Raffles

I was in Trader Vic's for a drink a few months back. Its like nothing else in town, I'll give you that, but I wouldn't want to eat there. However, the bar and restaurant on the top floor of the Park Lane Hilton have spectacular views and are worth a visit.

Bluebird - we had our Christmas Party there a couple of years ago. The main restaurant has an OK reputation, but the new fine dining room has had excellent press.

For tourists, though, my preferred Conran recommendation would be Blueprint Cafe above the Design Museum for the spectacular views of the river and Tower Bridge.

ozzie

My current favourite is 1880 at the Bentley (South Ken). It is Andrew Turner's new home - king of the grazing menu (degaustation). �90 for 7 courses and a different glass of wine to match.... if you like lots of small courses, this can't be beat. You can also do menus without the wine (of course) for about half the price.

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3835.htm

http://www.toptable.co.uk/details.cfm?rid=1856

(edited to add links)

Dave_C

The other good Conran place is the Orrery on Marylebone High Street, been there a few times, and it's still excellent. On the pricey side as it's got a Michelin :-: but well worth a visit.

BAHumbug

Definitely agree with this. Think ridiculous cocktails in a vase and you have the idea...

newcx12345

Definitely Agree with Hakkasan and Yau@cha for the BEST chinese outside Hong Kong.

I find the food there are pretty authentic (desipte they do have some Kwai Lo (Caucasian) stuff

I find the food in London is the best. Much better than New York and Sydney!!! At least people their KNOW what is Fine Dinning and not "Pretend" to be fine Dinning (Neil Perry comes to mind!)


Nobu and Ubon are also excellent! I tried 15 which is not bad (but a bit too hyped up with Jamie Oliver.

The good thing in London is that I an spend 3 pounds in Chinatown and get something decent or i can spend 300 pounds. In every price range there is something good (unlike here in Sydney)

I had a fight with the YVR guys on CXtalk and they claimed YVR is better @ chinese! Really Yau@cha and Hakkasan just brings Chinese cooking to another level! It is a pity I heard there is the Chinese Restaurant inside the Dorchester that is also Top Noch as well But it closed down last year!

i find food in North America are generally poor (They worry about portion size and things are ROUGH and not as delicate and nice as London!)

I miss London so much!

Frequentflyer99

Wholly agree. I went recently full of prejudice against Gordon Ramsay (he is a foul mouthed self publicist) and, to an extent, looking to pick holes in his product. It was absolutely PERFECT. I can think of only a handful of restaurant experiences about which I can say that over a lifetime of eating at 3 Michelin starred restaurants since the age of 9 !

An expression of interest in how a particular dish was prepared, was met with an invitation to the kitchen to discuss the question with the chef (not Gordon).

A truly memorable experience and actually worth the money; which is more than can be said of the overwhelming majority of places in London.

My other favourite is the Caprice, if you can get a table there. The food is nothing memorable but the overall restaurant experience is delightful. It is a little more buzzy than Ramsay (although still maybe a little staid for 30 somethings) and will give you an interesting insight into affluent 40+ London at play, in a way that not many restaurants do.

For Chinese, foget the pretentious Hakkesan mentioned above and head for Royal China on Baker St which has positively the best Dim Sum in the UK (at lunchtime). This is not only my own view, but is shared by a very highly respected (and extremely wealthy) Chinese visitor from HKG who certainly knows his abalone from his chicken wings .

Disco Volante

I have to disagee about www.squaremeal.co.uk - www.hardens.com is head and shoulders above it. It is more incisive, and less afraid to be critical of bad restaurants, whilst clearly identifying excellent restaurants. Squaremeal is suspiciously gentle on some very poor restaurants.

There is some good advice here - Hakkasan and Gordon Ramsay are both excellent restaurants (and very different) - and some shockingly bad advice -Trader Vic's - lucab1982 what were you thinking the last people to eat there were Joan Collins and George Hamilton III in 1976

Dave_C

Absolutely, been there and it's superb. Best dim sum I've had; lunch for two for �15, truly a bargain.

BAHumbug

If you're willing to venture out of town a little then I can recommend both The Waterside Inn (Roux, Bray - near Maidenhead) or Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons (Raymond Blanc - near Oxford). Of preference Le Manoir is better to my mind but you would not regret either choice.

If you book for lunch at either of these places they are suprisingly reasonable (given the quality of the food).

For dinner the sky is the limit of course...

Swanhunter

I'll respectfully disagree. it was the poorest value and leasty enjoyable meal I have had since..well..the last time I ate in McDonalds. 15 is dreadfully and should be avoided at all costs.

FF99's recomendation of the Royal China is good one - I can see the Baker Street branch from the office! The food is fab but imho it's not quite glam enough for a 30th celebration. My HK friends/colleagues like both the Royal China and Hakkasan.

The Waterside Inn is great for superbly executed French cooking but I found it all just a little over the top - especially the service. Coffee and petit fours in what can best be described as a small shed in the garden was downright wierd.

Disco Volante

Good dim sum at lunchtime, but not in the same league as Hakkasan for dinner and a good night out.

As for going out of town, why bother (unless going to the Fat Duck, which is unique).

Domvh75

Thanks to everyone who has contributed. We are certainly spoiled for choice. I had making decision!!

Maybe we should take a week and do a gourmet tour on London - waist line expands as the bank balance shrinks

Any opinions/personal experieces of Lanes Restaurant (Four Seasons, Park Lane) or at Brunello Restaurant (Baglioni Hotel)?

BAHumbug

Generally my opinions of hotel restaurants is low - you can almost certainly do better by venturing out !

I haven't tried either of those places so I cannot comment on them specifically though.

Disco Volante

I haven't. As a rule of thumb, I would avoid all hotel restaurants. They rarely compete with the independent (not sure if that's the right word) restaurants. Even those that try (the Savoy Grill and the Connaught both have new chefs) struggle (although I haven't eaten at either since they were done up). I don't know what it is about hotels - perhaps they attract less demanding clients. The Dorchester Grill is excellent for a traditional Sunday lunch.

Pyeinthesky

Maybe I should auction on Ebay my reservation for Wednesday week at El Bulli