Lèons
London Restaurant Guide
- Welcome to my list of London restaurant reviews.
Note that these are totally
- and utterly subjective, and I may have got things wrong typing the numbers in. Thus, if
you're a restaurant, I would really appreciate it if you didn't sue me. Thank you.
- This list started out as a couple of reviews for the first London Zagat guide,
- and since I've extended it to cover a total of 75 restaurants. If you look
closely
- at the Zagat guide, you can see that they've used a couple of my quotes,
- including almost all of my "Laurent" review.
- Food, decor, and service
are all graded on a scale from 0 to 3 - 0 being the worst, 3 the best. The price (in £)
is estimated for one person, two courses, and a glass of wine.
Alistair Little at Lancaster Rd - 3, 2, 1, £20
136A Lancaster Rd., W11 (Ladbroke Grove), 0171-243 2220
Great Med. Cooking + Fun Cook.
Atlantic Bar & Grill - 1, 2,
1, £20
20 Glasshouse St., W1 (Piccadilly Circus), 0171-734 4888
Wonderful decor (especially for a drink) - shame about the food.
Aubergine - 1, 1, 1, £30
11 Park Walk, SW10 (South Kensington), 0171-589 3718
Dark, food too complicated.
Avenue, The - 2, 2, 2, £25
7-9 St. James' St., SW1 (Green Park), 0171-321 2111
Rather nice brasserie in St James'.
Bank - 2, 2, 2, £30
1 Kingsway, WC2 (Holborn), 0171-379 9797
Great British with strong seafood dishes.
Belgo Centraal - 2, 2, 2, £15
50 Earlham St., WC2 (Covent Garden), 0171-813 2233
Large & atmospheric with filling food & beautiful beers.
Belgo Noord - 2, 2, 1, £15
72 Chalk Farm Rd., NW1 (Chalk Farm), 0171-267 0718
Smaller, more cosy than above.
Benihana - 1, 3, 1, £15
77 King's Rd., SW3 (Sloan Sq.), 0171-376 7799
Fun presentation & wonderful entrance.
Bibendum - 1, 1, 1, £30
81 Fulham Rd., SW3 (South Kensington), 0171-581 5817
Food too rich.
Bibendum Oyster Bar - 1, 1, 0, £15
81 Fulham Rd., SW3 (South Kensington), 0171-589 1480
Oysters okay, otherwise too complicated.
Blue Elephant - 1, 2, 1, £20
4-6 Fulham Broadway, SW6 (Fulham Broadway), 0171-385 6595
Lovely food, beautiful decor (& waterfall).
Bonjour Vietnam - 1, 2, 1, £15
593-599 Fulham Rd., SW6 (Fulham Broadway), 0171-385 7603
Amusing Asian, but go for the Fulham crowd, not the food.
Brasserie St. Quentin - 1, 1,
1, £25
243 Brompton Rd., SW3 (South Kensington), 0171-589 8005
Standard French, lacking in quality.
Cafe Flo - 1, 1, 0, £15
127 Kensington Church St., W8 (Notting Hill), 0171-727 8142
Basic - slightly better than Cafe Rouge.
Cafe Lazeez - 2, 1, 0, £20
93-95 Old Brompton Rd., SW7 (South Kensington), 0171-581 9993
Fantastic Indian with French influences. Rather chic.
Cafe Rouge - 1, 1, 0, £15
Many locations
Basic - although good sandwiches.
Calzone - 2, 2, 1, £15
335 Fulham Rd., SW10 (South Kensington), 0171-352 9797
Large crispy pizzas, although small location.
Camden Brasserie - 1, 1, 1, £15
214-216 Camden High St., NW1 (Camden Town), 0171-482 2114
Simple, honest food.
Chiang Mai - 2, 1, 0, £20
48 Frith St., W1 (Leicester Sq.), 0171-437 7444
Great, but tiny Thai with great soups.
Chicago Rib Shack - 2, 2, 2, £15
1 Raphael St., SW7 (Knightsbridge), 0171-581 5595
Young fun place - great ribs, good cocktails.
China City - 1, 1, 1, £15
White Bear Yard, 25A Lisle St., WC2 (Leicester Sq.), 0171-734 3388
Decor beautiful outside - good food is a relief in Chinatown.
Coast - 0, 2, 2, £20
26B Albemarle St., W1 (Green Park), 0171-495 5999
A complete mishmash of ingredients - with no classics.
Cow, The - 1, 1, 1, £15
89 Westbourne Park Rd., W2 (Royal Oak), 0171-221 5400
Wonderful pub - great for oysters & Guiness.
