British, Oxford
Alex Gunz
No.1 Ship Street: Shipshape

Part of Oxford’s timeless allure is its narrow side streets. Visitors could easily miss Ship Street, despite it being footsteps away from both the city’s main tourist sights and one of its principal shopping thoroughfares. This would be a pity, since nestled halfway along lies an impressive boutique restaurant that could comfortably hold its own in London.

No.1 Ship Street: Shipshape
British, Covent Garden
Alex Gunz
Rules: The discreet charm of enduring tradition

Guests know exactly what to expect when they go to Rules. Its website reminds visitors that not only is it the “oldest restaurant in London” but that it “serves traditional British food.” Your reviewer had not been in over 25 years, but no part of the experience was markedly different. Think of Rules less as a tourist trap for those on an olde England nostalgia trip and more as an institution that has, and will continue, to endure.

Rules: The discreet charm of enduring tradition
Portuguese, City
Alex Gunz
Bar Douro: Saúde

The Portuguese, it is often said, are Britain’s oldest ally. Almost everyone who’s ever travelled to Portugal speaks highly of the country and the hospitality of its people. Gourmand Gunno has been more times than he can recall. Yet it remains anomalous just how few good Portuguese restaurants there are in central London. Fortunately, Bar Douro is one of them.

Bar Douro: Saúde
Chinese, Soho
Alex Gunz
Plum Valley: Plum choice

The English idiom is an apt one for this restaurant – a rare gem amidst the bustle of London’s Chinatown. Plum Valley stands apart from many of the 70 or so restaurants packed into the area around Gerrard Street. It provides a bridge between traditional Cantonese dining – the mainstay of the district – and a more modern, upscale aesthetic. It’s a sleek, tranquil escape.

Plum Valley: Plum choice
Indian, Soho
Alex Gunz
Kricket: Good sport

There’s something anarchic about deliberately spelling the name of your restaurant wrong – and somehow getting away with it. Kricket – a playful nod to the shared British and Indian cultural obsession with the sport – has grown up from its original Brixton pop-up inception in a shipping container. Visit their Soho outpost for a taste of modern Anglo-Indian cooking.

Kricket: Good sport
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Zoilo: More than meats the eye (July 2015)

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Think of Argentine cuisine and the typical response is steak. Zoilo, a small and intimate restaurant on the northern edge of Mayfair, proves this claim wrong. The food my comrade and I sampled on a recent weekday lunchtime certainly impressed, as did the ambience, even if the service was something of a let-down.

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Dock Kitchen: Cooking up a feast (June 2015)

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Outdoor space and genuinely original culinary concepts that aren’t instant flops are a hard combination to find, even in London. Nonetheless, Dock Kitchen scores well on both counts, constituted a perfect place for a relaxed summer meal, and has the potential to be amazing, if only they upped their game in terms of service a bit.

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Portland: Modern British at its best (May 2015)

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The Great Portland Street area of central London is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for lovers of good food. In addition to the successful openings of the nearby Riding House Cafe and Picture restaurants in the last couple of years, along comes (the unoriginally named) Portland.