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