Criterion Brasserie, The - 2, 2,
1, £30
224 Piccadily, W1 (Picadilly Circus), 0171-930 0488
Decent food, beautiful decor but expensive.
Fables - 2, 2, 1, £25
839 Fulham Rd., SW6 (Parsons Green), 0171-371 5445
Very disappointing French food from Richard Neat.
Fulham Road - 2, 2, 1, £20
257-9 Fulham Rd., SW3 (Gloucester Rd.), 0171-351 7823
Decent food but sometime disappointing.
Geale's - 1, 0, 0, £10
2 Farmer St., W8 (Notting Hill Gate), 0171-727 7969
Fish 'n chips - Used to be good, less so now.
!Golden Dragon - 3, 2, 2, £13
28-29 Gerrard Street, W1V (Leicester Sq.), 0171-734 2763
The best chinese in china town, with great dimsum in the afternoons.
Greenhouse, The - 1, 1, 1, £25
27A Hays Mews, W1 (Green Park), 0171-499 3331
Classic, but very filling from the spiky-haired one. Desserts a treat.
Green Olive, The - 2, 1, 1, £20
5 Warwick Pl., W9 (Warwick Ave.), 0171-289 2469
Decent french / med. food. Good if you're local.
Harrods - 1, 0, 0, £20
87-135 Brompton Rd., SW1 (Knightsbridge), 0171-730 1234
Good but expensive sushi & pizza.
Henry J. Beans - 0, 1, 0, £15
195 King's Rd. SW3 (Sloan Sq.), 0171-352 9255
Basic Texmex.
Hilaire - 2, 1, 1, £25
68 Old Brompton Rd., SW7 (South Kensington), 0171 584 8993
Classic French although sometimes overly complicated.
Imperial City - 2, 1, 1, £20
Royal Exchange, Cornhill, EC3 (Bank), 0171-626 3437
Great Chinese in the city.
Jason's - 2, 0, 1, £20
Jason's Wharf, opposite 60 Blomfield Rd., W9 (Warwick Ave.), 0171-286 6752
Great fish dishes although too rich & heavy.
Kensington Place - 2, 2, 2, £25
201-207 Kensington Church St., W8 (Notting Hill Gate), 0171-727 3184
Simple Med food in a loud atmosphere, although can be heavy.
Khan's - 0, 0, 0, £15
13-15 Westbourne Grove, W2 (Bayswater), 0171-727 5420
Bad Indian - terrible food, worse service.
La Tante Claire - 3, 2, 2, £40
68 Royal Hospital Rd., SW3 (Sloane Sq.), 0171-352 6045
Great food but stuffy atmosphere.
Laurent - 2, 0, 2, £15
428 Finchley Rd., NW2 (Golders Green), 0171-794 3603
The best couscous in London, although cheap and spartan.
Leith's - 2, 1, 1, £30
92 Kensington Park Rd., W11 (Notting Hill Gate), 0171-229 4481
Too rich, too expensive, out of the way (but people have been saying it's gotten better).
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons - 3, 2,
2, £50
Church Rd., Great Milton, Oxford, 01844 278881
Wonderful all-round, especially the guest cooks.
Le Pont de la Tour - 2, 1, 2, £20
Butlers Wharf Building, 36D Shad Thames, SE1 (Tower Hill), 0171-403 8403
Good fresh seafood, great in the summer or for Design Museum.
!Les Saveurs - 2, 2, 2, £50
37A Curson St., W1 (Green Park), 0171-491 8919
Great food & fairly relaxed. Recently Novelli-ed and way too expensive.
Livebait - 2, 0, 2, £15
43 The Cut, SE1 (Waterloo), 0171-928 7211
Beautiful little fish restaurant - good for the Young Vic.
L'Odeon - 2, 1, 1, £25
65 Regent St., W1 (Picadilly Circus), 0171-287 1400
Loubet is doing well with some great starters.
L'Oranger - 2, 2, 1, £25
5 St. James's St., SW1 (Green Park), 0171-839 3774
Contemporary French with some lovely dishes.
Marche Movenpick - 1, 0, 0, £15
1 Swiss Ctr., Leicester Sq., W1 (Leicester Sq.), 0171-494 0498
Basic european food, self service not inspiring.
!Memories of India - 2, 1, 1, £13
18 Gloucester Rd., SW7 (Gloucester Rd.), 0171-589 6450
Fantastic indian at decent prices.
Mezzo - 1, 2, 1, £20
100 Wardour St., W1 (Leicester Sq,), 0171-314 4000
Dishes too complicated - but good pianist. Good bar upstairs.
