London Fine Dining
Summer 2009
The best (and worst) restaurants in town
What makes a restaurant great, good, indifferent or just awful?
The misconception a number of chef patrons seem to have is that fine dining is all about the food.
But surely dining is about the total dining experience, including location, ambience, where you are seated, the service, and even your fellow diners.
Over the last 24 months I’ve visited many London restaurants, all of which would no doubt describe themselves as ‘fine dining’. Some I’ve visited on several occasions. To read the full review of each restaurant, simply click on the link.
Rules of Engagement
- All restaurants were booked and entered as a regular paying customer. There was no ‘King Herod in Mothercare’ effect, as often happens when an instantly recognisable and notorious critic enters a restaurant.
- No particular days of the week or dates were selected. However, most reservations were for midweek lunch or dinner.
- The reviews and verdicts are based on accurate reports of this Camel’s anonymous visits to each restaurant, taking into consideration food, ambience and service – all judged in relation to prices charged and the restaurants’ own claims.
- The listings within each rating group are in no particular order.
‘Caviar’ (London’s finest)
Petersham Nurseries (The perfect summer lunch)
L’Atelier de Joel Robouchon (Fabulous French in Japanese ambience)
Le Gavroche (Have a lunch time soufflé suissesse)
Trishna (Sibling of one of Mumbai’s best restaurants)
The River Café (Fine Tuscan cuisine with a touch of Sydney)
Rasoi Vineet Bhati (Exceptional food served in intimate rooms)
Nobu (Exceptional Japanese)
E & O (Fine Asian dining, favoured by local celebrities)
Racine (Classic French cuisine at very reasonable prices)
Lucio (Discreet Italian from former St Lorenzo Maitre d’)
‘Foie Gras’ (Still a treat)
The Ledbury (Elegant dining in Notting Hill)
Providores (Fusion flavours for the brave)
The Cinnamon Club (Exemplary Indian frequented by MPs)
Umu (Sophisticated Japanese)
The Greenhouse (Excellent food, but be careful where you sit)
Sake No Hana (Little known and under-rated Japanese)
La Petite Maison (Niche French dishes for lunchtime sharing)
Square (Gourmet cuisine which doesn’t quite hit a perfect 10)
Le Colombier (Traditional French Bistro food and ambience)
The Wolseley (More about eyes - people watching- than stomach)
The Union Café (Marylebone’s favourite lunchtime canteen)
La Famiglia (Family owned trattoria for a celebrity packed Sunday lunch)
Scott’s (Expensive people watching with decent food)
Le Caprice (An institution which delivers, but it helps if you know Jesus)
Wild Honey (Fine dining & fine wine in a former Gentlemen’s Club)
Locanda Locatelli (An Italian master)
Quo Vadis (Revamped Soho classic is back on top form)
Amaya (Indian sharing plates prepared in an open kitchen)
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (Hopefully will not lose the plot like its chef patron)
Mon Plaisir (Has been in Covent Garden for decades. Ask for a table upstairs)
‘Smoked Salmon’ (Good but not special)
Toto (Tired & faded. Best to dine outside on a sunny day)
Cecconi (All day diner for Savile Row locals)
Roka (Expensive fast food)
Quilon (Michelin starred Indian with ‘Garfunkel’s’ ambience)
Hibiscus (Over complicated gourmet)
Memories of China (Plastic dragons and posh prices)
J Sheekey (Disappointing theatre land fixture in need of makeover)
Boundary (Dark basement with some awful alcove seating but decent food)
Kai Mayfair (Pretentious & ludicrously expensive. £108 for a bowl of soup)
The Red Fort (Best for the £12 Mughal banquet lunch)
‘Baked Potato’ (Bland disappointment)
Galvin (Chewy steak and very average French bistro food)
Galvin at Windows (Seems to trade solely on its 28th floor location)
Scalini (Posy complacent Italian for middle aged bleached blond locals)
Nahm (Supposedly the best Thai in town – really??)
Moro (Refectory for Guardian reading lentil munching lesbians)
Fino (Modern Tapas bar which fails to deliver)
Michael Moore (Sterile environment with a brave international menu)
Yauatcha (Slimy noodles & propeller lacerated squid caked in salt)
Awana (Student style Malaysian diner with TV screens of the kitchen)
Clos Maggiore (Twee romance for sugar coated fluffies)
‘Tripe’ (Don’t waste your money)
Texture (The chef comes from Iceland – the frozen food store, I presume)
Nozomi (Japanese restaurant where the loos are more interesting than the food)
La Porte Des Indes (India meets Butlins)
Bar Shu (Much hyped Chinese serving gooh which looks suspiciously like a sea of MSG.)
The Ivy (The stars have moved to the Club upstairs. Now a tourist attraction)
Defune (Spend £117 in 25 minutes on ordinary Japanese food?)
