It's that time of the year again when I try to remember the best of the best. I eat out a LOT. I adore eating out and I love cooking so it's always a pleasure to look back at where I've been and choose my very favourites. I try to only eat out at places I think I'll love - I don't see the point otherwise. There's not enough time for bad restaurants. Sadly good restaurants can have bad days, but luckily most of the places I go are excellent. So here are my best of the best....
Temper - my first two on this list are restaurants from two of my favourite chefs whose food I've always loved. Temper is the first solo venture of Neil Rankin, who headed up Smokehouse in the days I couldn't get enough of it. Temper is bang in the middle of Soho, a huge, beautiful room centred around the open kitchen. Go for the tacos, and stay for the rest of the menu, flights of mescal and ridiculously good puddings.
Kricket Soho - one of my favourites from last year now have a bricks and mortar site in Soho. They've literally only just opened, but have a beautiful site on Denman Street. The interiors are gorgeous - beautiful tiles, gorgeous bar stools, cabin style seating upstairs and long sharing tables downstairs. And the food... the food is even better than I've had in their previous site in Brixton. Lots of the same favourites, with new additions like bone marrow and cep kulcha, Delica pumpkin with fresh paneer and hazelnut crumble, and goose vindaloo with sprout thoran and fried onions. They're taking booking for groups of 4 or more from 5th January.
Ormer - it's a bold statement, but one I still stand by. Ormer is where I've eaten my favourite dish this year. Shaun Rankin's first London restaurant is definitely at the top end of the scale price wise, but absolutely worth a visit for out of this world dishes. His focus on excellent produce shines through in all the food, he's got a great wine list, lovely staff, and a turbot dish of dreams. Worth saving up for!
Fera at Claridges - another more expensive restaurant (though less so if you use the Bookatable lunch deal of 3 courses for £42), but one that I adored. Fera is headed up by Simon Rogan who's delicate touch with food shines through here. Perfectly balanced plates, as pretty as they are tasty, this is the kind of restaurant to take someone you love, or someone who you want to love you!
Chick n Sours - from the grand and expensive, to the fun and much less expensive. Chick n Sours opened a second site this year just off Seven Dials in Covent Garden. They serve the best fried chicken I've tried, offer spicy Asian inspired sides and pickled cocktails, have a playlist so good you'll want to stay all night, and they play David Attenborough in the toilets.... perfect?!
Six Portland Road - I've only been once, but having just moved not too far away from Six Portland Road, this French inspired restaurant is firmly on my revisit list, having only heard good things since I went. With a splendid wine list and a menu boasting a wonderful game terrine and a potato, brie de meaux and black truffle pie with creme fraiche this really is a gem of West London.
Koji - no surprise to see Japanese restaurants on my top ten list, with another further down. Koji is smart, sexy and serves excellent food. The menu is long so covers all bases, with sashimi and sushi, robata grill dishes and yakitori, tacos and lots more, all of which was delicious. The cocktails are really good, and there's a bar area in front of the restaurant if you just want a couple of dishes and some drinks.
Gastrovino - the best Italian food is about great ingredients treated well. No fancy oils or puffs or smokes or flashes of light. Just the best of what's come off the plane today straight from the restaurant's favourite regions of Italy. Gastrovino's menu constantly changes with the seasons but offers homemade breads and cheeses, delicate salads, very few pasta dishes but they're not missed, and a whole list of chef's daily specials. It's also cheap as chips with the most expensive dishes coming under a tenner.
Yashin Ocean House - a very modern Japanese restaurant that I yearn to go back to, but can't afford the number of visits I wish I could! Yashin Ocean blew me away when I went just before my Japan visit, and still blew me away post Japan when I'd compared it to the real thing. They do a lot wagyu dishes, a soy free sashimi island that is the best sashimi I've tried in London, and dishes from their big green egg, like head to tail sea bream.
The Pointer, Brill - not in London, but one hundred per cent worth leaving London for, The Pointer is everything I love. They have a farm where they raise very well looked after and cared for, free range animals, and grow all the fruit and vegetables that end up in their pub in the local village. The pub has its own butcher, and the food at the pub is phenomenal. We had the best roast I've had all year there and I'm planning another trip in January for more of the same.
I know this is a Top Ten and I've already listed ten restaurants but I can't not mention Amarante in Paris, and Bodega 1900 in Barcelona, both of which I would travel back to each city for in an instant. Full reviews of both in the links above.