Mezzonine - 1, 2, 1, £15
100 Wardour St., W1 (Leicester Sq,), 0171-314 4000
Bizarre mixes - too much like fast food. Good bar.
!New Culture Revolution - 1, 2,
2, £15
305 Kings Road, SW3 (None), 0171-352 9281
A noodles place, but the original (Wagamama) is so much better.
Oriental - 3, 1, 2, £40
The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, W1 (Hyde Park Corner), 0171-317 6328
Fabulous but formal Chinese - you get what you pay for.
Pied a Terre - 3, 1, 2, £30
34 Charlotte St., W1 (Goodge St.), 0171-636 1178
Fantastic combinations + great offal.
Pizza on the Park - 2, 2, 1, £15
11 Knightsbridge, SW1 (Hyde Park Corner), 0171-235 5273
Best pizza in London - young 'n jazz to boot.
Planet Hollywood - 1, 1, 1, £15
13 Coventry St., W1 (Piccadilly Circus), 0171-287 1000
Texmex - and expensive. Decent bar.
Quaglino's - 1, 3, 1, £25
16 Bury St., SW1 (Piccadilly Circus), 0171-930 6767
Varying food but generally too rich. Lovely decor.
Red Pepper, The - 2, 2, 2, £15
8 Formosa St., W9 (Warwick Ave.), 0171-266 2708
Wonderfully thin pizzas, good overall too.
River Cafe - 1, 2, 1, £40
Thames Wharf Studios, Rainville Rd., W6 (Hammersmith), 0171-381 8824
Far too expensive for this basic Med food.
Rotisserie Jules - 1, 1, 1, £10
6-8 Bute St., SW7 (South Kensington), 0171-584 0600
Basic, cheap, slightly overcooked chicken.
Royal China - 2, 1, 0, £20
13 Queensway, W2 (Queensway), 0171-221 2535
Wonderful dimsum, with other great dishes.
!Saigon Times - 2, 2, 2, £20
20-22 Leadenhall Market, EC3V (Bank), 0171-621 0022
Entertaining new frech/oriental with good combinations, if expensive.
Savoy River Room - 3, 1, 2, £30
Savoy Hotel, The Strand, WC2 (Embankment), 0171-836 4343
Great British establishment - good classic nosh (and breakfasts).
Snows on the Green - 1, 1, 1, £15
166 Shepherd's Bush Rd., W6 (Hammersmith), 0171-603 2142
Modern cooking but not reliable.
Stephen Bull - 1, 1, 0, £30
5-7 Blandford St., W1 (Bond St.), 0171-486 9696
Pretentious, expensive, food okay.
Sticky Fingers - 1, 1, 1, £15
1A Philipmore Gardens, W8 (High St. Kensington), 0171-938 5338
Fun decent food.
St. John - 3, 1, 2, £20
26 St. John St., EC1 (Farringdon), 0171-251 0848
Classic British food - good ingredients, more offal than most.
Sugar Club, The - 2, 1, 1, £25
33 All Saints Rd., W11 (Westbourne Park), 0171-221 3844
Time Out think's it's the best Modern British. I agree totally, though it's filling.
Tamarind - 1, 2, 1, £30
20 Queen St., W1 (Green Park), 0171-629 3561
Expensive and not all that different from the rest.
Tatsuso - 2, 2, 1, £25
32 Broadgate Circle, EC2 (Liverpool St.), 0171-638 5863
Fun Tepenyaki - but expensive & not so fun clientelle. Fresh.
Texas Lone Star - 0, 1, 0, £15
154 Gloucester Rd., SW7 (Gloucester Rd,), 0171-370 5625
Cheap 'n terrible Texmex - far too fatty.
TGI Friday's - 0, 1, 0, £15
6 Bedford St., WC2 (Covent Garden), 0171-379 0585
Amazingly bad food + atmosphere, but okay cocktails.
Veronica's - 1, 1, 1, £20
3 Hereford Rd., W2 (Bayswater), 0171-229 5079
Strange scottish, but too filling.
Vong - 2, 2, 1, £30
Berkeley Hotel, Wilton Pol., SW1 (Hyde Park Corner), 0171-235 1010
Expensive oriental / new-age food - you'll either love it or hate it.
Wagamama - 1, 1, 1, £15
10A Lexington St., W1 (PIccadilly Circus), 0171-292 0990
Wonderful Japanese noodles - the new one is nicer.
Waterloo Fire Station, The - 1, 1,
0, £20
150 Waterloo Rd., SE1 (Waterloo), 0171-620 2226
Med food slightly too complicated, but decent desserts. |
