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England Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 22 Home Country: uk

FOOD & DINING IN ENGLAND

REGIONAL FOOD

Lick luscious dairy ice cream on a Devon beach, crunch crisp stalks of celery in a Fenland pub or bite into a warm, floury scone in a tearoom overlooking Windermere in the Lake District. Regional food and drink in England adds ‘taste!’ to the glorious scenery.

Start a day in the country with a visit to a Farmer’s Market where stallholders are up at dawn to harvest dew touched lettuces and ripe, red tomatoes warm from the vine. See stalls heaped with cakes, pies, fudge and toffees and always a surprise – gleaming jars of chilli pickles in a sleepy Midland market square.

Farm shops great and small, from a pile of freshly picked fruit in the corner of barn to the world famous Chatsworth Farm Shop, where a team of chefs and bakers create delicious pates and delicatessen foods and venison from the park is sold alongside 120 cheeses.

Menus in Michelin-starred restaurants are a glowing testament to the quality of local produce, blackboard menus in a multitude of pubs proclaim regional specialities and vibrant cities and towns are home to restaurants offering cuisines from every corner of the globe.

England's Northwest

Manx kippers, bronzed examples of the smoker’s art, are a succulent reason to visit the Isle of Man, and there are local crabs, with a flavour all their own. Tasty little scallops called ‘Queenies’ and lamb and mutton from the remarkable, russet fleeced, Manx Loughton are not to be missed. The nearby mainland offers Morecambe Bay shrimps, uniquely delicate and brown, potted in seasoned butter and perfect with Hovis bread. Pubs and restaurants cook steaming hotpots rich with black pudding and onions. Look out for Peter Gott’s superb wild boar sausages and dry cured bacon made at Sillfield Farm.

The Yew Tree Farm Shop in a 17th century barn at Halewood overflows with fresh, seasonal produce and is a treasure trove of local delights. Step into the Victorian age at the Lion Salt Works, Northwich, where enthusiasts are restoring an open pan salt making enterprise, and quench your thirst with cool local ales at the aptly named Salt Barge Pub just over the road, beside the canal. For exotic treats head for Manchester and one of Europe’s largest China Town, dip into the Woo Sang restaurant’s enticing Cantonese specialities, or visit their shop next door for everything you need to cook your own!

East of England

Summer orchards at Tiptree are sweet with the scent of strawberry jam, autumn fields aromatic with quince and medlar*. Fruit preserves have been made here for 115 years and a museum houses fascinating Victorian ‘gadgets’ for jam makers, Tiptree.

Coastal towns overflow with fishy treats: Colchester oysters, famous since Roman times; plump, freshly cooked cockles at Leigh-on-Sea, served in little dishes, sprinkled with dark, malt vinegar and seasoned with white pepper. Cromer crabs inspire local chefs to create Thermidors, Thai crab cakes, and many more edible delights. Look for Norfolk Biffins – small, shrunken apples with an intense, mouth-watering flavour, once dried in smoky farmhouse chimneys now from artisan bakeries. Red sailed Thames barges line the quay at Maldon, home to tangy sea salt, crisp green Samphire and friendly quayside pubs where local ale is touched with hops and perfect with crispy fish in beer batter.

Farmers markets gleam with locally bottled apple juice, fruit-rich cakes and hand-raised pies. Look out for the Lincolnshire Pasty, tasty pheasant and venison in a crusty pastry, or visit its birthplace, the friendly Tealby tea rooms, for homemade Lincolnshire Plum Loaf served with mellow cheese.

England’s East Midlands

England's East Midlands is a true food lovers’ destination covering the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire. It is home to some of our most delightful food experiences. The classic and tasty Bakewell Pudding was created after a cook misunderstood her mistress’s instructions - how fortunate!

Stilton cheese a king among cheeses, Derbyshire Oatcakes and sumptuous Melton Mowbray Pies, Welland Valley Wines, Lincolnshire Plum Bread and sausages and fruity cordials from the Belvoir Castle Estate. These are just some of the fantastic regional specialities that await you as you explore around the region with its market towns in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, the beautiful dales and moorland of the Peak District, Britain’s first National Park and its own stretch of coastline, which takes in Skegness and Mablethorpe, perennial favourites of a leisurely holiday by the seaside. Combine this with a superb range of country house hotels, multi-cultural city restaurants and gastro pubs. England’s East Midlands is a region rich in more than history.

