Italy may not be in this summer’s football World Cup, but were there a similar competition for food, then the country would be a sure-fire championship contender. For everything that is great about Italian food, diners should visit Ida, a neighbourhood gem in northwest London. A trip to this venue is like stepping into a bona fide trattoria.
If restaurants are experiences more than merely meals, then Sibilla plays in the premier league. The approach tells you everything you need to know: perched on a hillside above the river Aniene, guests know that they are set for a show. Combine a stunning location with top-notch local cooking plus a comprehensive wine list and you have a winning formula.
Keep it simple and do it well is a mantra that more restaurants should follow. If Barrafina were not enough for fans of all things Spanish, then Parillan, from the same team, takes things to another level. There are few better outdoor spots to eat and drink, sit back and relax anywhere in London.
Reader, rest assured, all the animals you may consume at Happy Lamb did enjoy good lives. The menu delightfully informs diners that not only the lambs, but the cows and the deer too, not forgetting the ducks, led initially happy lives. Many were ‘grass-fed’ too. It’s hard to fault the relentless optimism pervading the venue. The nosh is pretty good too.
Say Harry’s Bar to most foodies or well-travelled tourists and the immediate response would be ‘Venice.’ Such is its fame that the Italian Ministry for Cultural Affairs declared the Venetian venue a national landmark in 2001. Part of going to Venice is saying you’ve been there, but now you don’t even need to. For a pleasingly authentic experience with significantly fewer tourists and a much more reasonably priced menu, central London now has an outpost of Harry’s.
The Frescobaldi’s have a long and glorious history, stretching back over 700 years. Throughout wars, changes in government and more, the family has continued to thrive, growing food and making wine in Tuscany. Their first restaurant offering opened in London in 2014. That it has survived 4 years is an achievement…
L P Hartley’s famous line seems an appropriate way in which to describe The Red Pepper. Time does funny things to one’s memory and, of course, we all grow up, but put simply, a recent visit to this restaurant showed demonstrably that in the past, “they do [did] things differently.” We left feeling underwhelmed …
Four years may have passed since my last visit to C London, but it seems little has changed: here, we are definitively in the world of moneyed Mayfair where the well-heeled and wannabee celebrities still come to dine. The food is excellent; the service somewhat less so. For mere mortals, prices remain eye-watering and undoubtedly better value (and experiences) can be found elsewhere
Like the cliché about buses, it had been nine months since I had last visited Cecconi’s and yet coincidence led to me making two visits within 72 hours. Both a lunch and a breakfast visit here confirmed to me why Cecconi’s remains one of the best restaurants in London: its coolness is effortless and so visiting here is always enjoyable; regardless of what else may be on-trend in London, Cecconi’s remains timeless.
In the debate about what may be the best formal Italian restaurant in London, I have consistently made the case for Locanda Locatelli. It was therefore highly pleasing to revisit it for the first time in three years (during which time the décor has received a minor makeover) and find that the very high standards for which Locanda is duly renowned are showing no signs of slipping.
A Little Venice institution, the Red Pepper has been delivering consistently good food in the fifteen years I have been visiting the restaurant. While there have been several changes in both management (the current team, led by the charismatic Lara, is a definite success) and décor, the basic formula has remained unaltered.
Clearly C-London must be doing something right since the place was packed on the weekday lunchtime when I recently visited the restaurant. Maybe it’s just that people still want to be seen here, but even if C-London was in the vanguard of ‘destination restaurants’ some years ago, it seems difficult to believe that it has been able to sustain this mantle.
I first ate here over ten years ago and for no particular reason had failed to return since. However, for any restaurant to be able to maintain consistently high standards in a city with a dining culture as competitive as London's is testament to the fact that Sartoria must be doing something right.
