Eating Out In London

London is without doubt the restaurant capital ofChelsea Embankment.
the UK. Immigrants of all nationalities have broughtFounded in the 1950s, the Troubadour on Old
their own exotic flavours and culinary culture toBrompton Road is an eclectic café-bar with
the city, making London an exciting anda prestigious live music heritage. Bob Dylan, Charlie
cosmopolitan place to eat out. Here's a guide toWatts and Jimi Hendrix are among the stars who
some of the best restaurants area by area.have performed here. The epitome of London
Covent Gardenbohemia, this West London institution has a deli,
Covent Garden is an attractive area with aclub and café, and it's great place to hang
covered piazza complex at its centre. It's popularout for food, drinks and music.
with tourists but can be pricey. If you're lookingCamden
for an inexpensive meal in this area your best betCamden is young, hip and trendy and there's
is to try out some of the large bar/restaurantsnowhere better in London for a lively night out.
such as Wagamama and All Bar One, where you'llThere are restaurants of all sorts interspersed
find reasonable quality food in stylish surroundingsbetween vibrant bars and clubs.
at affordable prices.For excellent French cuisine, try Le Petit Train on
If you want to experience a traditional LondonChalcot Road, or Belgo Noord on Chalk Farm
restaurant, try Rules on Maiden Lane. It's ratherRoad for hearty Belgian cooking and great beer.
expensive but it's worth it. Reputed to be theThe best tapas can be enjoyed at the Spanish
oldest restaurant in London, it has a beautifulthemed Bar Gansa on Inverness street.
vintage interior and serves old London favourites,Soho/Chinatown
from oysters and eels to pies and puddings.Soho is probably one of the best places to eat
Another famed London restaurant and popularout in London in terms of quality and value for
hang-out of the rich and famous is The Ivy onmoney. Most of the restaurants offer fabulous
West Street. You'll need to book a table weeks incooking at reasonable prices, especially in
advance to savour its wonderful modern andChinatown, where there are some great
luxurious British cuisine - shepherd's pie, leek tart,Szechuan, Thai, Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian
kedgeree and the deliciously decadent stickyand Vietnamese restaurants. Try Imperial China
toffee pudding.Cantonese restaurant on Lisle Street, Kulu Kulu
South BankJapanese restaurant on Brewer Street, Busaba
Urban redevelopment has seen lots ofEathai Thai restaurant on Wardour Street or
'gastro-pubs' pop up in this area - chic and trendySaigon Vietnamese restaurant on Frith Street.
bars serving high quality food in informalBrick Lane
surroundings and at reasonable prices.London's large Asian population is concentrated in
For fabulous modern European cuisine, try Festivalthe East End, especially around Brick Lane. Lined
Square on the ground floor of the Royal Festivalwith Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants, it's earned
Hall. It's a relaxing café-bar servingthe nickname the 'Curry Mile'. Monsoon is one of
everything from light snacks to filling main coursethe hippest modern Indian restaurants, with
dishes.contemporary Tandoori dishes as its speciality,
Another popular gastro-pub is the award winningwhereas Sweet and Spicy gets back to basics,
Anchor and Hope on The Cut. In contrast toserving top-notch Indian food in modest
many of the bars in this area, its décor issurroundings. One of the most stylish Bengali
traditional, with oak panelled walls, but its food isrestaurants is Café Naz, a sleek
most definitely up-to-date. Try the beetroot andcafé-bar with modern wood and steel
goat's cheese salad or the lamb shank withdécor and atmospheric lighting. Its fish and
minted beans.seafood dishes are delicious. Preem is another
Bloomsburygood Bengali restaurant with a fantastic range of
Bloomsbury is home to many of London's topbalti dishes.
academic institutions such as University of London,Islington
University College London, Birkbeck College andOnce a run-down residential area, this inner-city
the British Museum. It's always bustling withsuburb in the north of London has been given a
students and as a result there's a great choice ofnew lease of life in the last few decades. The
good but cheap café-bars and brasseries asbeautiful Victorian townhouses have been
well as some more upmarket restaurants.renovated and it's now a trendy and fashionable
The Coffee Gallery on Museum Street, next topart of London with an air of bohemian chic. The
the British Museum, has an eclectic range ofrestaurants are a varied mix of stylish and quirky.
organic and vegetarian dishes, from sandwiches toThe Elk in the Woods, for example, is reminiscent
salads and pastas.of an old lady's living room. It's a small and cosy
One of the best ethnic eateries in the city isplace on the lovely cobbled Camden Passage. Just
Hakkasan, London's first Michelin-starred Chineselike the décor, the food is inventive and
restaurant. It's chic and sophisticated, withunusual - with a modern European influence.
inventive dishes and a fashionable cocktail bar.Flaming Nora is a great burger restaurant and
Knightsbridge and Chelseatakeaway, but it's not a typical fast food joint.
Two of the most fashionable and exclusive partsThe burgers are all made from the freshest,
of London, Knightsbridge and Chelsea are dottedhighest quality meat and fish, chargrilled to
with upmarket and Michelin-starred restaurants.perfection. Aberdeen Angus, lamb and tuna
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has London's onlyburgers are the specialities, and it also does a
restaurant with three Michelin Stars. Named simplygreat line in skewers and kebabs.
Gordon Ramsay, it's on Royal Hospital Road near