Heart of England

A wealth of flavours and traditional cheeses such as the delicious Little Hereford cheese from Monkland Cheese Dairy, creamy smooth with a dry finish and at its very best here in its homeland.

Try Staffordshire Oatcakes fresh from High Lane Oatcakes or some thirst quenching ciders from Herefordshire and real ale from the established breweries of Burton Bridge and Corevedale in Shropshire. Talented chefs in cosy pubs and busy restaurants vie eagerly for the title of ‘Best in Region’, menus are full of local fare - free range pork roasted with nutty celeriac, pheasant braised in English wine, home made plum coulis and mouth-watering ice creams.

And there are exotic delights - this is the land of the Curry Mile, where spicy Baltis and aromatic spices scent the air and enticing restaurants offer a beguiling choice of delights. Explore the diverse cuisines of Southern India - the dishes of Kerala, Goa and Andhra Pradesh are cooked to perfection at the award winning Coconut Lagoon in Birmingham. The Heart of England is celebrated for the diversity of its food and drink.

London

Restaurants serving food from every corner of the world, Tudor-beamed pubs with menus from Dickens’ day, sophisticated eateries offering cutting edge Modern British Cuisine - London has them all. Glittering windows piled with edible delights, the enticing doors of Fortnum and Mason lead to the finest, English-made chocolates, a multitude of teas in smart wooden boxes, shining jars of honey and preserves from near and far.

Harrods’ display of fish and shellfish is a work of art, their multitude of hams and salamis combined with mouth-watering bakery offer the ultimate picnic. Selfridges Food Halls gleam with fresh, sparkling sights and flavours, gorgeous floral displays are almost eclipsed by beautiful pastries that promise to melt in your mouth.

And a multitude of markets, many thriving since Roman times, such as Borough Market on Fridays and Saturdays where farmers and growers from all over Britain sell their finest produce, the smell of freshly ground organic coffee mingles with barbecued chorizo and a fruit vendor sings high opera.

Chinatown has its own scents and sights: Aladdin’s caves piled with steamers and fresh oriental vegetables nestle beside restaurant windows displaying glistening rows of Peking ducks and Chinese New Year markets line the streets.

North East England

An abundance of wild game, pubs delighting in local produce and farmers markets bustling with shoppers eager for home made fare, this ancient land is a food lovers delight.

Heatherslaw Corn Mill works as it did in Victorian days, milling locally grown wheat and barley, the crusty bread from their bakery is perfect for spreading with heather honey, sweet and rich, full of the scents of the surrounding landscape. Chain Bridge Honey Farm at Berwick-upon-Tweed has over 1,500 hives, busy bees help create a hamper of delights from glistening honeycomb to beeswax candles. Craster kippers have long been succulent favourites on British breakfast tables, made for generations in the little village perched by the sea they are smoky and tender.

Follow the fishy trail to Lindisfarne where oysters are farmed in view of the Holy Island, and cross the causeway – when the tide allows – for a glass of legendary Lindisfarne Mead from St. Aiden’s Winery.

Warm Summer days mean scarlet strawberries, fragrant, juicy raspberries and crisp, fresh asparagus, Brockbushes Farm grows them all, their kitchen turns their harvest into tempting treats for their friendly tea room and farm shop.

South East England

Raise a glass of fine, sparkling wine to the beautiful vineyards of the South East, or sip a soft, fruity apple juice and dip sweet, succulent, Kentish strawberries into cool, rich cream. Travel through blossom laden orchards to enjoy a glass of mellow cider from Biddenden Vineyards & Cider Works.

Tangy local cheeses and freshly baked crusty breads make the ideal lunch, or try tender lamb from Romney Marsh, spiced with the subtle tang of salted breezes. Be tempted by Whitstable shellfish at a bustling beachside restaurant overlooking sparkling waters where fishermen hold a July festival to celebrate their famous oysters. Hops grown in scenic, aisled ‘gardens’ add a magic tang to local beers and regional mustard, and they’re part of the landscape – the ‘witches hat’ oast-houses are drying kilns.

