Travel
Photos by lomokev, ramnath bhat & Gabriel M via Flickr Creative Commons
- Luxury London - How To Have High Times In The Big Smoke
London is brimming with great restaurants and bars, with countless options to soak up in culture, indulge in a little shopping and to get thoroughly pampered. The question is though with so much choice how can you be sure to get the best out of your time...
- 7 Gastronomic Stops In Perth
Australia’s city of light, Perth, is a great place to be when you are up for a gastronomic crusade. More than just the eclectic capital of West Australia, Perth offers a wide array of attractions from colorful festivals, marvelous tourist spots, and...
- 48 Hours In Cornwall – A Must-see Guide
Cornwall is a true gem in the crown of England and one that visitors coming from near or far should make the journey to see. The county offers culture, history, fantastic cuisine, stunning scenery and more. The best news of all is that you are no longer...
- Meet The Charming And Talented Chef Ever De Peña At Ike’s Bistro, Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa
While instilled with traditional values of Caribbean hospitality the Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa delivers a rewarding contemporary guest-experience. By offering a unique blend of beach-life and gourmet cuisine, spa pampering, and high-tech amenities,...
- Sushi-ya Restaurant Features New Menu
Pioneering is in the blood of Sushi-Ya owner Deisy Gutierrez and her chefs, and so the latest trends in Japanese food are always being explored at Sushi-Ya. The Sushi-Ya team is also genuinely interested in the well-being of its esteemed customers, constantly...
Travel
Top 5 Gourmet Stops in London
Once upon a time, you could always count on getting great hotels and lousy meals in London. The nation’s dull, insular, uninspired cooking was the joke of Europe. That reputation began to change in the 1980s, with the influx of new cooking trends that favored foods from France and Italy. Years later, we can still find great hotels in London that can be book via Hotel Direct and other online booking services, but London has also become a food capital having more and more Michelin-starred restaurants. Here are my picks for the 5 top gourmet stops the London dining scene has to offer.
The old English faves
Traditionalists need not despair: All those wonderful old English favorites are still around - eggs, kippers, beans, and fried tomatoes for breakfast; bubble and squeak; roast beef and Yorkshire pudding; meat pies; fish and chips; toad in the hole; cottage pie; sticky toffee pudding; and trifle. You’ll find the old English comfort foods at pubs and restaurants such as The Stockpot, Founders Arms and Porter’s English Restaurant.
My pick is Simpson’s-in-the-Strand. It's in this location since 1848, a London institution serving the best of traditional English food. Here you still find the largest array of roasts in London: sirloin of beef, saddle of mutton with red-currant jelly, and Aylesbury duckling. For a pudding you may want to order treacle roll and custard or Stilton with vintage port. A smart-casual dress code is in effect.
Modern British
London is the best place to find restaurants serving inventive Modern British cuisine. Reserve a table at Rules, The Ivy, Langan’s Bistro, Veronica’s, The Oratory, or Boxwood Café and let your taste buds do the talking.
My pick though is Boxwood Café. This may be the most stylish kid-friendly restaurant in London, but grownups will find plenty of comforting delights on the menu, too. Created by culinary superstar Gordon Ramsay, Boxwood Café is chic without being fussy, and the same goes for the food, which emphasizes fresh and healthy dishes ranging from fresh steamed fish to glazed pea-and-leek tart, roast chicken salad, wine-braised veal, and steaks.
Indian is the new "national" cuisine
Some would say Indian cooking is the new national cuisine of England. Well, it certainly is one of London’s multiethnic favorites, and Indian restaurants are often far more affordable than other options. Like other cuisines, Indian cooking in England has been undergoing many transformations. You can find great Indian cooking at Mela and Noor Jahan.
My pick is Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in London. Established in 1926 by a general and an Indian princess, nowadays, it’s very hip and resolutely upscale, painted in vibrant colors, with frosted-glass panels dividing up the sections and ultramodern furniture. For starters, the stir-fried mussels with coconut and Kerala spices are sublime. For an exotic and only mildly hot choice, try the shanks of lamb curried in bone stock and spices. The menu has a great-value fixed-price menu and you can enjoy a variety of Indian dishes.
French cuisine at its best
If French cooking is your idea of heaven, you won’t lack dining options in London. Both traditional and nouvelle French restaurants remain alive and well. Your choices include Oxo Tower Brasserie, with its stunning river views, Criterion Bar & Grill, and Brasserie St. Quentin.
My pick is Aubergine, the classiest of them all. If you choose to eat here, you will compete with celebrities, royalty, and commoners for the privilege of dining at this top-name restaurant. Every dish, from the fish and lighter Mediterranean-style choices to assiette of veal with watercress and artichokes, is a culinary achievement of the highest order, winning chef William Drabble a Michelin star. The celebrated cappuccino of white beans with grated truffle makes a perfect ending to a superb dining experience. Service is polished and efficient.
Other ethnic food heavens
And don’t forget that London boasts more ethnic restaurants than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, so almost any kind of cuisine can be on the tip of your tongue. For delectable tapas and Spanish/Moroccan food, go to Moro. For slurpy and superlative Japanese noodles, head to Wagamama. At Ken Lo’s Memories of China, you can feast on food inspired by a Chinese master chef. For fresh New Zealand mussels and the most delicious New Zealand dessert, known as Pavlova, Suze in Mayfair is your best bet.
My pick is Cigala. This hip, clean-lined, Spanish-inspired restaurant serves great tapas. Some possibilities include chorizo, oak-smoked cured beef, marinated sardines, wind-dried tuna, olives, and scrambled eggs with artichokes. At lunch or dinner, you may prefer to begin with something like grilled razor clams, and follow up with an entree of pork belly with beans. Oh, and they also serve some delicious paella.
Photos by lomokev, ramnath bhat & Gabriel M via Flickr Creative Commons
- Luxury London - How To Have High Times In The Big Smoke
London is brimming with great restaurants and bars, with countless options to soak up in culture, indulge in a little shopping and to get thoroughly pampered. The question is though with so much choice how can you be sure to get the best out of your time...
- 7 Gastronomic Stops In Perth
Australia’s city of light, Perth, is a great place to be when you are up for a gastronomic crusade. More than just the eclectic capital of West Australia, Perth offers a wide array of attractions from colorful festivals, marvelous tourist spots, and...
- 48 Hours In Cornwall – A Must-see Guide
Cornwall is a true gem in the crown of England and one that visitors coming from near or far should make the journey to see. The county offers culture, history, fantastic cuisine, stunning scenery and more. The best news of all is that you are no longer...
- Meet The Charming And Talented Chef Ever De Peña At Ike’s Bistro, Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa
While instilled with traditional values of Caribbean hospitality the Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa delivers a rewarding contemporary guest-experience. By offering a unique blend of beach-life and gourmet cuisine, spa pampering, and high-tech amenities,...
- Sushi-ya Restaurant Features New Menu
Pioneering is in the blood of Sushi-Ya owner Deisy Gutierrez and her chefs, and so the latest trends in Japanese food are always being explored at Sushi-Ya. The Sushi-Ya team is also genuinely interested in the well-being of its esteemed customers, constantly...