-Portea'.

From the website:
"Pret-a-Portea is a new concept in afternoon tea. It has been designed to add a creative twist to the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea, with the cakes and pastries inspired by the latest fashion season's catwalk designs for the style conscious and with savouries in miniature mouthfuls for the figure conscious."

Favorite Dish: It was a pretty special indulgence. Instead of the usual finger-sandwiches, the savoury treats were très gourmet - things like lightly-seared tuna, goats cheese balls, salmon sashimi, mixed seafood, artichoke & asparagus and so on, all really tasty.

The sweet treats looked amazing and for the most part tasted just as good. They were all created based on the latest catwalk looks - from boots to handbags to coats. Check out my photo of the menu for full descriptions of all the cakes. My favourite was the Alexander McQueen Stuart tartan chocolate cake.

They kept replenishing the food - bringing out the savoury and sweet plates at least three times each, which gave us all the chance to try the same things, so no need to squabble over the Valentino leopard chestnut crème handbag or the Yves Saint Laurent frilly passion fruit meringue! And no need for dinner that night either.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 0207 235 6000
Address: Wilton Place, Knightsbridge London SW1X 7RL
Directions: In the Berkeley Hotel

Nearest Tube: Hyde Park Corner or Knightsbridge Tubes are about 5 minutes walk away
Website: http://www.berkeleyhotellondon.com/restaurants_and_bars/restaurants/the_caramel_room/the_caramel_room/

Restaurant Name: Locanda Locatelli

Our second wedding anniversary was on a Monday, so we decided to celebrate the day before, going out for a fabulous Sunday lunch at Locanda Locatelli.

Located just on the edge of the fashionable area of Marylebone, Locatelli's has recently won several awards, including Italian restaurant of the year. We were pretty excited to be going there.

Initial impressions were good - a friendly greeting at the door plus from several staff on the way to our table. The interior design is very stylish, the lighting perfect and the seats comfortable. We were made to feel important from the moment we arrived and the service was excellent throughout our meal.

The restaurant is family friendly - there were several tables with extremely well behaved kids, and we saw the owner/chef dining there with his family. We were given a very romantic table with a perfect position to check out the fashionable clientele.

Favorite Dish: We went all out, having 3 courses each and wine. The sommelier was very helpful, and a necessity when we were presented with a thick wine list of Italian wines….we discussed what would suit our meal and were thrilled with his recommendation - it was delicious.

For starter I had a kind of Tortellini stuffed with Pheasant in a very nice sauce and Alex had home made Mushroom Gnocchi with black truffle - the Gnocchi just melted in your mouth. We wiped our plates clean with the tasty offerings in our complimentary fresh baked bread basket.

Next the main meals - I had the Char grilled baby chicken with roast potatoes & spinach and Alex had the Stewed neck of lamb with polenta, peppers & Chianti sauce.

And then the best bit - dessert! I had 3 scoops of very creamy gelato (coffee, amaretto & pistachio) and Alex had Chocolate and Banana Doughnut with coffee ice cream, which was particularly evil.

We ended the meal with coffee and complimentary petit four, which included really good amaretto biscuits and very groggy chocolate truffles.

I will be honest and say that the food wasn't 'the best we'd ever had', but it was pretty good. However, the excellent service and perfect atmosphere made the whole experience first class and we will definitely return one day.

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Theme: Italian
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7935 9088
Address: 8 Seymour Street, London W1H 7JZ
Directions: Nearest Tube: Marble Arch is a few minutes walk
Website: http://www.locandalocatelli.com

Restaurant Name: La Trompette

La Trompette is a fantastic French restaurant hidden away in the leafy West London area of Chiswick.

It is known throughout London as having one of the best wine lists and is a particular favourite of the locals and the not so locals.

We had been wanting to go to La Trompette for some time, and used the occasion of our recent 1st wedding anniversary to go there for dinner.

It was a fabulous experience. The restaurant is very tastefully decorated, the service is friendly and efficient and the food was delicious. To top it all off, we also found it to be very good value for money.

Oh yeah, and the wine list is good too!!

Favorite Dish: We had a 3 course menu. I ate as follows:

Scallop and red mullet tortelloni with mussels, fennel fondue and shellfish veloute.

Cote de boeuf with chips, watercress and bernaise sauce for two

Sticky Toffee Pudding with pecan praline ice cream

It was really delicious.

**Just back from our third meal at La Trompette - still excellent!!!**

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Theme: French
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 0208 747 1836
Address: 5-7 Devonshire Road, Chiswick, Lonson, W4 2EU
Directions: 4 Minutes walk from Turnham Green Tube Station, just off Chiswick High Road
Website: http://www.latrompette.co.uk/

Restaurant Name: The River Cafe

It was a sunny and warm Saturday and Alex was taking me out for lunch somewhere nice - to the River Café. Located by the Thames in an unlikely location in Hammersmith, the River Café has been around since 1987 and has been a spawning ground for some great chefs, such as Jamie Oliver. It was somewhere I had been wanting to visit for a while, so was thrilled when Alex planned a surprise lunch there.

We opted to sit in the pretty terrace area at the front of the restaurant as it was such a lovely day. I wondered if we would spot some celebrities, as they often dine here apparently, but I probably wouldn't recognise anyone unless they were very famous.

It was a great afternoon - fabulous company, good food and a beautiful setting. The only thing that let it down was the service - it was a bit aloof….perhaps if I had worn my giant 'celebrity look' sunglasses we would have been treated better!

Favorite Dish: The food….we both had 3 courses….well, then we wouldn't need dinner, right!?

To start, Alex had the Risotto nero di Sepia (squid ink risotto with cuttlefish) and I had the Agnoli di Coniglio (pasta parcels stuffed with roast rabbit). Both were pretty tasty, though very rich in flavour.

Main course for me was the Aragosta al Forno (wood roasted whole Dorset Blue Lobster) which was excellent and great value. Alex had the Cape sante in Padella (Scottish Scallops) which was also very good.

We enjoyed a icy cold bottle of Italian white Soave with our meal, which was recommended to us by the sommelier.

Dessert for me was the Lemon Tart, while Alex had the Pannacotta with Grappa & Raspberries. A coffee rounded off the meal.

Needless to say we were full by the end of it, so a leisurely stroll along the river was the perfect end to a most pleasant afternoon.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7386 4200
Address: Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
Directions: Nearest Tube: Hammersmith is 10-15 minutes walk
Website: http://www.rivercafe.co.uk
Other Contact: info@rivercafe.co.uk

Restaurant Name: J. Sheekey

J.Sheekey is a fancy seafood restaurant located just near Leicester Square in the heart of London.

It belongs to the same group that owns the famous "The Ivy" Restaurant, and is something a little special.

My fabulous husband arranged a surprise dinner here for my birthday, and we both enjoyed it immensely.

There was a large choice of seafood dishes, with meat dishes also available. The wine list was also good.

Service was excellent - some of the best we have had in recent years.

Favorite Dish: All the food we had was delicious.

Starter was Grilled Razor Clams with broad beans and Chorizo.

Mains were grilled Dover Sole and a Monk Fish & Tiger Prawn Curry.

Desserts were amazing - a delicious Creme Brulee, and an awesome Honeycomb Icecream, served with a warm chocolate sauce.

Coffee was really good - I couldn't believe it....good coffee in London really is a treat!!

All in all - a great experience!!

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 020 7240 2565
Address: 28 - 32 St Martins Court, London WC2N 4AL
Directions: Nearest Tube: Leicester Square - is one minutes walk
Website: http://www.j-sheekey.co.uk/