Every village has its ‘local’ pub, many offering a selection of real ales, pulled cool from dark cellars. New Forest game and fungi are piled high in friendly farmers’ markets and provide tempting fare for restaurants and pubs. Cool, chalk rivers, meandering through verdant Hampshire, yield crisp, dark watercress and succulent plump trout. Visit Artisan smokers such as the Weald Smokery at Flimwell in East Sussex, where they smoke salmon and other delicacies over slow fires of oak logs harvested in nearby forests.

South West England

Luscious clotted cream, ancient cider orchards, fish silvery and fresh from the sea - this is a land of plenty. Roskilly’s delicious farmhouse ice cream is made on their farm at Helston, Cornwall - you can meet the cows that provide the milk, and be tempted by a multitude of home made delights in their ice cream parlour.

Devon lanes sparkle with the earliest spring primroses and early lamb is cooked with style and offered alongside real ales in thatched pubs in sleepy villages. A cornucopia of smoked delights, from eel to garlic, awaits visitors to Brown and Forrest’s Somerset Smokery. Their adjoining restaurant is a magnet for ‘foodies’ - hot smoked salmon steaks flavoured with garlic and spices ooze flavour.

Local wines are crisp and dry, perfect with freshly caught mackerel pan-fried with herbs or soused in piquant vinegar and served with locally made farmhouse breads. Restaurants perch on harboursides, menus offering the best of the day’s catch and the finest West Country beef and poultry. Cornish Yarg, a unique, nettle wrapped cheese with the tang of green pastures, is the highlight of cheeseboards and the ideal prelude to a final regional treat - Julian Temperley’s very special apple brandy from Somerset.

An award winning Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday from 9.30-2.30 on Corn Street, in central Bristol. Local producers from a 40-mile radius sell a wide range of delicious food from cheese, fish, honey, cakes, vegetables to meat, game and traditional Christmas poultry. All the produce is grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked or smoked by the local stallholders.

The monthly Slow Food Market also takes place on Corn Street from 10am-3pm on the first Sunday of every month - it's a real treat for lovers of real food. Talk to the producers, sample and purchase a fantastic range of items, and find out more about Slow Food. Food for sale includes award-winning meat, game, poultry, specialist breads, handmade chocolates, organic spices, local vegetables and fruit wines, ciders and preserves.

Pieminister produces delicious handmade pies using only the finest ingredients sourced from the west country. The factory and shop/cafe is based at 24 Stokes Croft. Hot pies to eat in with mash and gravy or buy pies to take home for supper. Favourites include Thai Chook, Chicken of Aragon, mr Porky, Matador and Lamb Minty and all are accompanied by a large helping of mash, gravy and mushy peas. The award winning pies are supplied to restaurants around the UK, and have even been eaten by the Queen.

Bordeaux Quay Restaurant is Barny Haughton’s newest project in Bristol. Haughton, one of the UK's most respected organic chefs, is working on Bordeaux Quay which will be a restaurant, bar, bistro, shop, bakery and cookery school that aims to reduce its impact on the environment. Bordeaux Quay aims to be zero-waste and carbon-neutral - in both the construction and the running of the restaurant - and to source the vast majority of its produce from within 50 miles. Opening soon.

Bristol’s Eastside is home to restaurants serving food from around the world and a fascinating range of specialist grocery shops including a Caribbean grocer, sweetmart, halal butcher.

Yorkshire

Succulent York ham has travelled the world – and is at its very finest here at home, with a crusty roll, crisp pickles and a pint of Yorkshire’s best, locally brewed ale it’s a feast for a king. And beers here are special, visit Theakston’s Brewery in picturesque Masham - a village with its own breed of sheep - to see brewers at work and enjoy the results of their labours –especially their ‘Old Peculiar Strong Ale’.

Cheesemakers at Wensleydale Creamery offer tastings of crumbly white Wensleydale and the smoother, robust, blue veined variety. Yorkshire Tea is a blend of its own, strong and fortifying to match the abundance of fine baked goods – tea time bracks, rich with dried fruits and spices, best sliced thinly and spread with local preserves, as at Botham’s of Whitby’s bustling bakery and tearoom where friendly waitresses still wear neat, white ‘pinnies’.

Fish and chips on this coast are crisp and steaming, the food of legends, the local accompaniment of mushy peas is soft and tasty, the ideal foil. Pearly pink stems burst through rich dark soil hidden in the low, candlelit sheds of Wakefield’s ‘Rhubarb Triangle’.

