Italian, Rome
Alex Gunz
Ristorante Sibilla: Where dining meets history

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.

Ristorante Sibilla: Where dining meets history
Spanish, King's Cross
Alex Gunz
Parillan: Grill and chill

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.

Parillan: Grill and chill
Chinese, Mongolian, Holborn
Alex Gunz
Happy Lamb: Happy times

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.

Happy Lamb: Happy times
Italian, Soho
Alex Gunz
Osteria Vibrato: Good vibes

There’s a certain skill attached to opening a restaurant less than three months ago, yet making it feel as if it’s been there forever. Osteria Vibrato does just that. It fits perfectly into the Soho zeitgeist and is a classic in the making.

Osteria Vibrato: Good vibes
Indian, Surbiton
Alex Gunz
Koyal: Curry royalty

It does exist: Michelin-quality Indian cuisine in the suburbs. Look no further than Surbiton’s Koyal. Chef Nand Kishor Semwal and his team have pedigree. If you can earn recognition at Trishna and Gymkhana, then running your own restaurant is the next logical step. Koyal makes it seem easy. Diners love it too, with every table occupied on a recent visit.

Koyal: Curry royalty

Soho

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Little Italy: Thinking big

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Little Italy: Thinking big

London institutions do not come much better than Bar Italia. A stalwart on Soho’s Frith Street for 70 years, it was the first place in the area to make proper coffee – the Italian way – and it stayed open all night. Many a memorable evening in my past ended there. The aspiring family behind the venture did not, however, rest on its laurels and opened a restaurant next door in the 1990s. That both have remained constants amidst the ongoing reinvention of Soho is testament to their success as well as a reflection of the Polledri family’s ongoing involvement. The passion they bring to Little Italy is abundantly obvious. This is a highly professional venture with top-notch cooking but contains a strongly personal touch too.

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Berenjak: Pretty perfect Persian

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Berenjak: Pretty perfect Persian

There is a shrewdness behind the whole Berenjak concept, from the siting of the venue through to the vibe and the food. Diners are told to expect a combination of ‘home-style’ cooking combined with a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ kebab experience; something for everyone, especially in Soho. While the mains at Berenjak are indeed centred around the grilling of meat, what you get here is about as far removed from a drunken post-pub snack as possible.

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Foxlow: On a high

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Foxlow: On a high

A neighbourhood restaurant in Soho? Lovely idea, but surely not workable? Maybe not, but this is the angle that Foxlow has gone for. The venue – the fourth in this mini chain operated by the same team behind the successful Hawksmoor venture – was full of good vibes and food and all very much on-trend. In summary, highly comforting (just like your neighbourhood local) and competent if neither revolutionary or ground-breaking.

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Xu: Xuting out the lights (September 2017)

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Located a stone’s throw away from Chinatown and next door to the ever-popular Palomar, the ambitions of Xu (pronounced ‘shu’) are evident. Given that the team behind this venture also pioneered Gymkhana, Bao and Hoppers, expectations were high, but a recent lunchtime visit undoubtedly impressed. While perhaps somewhat lacking in atmosphere, the level of the food here was superlative.

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Señor Ceviche: Great food, pity about the name (May 2017)

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Peruvian food remains distinctly on-trend in London – and so it should do, since the country offers a wide range of flavoursome dishes spanning meat, fish and veg. There isn’t a lot of gluten in the Peruvian diet and so this should also tick a box for many. Much as I love all things Peruvian (and I can highly recommend the country as a holiday destination), I was instinctively put off Señor Ceviche because of its name.

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Smoking Goat: Flavour explosion (March 2017)

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Tucked down a side street in Soho best known for its guitar shops, Smoking Goat is paving the way for a new era of Thai cuisine. This is about as far removed from curry in a coconut milk sauce or a plate of stir-fried rice noodles as you can imagine. Instead, Smoking Goat is all about a profound explosion of flavours, mostly based around smoke, spice and soy

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Lobos Soho: Feast, like the wolves (March 2017)

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There is no shortage of competition for tapas joints in London and far too often they fall down on offering indifferent fare that is a far cry from even the most basic establishment in Spain. Against this background, Lobos – Spanish for wolves – is an excellent addition to the London scene.

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Chotto Mate: Classy – but, wait a minute, check the prices (October 2016)

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Chotto Mate ticks many boxes – it is cool, serves excellent food and wines and has enthusiastic and engaging staff. The catch, however, is the cost. The menu is somewhat bewildering in its complexity, the dishes are small and the bill can therefore rack up quickly.

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Casita Andina: My kind of house (August 2016)

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I first visited Peru 16 years’ ago and fell in love with the country, the culture, the food and the people then. Back in London everything seemed so grey in contrast to the visual hues of the Andes. Even the now-shut Fina Estampa on Tooley Street was scant compensation for the culinary delights that Peru had to offer.

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Morada Brindisa: Spat-out (July 2016)

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Eating out is generally considered to be a joyful experience. Doing so regularly, I clearly subscribe to such a view. I also recognise that popular restaurants – understandably – want to turn their tables, to draw in as many visitors as possible and also to make a fatter profit.