Dining in South Kensington
 

I'm off to London for a weekend next month, and am wondering if anybody has first-hand suggestions for dining near my hotel in South Kensington. I have broad taste--French, Italian, Indian, gastropub, etc.--and generally favor smallish, neighborhood places with a bit of ambition and decent wine lists.

Thanks.

DELETED - WAS DOUBLE

http://www.bibendum.co.uk/

La Bouchee
 

I have lived here for fifteen years, and would strongly recommend dining at La Bouchee, my favourite local brasserie; reservations are recommended:

56 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3DY Map
Nearest Tube Stations: South Kensington - 286m Gloucester Road - 396m
Telephone: 020 7589 1929
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2492.htm

It's a little bit of Paris in the heart of London.

I would also recommend Le Colombier, a short walk down the road.
145 Dovehouse Street, London, SW3 6LB Map
Nearest Tube Stations: South Kensington - 522m Gloucester Road - 861m
Telephone: 020 7351 1155
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/1646.htm

Both are stalwarts, places I go when I want consistently good service, excellent food and a relaxed stress free evening out.

I can also recommend my latest find, the jockey Frankie Dettori's restaurant family focussed restaurant, "Frankie's" Frankie's Italian Bar and Grill 3 Yeomans Row, Phone: 0207.590.9999. which is quite close to Harrods. Best deluxe burger in twon.

If you want super high end then L'Aubergine is probably the best near to your hotel, but prepare to take out a mortgage if you would like to dine there, especially given the weakness of the dollar.

Have a great stay and PM me if you need any other suggestions.

A slightly longer walk to Knightsbridge, but if you're up to that, I've enjoyed Brasserie St. Quentin at 243 Brompton Road several times. Have taken others as well. Nobody was ever disappointed.

I'm saving Bibendum for next time, when I'll have friends with me. It's just a couple blocks from my hotel.

Here's another - Racine...
 

Try this one - Zagat quotes attached - very reliable and well worth a visit too... rates 23 for food and 21 for service...

Racine
Knightsbridge
239 Brompton Rd. (South Kensington) London, SW3 020-7584 4477

“Trendy and old-fashioned at the same time”, this “divine” “find” in Knightsbridge “feels like France and tastes like France”; “diners are packed in a convivial fashion” for Henry Harris’ “refreshingly different”, “high-end bistro fare” that delivers “a lot of punch for the pound” (including early-bird specials), plus “charming staff” make “you feel you’re getting special attention” without “being over-catered to” – in sum, it’s a “winner” that “matches expectations.”

It's only 4-5 min walk (about 200 yards) from South Ken tube station.
But sorry - I don't want to hard your feelings: I have been there and was a little disappointed. The food was O.K., but nothing special.

BTW, the food on the website http://www.brasseriestquentin.co.uk/
looks better than it actually is.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Daquise. It's reliable, old-world Polish cuisine... very tasty on a cold day. There's a new Indian place with good reviews.. Amaya which is think is in Knightsbridge... a short Tube trip.
There was a recent review in the Independent.

There are loads of nice small places right around that area. Just walk around and glance at the menus. However if you are paid in US Dollars, prepare for sticker-shock! Even a simple Chinese meal will set you back quite a bit.

I, too, like Racine, especially for Sunday lunch. On the high end side, Aubergine is lovely (and a relative bargain at lunch), but I'm a big fan of Tom Aikens, as well.

Yes, I know--when I was there in June with a friend, we had dinner at what seemed to be a simple, after-work sort of place, and spent more than $200!

I'm back from London, and found that I only had one real opportunity for dinner. I arrived on Friday in the late afternoon, still happily stuffed from an LAX-AMS Business Class flight on KLM, so I just got settled, took a long walk from South Ken to the Leicester Square/Covent Garden neighbourhood and back, and went to bed early. Right before I left for London, I discovered that Matthew Bourne's brilliant "Swan Lake" was playing at Sadler's Wells, so I scheduled that for Sunday night instead of a big meal.

On Saturday, though, I tried La Bouchee, as recommended above. It was just the sort of place I like. The food--a goat cheese terrine, steak frites and a tarte tatin aux poires--was delicious, as were the recommended wines by the glass. The staff were fun and reasonably attentive, especially once the French waitress and I switched from English to French. There was a table of Dutch yuppies on a spree next to me, so I got to use my few words of Dutch, as well. Thanks, apudme, for an excellent suggestion.

La Bouchee
 

MJLogan:

Thanks!

I bookmarked the link to La Bouchee.
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2492.htm

Daphne's is a fantastic italian restaurant in South Kensington. I highly recommend it.

http://www.daphnes-restaurant.co.uk/

112 Draycott Avenue
London SW3 3AE
020 7589 4257