And because I'm so kind (!!) here's a recipe for you too - a lovely, fresh and zingy salad to make with all your Christmas turkey leftovers :)
Temper - my first two on this list are restaurants from two of my favourite chefs whose food I've always loved. Temper is the first solo venture of Neil Rankin, who headed up Smokehouse in the days I couldn't get enough of it. Temper is bang in the middle of Soho, a huge, beautiful room centred around the open kitchen. Go for the tacos, and stay for the rest of the menu, flights of mescal and ridiculously good puddings.
Kricket Soho - one of my favourites from last year now have a bricks and mortar site in Soho. They've literally only just opened, but have a beautiful site on Denman Street. The interiors are gorgeous - beautiful tiles, gorgeous bar stools, cabin style seating upstairs and long sharing tables downstairs. And the food... the food is even better than I've had in their previous site in Brixton. Lots of the same favourites, with new additions like bone marrow and cep kulcha, Delica pumpkin with fresh paneer and hazelnut crumble, and goose vindaloo with sprout thoran and fried onions. They're taking booking for groups of 4 or more from 5th January.
Ormer - it's a bold statement, but one I still stand by. Ormer is where I've eaten my favourite dish this year. Shaun Rankin's first London restaurant is definitely at the top end of the scale price wise, but absolutely worth a visit for out of this world dishes. His focus on excellent produce shines through in all the food, he's got a great wine list, lovely staff, and a turbot dish of dreams. Worth saving up for!
Fera at Claridges - another more expensive restaurant (though less so if you use the Bookatable lunch deal of 3 courses for £42), but one that I adored. Fera is headed up by Simon Rogan who's delicate touch with food shines through here. Perfectly balanced plates, as pretty as they are tasty, this is the kind of restaurant to take someone you love, or someone who you want to love you!
Chick n Sours - from the grand and expensive, to the fun and much less expensive. Chick n Sours opened a second site this year just off Seven Dials in Covent Garden. They serve the best fried chicken I've tried, offer spicy Asian inspired sides and pickled cocktails, have a playlist so good you'll want to stay all night, and they play David Attenborough in the toilets.... perfect?!
Six Portland Road - I've only been once, but having just moved not too far away from Six Portland Road, this French inspired restaurant is firmly on my revisit list, having only heard good things since I went. With a splendid wine list and a menu boasting a wonderful game terrine and a potato, brie de meaux and black truffle pie with creme fraiche this really is a gem of West London.
Koji - no surprise to see Japanese restaurants on my top ten list, with another further down. Koji is smart, sexy and serves excellent food. The menu is long so covers all bases, with sashimi and sushi, robata grill dishes and yakitori, tacos and lots more, all of which was delicious. The cocktails are really good, and there's a bar area in front of the restaurant if you just want a couple of dishes and some drinks.
Gastrovino - the best Italian food is about great ingredients treated well. No fancy oils or puffs or smokes or flashes of light. Just the best of what's come off the plane today straight from the restaurant's favourite regions of Italy. Gastrovino's menu constantly changes with the seasons but offers homemade breads and cheeses, delicate salads, very few pasta dishes but they're not missed, and a whole list of chef's daily specials. It's also cheap as chips with the most expensive dishes coming under a tenner.
Yashin Ocean House - a very modern Japanese restaurant that I yearn to go back to, but can't afford the number of visits I wish I could! Yashin Ocean blew me away when I went just before my Japan visit, and still blew me away post Japan when I'd compared it to the real thing. They do a lot wagyu dishes, a soy free sashimi island that is the best sashimi I've tried in London, and dishes from their big green egg, like head to tail sea bream.
The Pointer, Brill - not in London, but one hundred per cent worth leaving London for, The Pointer is everything I love. They have a farm where they raise very well looked after and cared for, free range animals, and grow all the fruit and vegetables that end up in their pub in the local village. The pub has its own butcher, and the food at the pub is phenomenal. We had the best roast I've had all year there and I'm planning another trip in January for more of the same.
I know this is a Top Ten and I've already listed ten restaurants but I can't not mention Amarante in Paris, and Bodega 1900 in Barcelona, both of which I would travel back to each city for in an instant. Full reviews of both in the links above.
And because I'm so kind (!!) here's a recipe for you too - a lovely, fresh and zingy salad to make with all your Christmas turkey leftovers :)