Tom’s Kitchen (No redeeming features)
Cipriani (Probably the worst restaurant in London)
What makes a restaurant great, good, indifferent or just awful?
The misconception a number of chef patrons seem to have is that fine dining is all about the food.
But surely dining is about the total dining experience, including location, ambience, where you are seated, the service, and even your fellow diners.
Over the last 24 months I’ve visited many London restaurants, all of which would no doubt describe themselves as ‘fine dining’. Some I’ve visited on several occasions. To read the full review of each restaurant, simply click on the link.
Rules of Engagement
- All restaurants were booked and entered as a regular paying customer. There was no ‘King Herod in Mothercare’ effect, as often happens when an instantly recognisable and notorious critic enters a restaurant.
- No particular days of the week or dates were selected. However, most reservations were for midweek lunch or dinner.
- The reviews and verdicts are based on accurate reports of this Camel’s anonymous visits to each restaurant, taking into consideration food, ambience and service – all judged in relation to prices charged and the restaurants’ own claims.
- The listings within each rating group are in no particular order.
‘Caviar’ (London’s finest)
Petersham Nurseries (The perfect summer lunch)
L’Atelier de Joel Robouchon (Fabulous French in Japanese ambience)
Le Gavroche (Have a lunch time soufflé suissesse)
Trishna (Sibling of one of Mumbai’s best restaurants)
The River Café (Fine Tuscan cuisine with a touch of Sydney)
Rasoi Vineet Bhati (Exceptional food served in intimate rooms)
Nobu (Exceptional Japanese)
E & O (Fine Asian dining, favoured by local celebrities)
Racine (Classic French cuisine at very reasonable prices)
Lucio (Discreet Italian from former St Lorenzo Maitre d’)
‘Foie Gras’ (Still a treat)
The Ledbury (Elegant dining in Notting Hill)
Providores (Fusion flavours for the brave)
The Cinnamon Club (Exemplary Indian frequented by MPs)
Umu (Sophisticated Japanese)
The Greenhouse (Excellent food, but be careful where you sit)
Sake No Hana (Little known and under-rated Japanese)
La Petite Maison (Niche French dishes for lunchtime sharing)
Square (Gourmet cuisine which doesn’t quite hit a perfect 10)
Le Colombier (Traditional French Bistro food and ambience)
The Wolseley (More about eyes - people watching- than stomach)
The Union Café (Marylebone’s favourite lunchtime canteen)
La Famiglia (Family owned trattoria for a celebrity packed Sunday lunch)
Scott’s (Expensive people watching with decent food)
Le Caprice (An institution which delivers, but it helps if you know Jesus)
Wild Honey (Fine dining & fine wine in a former Gentlemen’s Club)
Locanda Locatelli (An Italian master)
Quo Vadis (Revamped Soho classic is back on top form)
Amaya (Indian sharing plates prepared in an open kitchen)
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (Hopefully will not lose the plot like its chef patron)
Mon Plaisir (Has been in Covent Garden for decades. Ask for a table upstairs)
‘Smoked Salmon’ (Good but not special)
Toto (Tired & faded. Best to dine outside on a sunny day)
Cecconi (All day diner for Savile Row locals)
Roka (Expensive fast food)
Quilon (Michelin starred Indian with ‘Garfunkel’s’ ambience)
Hibiscus (Over complicated gourmet)
Memories of China (Plastic dragons and posh prices)
J Sheekey (Disappointing theatre land fixture in need of makeover)
Boundary (Dark basement with some awful alcove seating but decent food)
Kai Mayfair (Pretentious & ludicrously expensive. £108 for a bowl of soup)
The Red Fort (Best for the £12 Mughal banquet lunch)
‘Baked Potato’ (Bland disappointment)
Galvin (Chewy steak and very average French bistro food)
Galvin at Windows (Seems to trade solely on its 28th floor location)
Scalini (Posy complacent Italian for middle aged bleached blond locals)
Nahm (Supposedly the best Thai in town – really??)
Moro (Refectory for Guardian reading lentil munching lesbians)
Fino (Modern Tapas bar which fails to deliver)
Michael Moore (Sterile environment with a brave international menu)
Yauatcha (Slimy noodles & propeller lacerated squid caked in salt)
Awana (Student style Malaysian diner with TV screens of the kitchen)
Clos Maggiore (Twee romance for sugar coated fluffies)
‘Tripe’ (Don’t waste your money)
Texture (The chef comes from Iceland – the frozen food store, I presume)
Nozomi (Japanese restaurant where the loos are more interesting than the food)
La Porte Des Indes (India meets Butlins)
Bar Shu (Much hyped Chinese serving gooh which looks suspiciously like a sea of MSG.)
The Ivy (The stars have moved to the Club upstairs. Now a tourist attraction)
Defune (Spend £117 in 25 minutes on ordinary Japanese food?)
Tom’s Kitchen (No redeeming features)
Cipriani (Probably the worst restaurant in London)
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