INTERESTING PLACES TO DINE IN LONDON

Le Gavroche
Since its opening in 1967 by brothers Albert and Michel Roux, the smart, formal, dark and classically French Le Gavroche, with two Michelin stars, has been setting the culinary benchmark for the British restaurant scene. Currently run by Michel Roux Junior, with the assistance of award-winning maitre d’, Silvano Giraldin, diners can expect the highest standards of food, wine and service – at prices to match. Highly praised dishes include the artichoke hearts with foie gras, truffles and chicken mousse, the grilled sea bream with pea and wild mushroom sauce and the baked sea bass with tiger prawns. Reservations essential. No lunch Saturday. Closed Sunday.

43 Upper Brook Street, W1
Tel: (020) 7408 0881. Fax: (020) 7491 4387.
E-mail: bookings@le-gavroche.com
Website: www.le-gavroche.co.uk

Lindsay House
Irish-born chef Richard Corrigan has made this Soho townhouse his home and gained a Michelin star in the process, by creating impeccable dishes in a grand but comfortable environment. Arriving at the discreet front door, diners must ring the bell to gain admittance, which heralds the beginning of an evening where the attentive staff treats them like the houseguests of a rich, absent host. The 1740s building quietly exudes charm, while guests pad up carpeted stairs to a small, elegant but simple dining room, with white walls, oil paintings, a grand fireplace and comfortable chairs. It is impossible not to feel at home, although there are two private dining rooms for those who really wish to be cocooned, as well as one other public dining room on the ground floor. The menu changes daily (Richard Corrigan tries to source all his ingredients from small suppliers) but, from the tiny wafer-thin cheesy biscuits served with a champagne cocktail, every dish is perfectly balanced, well presented and beautifully cooked. With an accessible and distinguished wine list, amuse bouche between every course and petits four to round the whole thing off, nothing is forgotten in this most memorable establishment. Reservations essential. No lunch Saturday. Closed Sunday.

21 Romilly Street, W1
Tel: (020) 7439 0450. Fax: (020) 7437 7349.
E-mail: richardcorrigan@lindsayhouse.co.uk
Website: www.lindsayhouse.co.uk

Locanda Locatelli
The excellent Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli, the brainchild of celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli, serves up delectable Italian dishes in sleek surroundings with a glamorous 1970s feel. Four courses are recommended, so diners are able to enjoy an antipasto (such as the lightest salad of borlotti beans, red onions and tuna) but not miss out on a pasta dish, such as the rave-worthy veal shank ravioli. Mains include a decent number of fish and meat dishes, served simply with one or two other ingredients, such as John Dory with potatoes and peas (vegetarians might be forced to indulge in a second pasta dish!), while desserts should not be missed. The restaurant is now open on Sunday. Reservations well in advance are essential.

8 Seymour Street, London W1
Tel: (020) 7935 9088 (reservations) or 8390 (confirmations/cancellations). Fax: (020) 7935 1149. Website: www.locandalocatelli.com

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
The only London restaurant with three Michelin stars, this remains the best place to experience Gordon Ramsay at work. In a comfortable but fairly neutral room, the focus is entirely on the food. All dishes are superb and might include the starter of a mosaique of foie gras served three ways (pressed, confit and smoked) with marinated figs and pickled girolles, followed by fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef with caramelized pig’s trotters, quail’s eggs, sautéed baby artichokes and truffle sauce. A seven-course set dinner is available for £90 for those who wish to experience the full gastronomic experience. Reservations essential. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

68 Royal Hospital Road, SW3
Tel: (020) 7352 4441. Fax: (020) 7352 3334.
Website: www.gordonramsay.com

Incognico
Nico Ladenis’ unfussy West End restaurant provides the best-value set menu in London. For a meagre £12.50, at lunchtime or early evening, diners can enjoy a well-composed three-course meal, with a choice of two dishes per course, from a menu that changes weekly. Dishes might include a brandade of salt cod in crispy pastry, followed by pork belly with fresh sauerkraut and Madeira sauce, and key lime tart. A decent mainly French à la carte menu is also available, including many fish dishes but few entirely vegetarian ones. The interior is cosy and uncluttered but the service can be patchy. A decent wine list has a helpful (or pretentious) adjective describing each wine. Closed Sunday.

117 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2
Tel: (020) 7836 8866. Fax: (020) 7240 9525..

The Ivy
The restaurant of choice of many a celebrity, The Ivy is notoriously difficult to get into without a famous name or advance booking of at least six weeks. Telephoning to reserve involves an intimidating call-back system. Once inside, however, the comfortable decor suggests a gentleman’s club with dark wooden panelling and diamond-patterned stained-glass windows. The food is simple but of high quality and includes traditional British favourites, such as bangers and mash, potted shrimps or braised beef in stout, along with more European recipes, such as pork tenderloin on lemon polenta. The cosy environment, pleasing food and guaranteed celebrity spotting makes The Ivy a laid-back yet impressive venue for a business meal.

1 West Street, WC2
Tel: (020) 7836 4751. Fax: (020) 7240 2333.
Website: www.caprice-holdings.co.uk/ivy.html

Jaan
Don’t be put off by the dull exterior of the Swissôtel in Temple Place. Tucked away at the back of the building, Jaan, the hotel’s elegant restaurant, is a peaceful haven looking out to a lush rear terraced garden, and an ideal place to do lunch al fresco in the summer. The food, French cooking enhanced by delicate southeast Asian influences, is good modern fusion cuisine, and there are some interesting offerings on the menu, from starters like the pan-fried foie gras with caramelized banana, pineapple and coconut sorbet or the green miso soup (both excellent) to main courses such as duck a l’orange (served with a spring roll) or trio of beef (ribeye, braised short rib and Kobe beef served with wasabi, tempura and watercress) to green tea flavoured crème brulee with passion fruit and hibiscus or black sesame panacotta with lychee granite and cherry syrup for desserts. And the entremets (a soft ginger and lime granite for example, or a rhubarb oats muesli with a light vanilla cream), were little masterpieces in their own right. The wine pairing option, where each dish comes with a recommended wine by the glass to accompany it, is an added bonus.

Swissôtel the Howard, Temple Place, WC2
Tel: (020) 7300 1700.
Website: http://london.swissotel.com

Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie
For panoramic views of London, there is no better place to eat than the restaurant at the top of the Thameside Oxo Tower. In good weather, diners can eat on the terrace, otherwise they take a seat in the stylish minimalist interior. At lunchtime, the place is a favorite venue for business meetings, with light, well-prepared food and a set menu available (£29.50 for three courses). In the evenings, the place takes on a more festive mood, with its busy bar set against the stunning London nightscape. The cuisine is modern European, with dishes such monkfish with oxtail, sprouting broccoli and parsnips or spiced tenderloin of lamb, peas, mint and coriander, however, too often the dishes sound promising but fail to shine. The service can also be poor, but with those views the Oxo Tower remains perennially popular.

Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, SE1
Tel: (020) 7803 3888. Fax: (020) 7803 3878.
E-mail: oxo.reservations@harveynichols.co.uk
Website: www.harveynichols.com

Cigala
Jake Hodges, one of the original founders of Moro, is the owner-chef of this wonderful Spanish restaurant, with big windows, light wood and simple cream decor. Cigala can get busy and noisy and the tables are a little close together but it always remains relaxed, friendly and sophisticated, rather like the food. From the starters, the salads are always fresh and delicious combinations, such as the asparagus, broad beans, pea and mint salad. Recommended mains include the fish dishes, such as the skate with garlic, guindilla peppers and balsamic vinegar with braised spinach. There is a charming, small tapas bar in the basement, where it is possible for diners to eat as much of the incredible bread alongside excellent tapas (the meatballs and king prawns are highly recommended). Reservations recommended. Closed Sunday.

54 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1
Tel: (020) 7405 1717.
E-mail: tasty@cigala.co.uk
Website: www.cigala.co.uk

The Electric Brasserie
Opened in 2002 as part of the refurbishment of Portobello’s famous Electric Cinema, England’s first purpose-built cinema. A major revamp brought in soft leather seating and chic wooden tables – and a suitably trendy following, coming for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just drinks in the bar area. With a huge range of brasserie-style dishes and great seafood available all day long, this comes as no surprise; it is especially popular for Sunday brunch – comfort food like chunky steak sandwiches or hamburgers with red onion marmalade. The à la carte menu gets slightly grander, with the addition of dishes like grilled dover sole or chateaubriand for two. There is also a joint on a trolley, which varies every evening but all Sunday is Aberdeen Angus beef with Yorkshire pudding. Open daily, although reservations recommended Thursday to Saturday.

191 Portobello Road, W11
Tel: (020) 7908 9696.
Website: www.electricbrasserie.com

Mash
Brainchild of entrepreneur Oliver Peyton, who also owns the Atlantic Bar and Grill, Mash is a novel combination of restaurant, bar, micro-brewery and deli, housed in a bright, open space just off Oxford Street. The bar and micro-brewery downstairs is open until 0200, serving a trendy post-work crowd stylish cocktails, heady own beers and Modern European dishes ranging from the snacky to the more substantial. Enormous beer vats encased in glass line the back wall, while chairs are space-age pods; there is also a sunken cushioned seating area. Upstairs, the quieter restaurant is more exclusive and the food slightly classier, such as roast rack of lamb with ratatouille of courgettes and peppers with green olive tapenade or baked halibut with sautéed potato, artichoke and Swiss chard with anchovy salsa. Trendy places come and go but this remains a reliably stylish West End choice. Closed Sunday.

19–21 Great Portland Street, W1
Tel: (020) 7637 5555. Fax: (020) 7637 7333.
E-mail: info@gruppo.co.uk
Website: www.gruppo.co.uk

Sketch
French chef Pierre Gagnaire’s first venture in London, this enormous 18th-century house has been divided into four different culinary experiences, all extravagantly designed by Mourad Mazouz. The Parlour on the ground floor is a frou-frou tea room, with pastries displayed in a jewelry case. The West Bar, almost space age with red lighting and pod bar stools, is the place to drink at the moment and also serves a ‘quick but refined lunch’. The Gallery is entirely white and filled with white furniture but has coloured light emanating from the ceiling and a huge frieze of video art; it serves lunch and dinner. However, the piece de resistance is The Lecture Room, with its dramatic design featuring luxurious padded walls studded with gold and its dramatic prices (main courses go for £75). The menu is divided into sections, with a dish or two underneath, so the starters consist of Red Mullet, Vegetables, Charcuterie, Langoustines and Crab. Mains are famed for unusual pairings, the sections include Poultry and White Truffles, Beef and Caviar, John Dory and Scallops. Reservations essential. Closed Sunday; The Lecture Room closed Monday as well.

9 Conduit Street, W1
Tel: (0870) 777 4488.
Website: www.pierregagnaire.com

Mildred’s
Mildred’s is a tasty and popular Soho establishment that happens to be vegetarian. Although it recently moved a few streets, thankfully, the warm decor, relaxed atmosphere and low prices remain. One improvement is the size, with more space to accommodate the steady stream of regulars and savvy tourists. The healthy menu changes, however, the homemade veggie burger of the day and the pasta of the day are reliable favourites. Vegans are always catered for, as are those with wheat or dairy intolerance. A selection of organic wines and juices is on offer. The staff is young, trendy and helpful. Closed Sunday. Debit cards accepted but no credit cards.

45 Lexington Street, W1
Tel/fax: (020) 7494 1634.

Rock and Sole Plaice
It is difficult to beat sitting upstairs at the Rock and Sole Plaice, near the fryers, watching the cooking and the takeaway punters and munching on a good plate of fresh fish with crispy batter, chunky chips and mushy peas (optional), while downing a good cuppa. Although, sitting on one of the picnic tables outside on a summer’s evening, with a nice bottle of crisp white wine, might pip it. Fish and chips are a British institution and there are few places better to indulge than this, London’s oldest surviving chippie. It serves up all the basic fishes (cod, rock, haddock, plaice, skate and scampi) and more specialties (halibut, lemon sole, dover sole, trout, salmon, sardines and mackerel), depending on market availability, as well as other chip-shop standards like pasties and pies.

47 Endell Street, WC2
Tel: (020) 7836 3785.

One-O-One
Located on the ground floor of the Sheraton Park Tower in Knightsbridge, steps away from the trendy Harvey Nichols store, One-O-One is a restaurant no self-respecting fish enthusiast can afford to ignore. Pascal Proyart’s little gem was voted ‘Best Fish Restaurant’ in Harden’s London Restaurant Guide two years running (2003 and 2004), and it’s plain to see why. The menu features mouth-watering offerings, the dishes are all expertly executed, and the service, friendly yet unobtrusive, is smooth as silk. Royal king crab legs from the Barents Sea with Aioli sauce were an exceptional (as well as sizeable) starter, and the pan-roasted sea scallops and duck foie gras was a heavenly combination of flavours and textures. Dover sole with roasted langoustine and chives Mousseline sauce was cooked to perfection, while the roasted wild seabass (one of Pascal’s specialties) with soft tapenade crust and parsley Barigoule sauce, melted on the tongue.

101 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7RN
Tel: 0207 290 7101.

Duke of York
A quirky little gastropub in a quiet Bloomsbury street, the Duke of York is a relaxed yet vibrant place to spend an evening. Unlike most gastropubs, it is not overly trendy, overly crowded or overly priced. Diners can mingle with pub punters and eat in the brighter red-toned bar area, decorated with contemporary art, or instead sit in private, little booths in the back dining room. The usually tasty dishes range from British classics like Cumberland sausage and mash to more unusual daily specials, such as sea bream tempura with stir-fried noodles, although they can sometimes disappoint. Reservations recommended for dining area.

7 Roger Street, WC1
Tel: (020) 7242 7230.

La Trompette
La Trompette sneaked into the top ten of Harden’s London Favourites in 2002 and, despite being situated in a quiet street in Chiswick, it looks set to retain its success. Owner Nigel Platts-Martin and head chef Ollie Couillaud have worked miracles in creating a genuinely world-class menu at out-of-town prices. The menu changes daily but highlights include the starter of tarte fine of wood pigeon, onion and mushrooms or the main of rump of lamb with ratatouille, olives, fondant potato and new season’s garlic, while the steak tartar can make a decent claim to be the finest in London. The chic modern interior has a buzz but never becomes too noisy, while most conversations seem to be dominated by discussions about the quality of the food at this fantastic-value restaurant.

5–7 Devonshire Road, W4
Tel: (020) 8747 1836.

Pearl Restaurant
Named after the former Pearl Insurance Building on High Holborn, whose premises the restaurant occupies, Pearl is a thrilling new addition to the London dining scene, and no doubt one that will become a firm favourite with foodies in the capital. The recipe? Start with glamorous décor (think high ceilings and grey marble ionic columns, crisp white tablecloths, clever lighting, and thousands of pearls strung together to the most striking effect), add excellent modern French cuisine (expertly concocted by head chef Jun Tanaka) and an award-winning wine list with over 50 wines by the glass, and finish with live piano music and attentive yet not overzealous service. The result? You are onto a winner. An evening at Pearl is a truly memorable one, and for once in a city that has more than its fair share of mediocre, overpriced venues, this time you will remember your meal for all the right reasons: the food is the real star here, with a mouth-watering menu that features the likes of warm salad of rabbit with prunes or pigeon and foie gras terrine for starters (both succulent), and mains as varied as red mullet in orange and rosemary sauce or a quartet of pork offering four different cuts on one plate (again, both delicious and cooked to perfection). Nothing’s left to chance, not even the appetizers or the cheese board (which featured an exceptional selection).

252 High Holborn
Tel: (020) 7829 7000. Fax: (020) 7829 9889.
Website: www.pearl-restaurant.com

St John
This restaurant, an old smokehouse, is notorious for being pig heaven, where no bit of the animal is left off the menu. But it also happens to be home to one of the loveliest dining rooms in London. Up some stairs from the courtyard bar, this wonderful, light room is all wooden boards, white paint and chrome hanging lampshades. With tables a decent distance from each other, a friendly staff and an unpretentious mixed bag of diners creating a general hubbub, it is difficult not to recommend this place, even to vegetarians. Although (unless they eat fish), they will be confined to eating the one basic vegetarian dish on offer, such as leeks and red wine. Ultimately, however, this restaurant serves up old-fashioned British classics with absolute panache – boiled ham and parsley sauce, rabbit saddle, roast beef with a stunning horseradish sauce, eccles cakes with Lancashire cheese for dessert. Although one or two unusual cuts of meat – bone marrow, neck of kid, ox heart, pig’s ears, tails, trotters, cheeks – are guaranteed. Whole roast suckling pigs can be pre-ordered for 14 diners, at least seven days in advance, costing £280.

26 St John Street, EC1
Tel: (020) 7251 0848. Fax: (020) 7251 4090.
Website: www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk