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Restaurants in LondonThese have been chosen
primarily for authentic food and good cooking. They cover a selection
from classic cuisine in elegant surroundings to a late-night supper
in Chinatown. Average prices for a full meal for one including VAT
but without wine: African & CaribbeanAfrican and Caribbean cooking is influenced by Indian, Chinese and European cuisines. Great use is made of fruit, vegetables, rice and coconut, and a wide range of exotic ingredients and fiery pepper sauces liven up meat and fish stews. Food tends to be spicy and filling. The Calabash
AmericanAmerican restaurants now offer not only traditional burgers and pecan pie but increasingly popular Cajun and southern dishes. Ed’s Easy Diner Hard Rock Café
ChineseContrary to popular belief, Chinese cuisine offers a huge variety of styles and ingredients. Most of the Chinese restaurants in this country are Cantonese. Dishes are savoury and cooked simply and quickly in order to bring out the natural flavour of the food. Blends of meat and seafood and stir-fried vegetables are traditional. Steamed dim sum (lunch-time snacks) are a great way to experiment with unfamiliar flavours; they are normally served until 18.00. Pekingese food from the north is considered the highest form of Chinese cuisine. Drier and more highly seasoned than Cantonese, it shows Muslim and Mongolian influences. Great dishes are Peking duck and Mongolian hot-pot. Szechuan cooking from western China is characterised by strong flavours. Double-cooked pork and tea-smoked duck are specialities. Gerrard Street in Soho is the heart of London’s Chinatown. Mr Chow Now & Zen
East EuropeanCovering the cuisines of Hungary, Russia and Poland. Hungarian food is distinguished by unusual but extremely tasty dishes. Paprika is a popular ingredient and freshwater fish, such as carp and pike, are widely used. If you like fish, try one of the Russian restaurants listed below. They also serve such delights as borscht (cold beetroot soup) and blinis (savoury or sweet pancakes). Polish food is hearty and filling. Meat dumplings and boiled beef will almost certainly be on the menu; and you can accompany your meal with native Polish vodkas. Borshtch ‘n’ Tears Daquise
EnglishIt is the quality of the ingredients in english restaurants that makes for good food – fresh meat and vegetables, salmon and game. Many restaurants now serve dishes using traditional ingredients but with a modern outlook. For traditional roasts, carveries offer set-price meals and customers are served generous portions from enormous succulent joints of beef, lamb or pork (starter and dessert is usually included in the price). Manypubs also serve good lunches based on traditional English cooking. Betjeman’s The English House Tiddy Dols
FishAs well as those restaurants that specialise in elaborately cooked fish dishes, London has a large number of fish and chip ‘take away’ shops, mostly to be found in residential areas, but too numerous to list here. Fish and chips is a national dish which you can take away soused with vinegar, salt and pepper. Eaten hot it can be delicious and good value. Bentley’s La Gaulette L’Hippocampe Manzi’s
FrenchThe following all serve French cuisine; some specialise in simple French provincial dishes, others in highly sophisticated haute cuisine. It should also be noted that French cuisine is amongst the most expensive in the world. Claridge’s
Restaurant Connaught Restaurant L’Escargot Nico at Ninety Au Provencal Thierry’s
Greek, Turkish & CypriotThere is more to Greek and Cypriot food than moussaka and kebabs; the use of fresh ingredients and interesting herbs and spices produce sizzling meat dishes and meze offers a multi-course meal with a selection of samplers from the menu. A new style of cooking – ocakbasi – has become popular in London’s Turkish restaurants. Similar to a barbecue, meat is grilled over charcoal in a narrow pit, in front of which you can sit. Beotys Café Grec
IndianAlthough most of London's Indian restaurants are run by Bangladeshis, you will find various influences in the cooking. Hindu cooking uses fish and vegetables in rich liquid juices; Muslims use more meat and food is drier. Moghul influences bring ingredients from the Middle East and also tandoori food (fish and meat marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked in a clay oven). As a general rule, north Indian food comprises spicy curries eaten with rice and breads, while food from the south is predominantly vegetarian. In all Indian cooking classic spices and flavourings are used generously. Bombay Brasserie Khan’s
Inexpensive EatingThere are lots of inexpensive restaurants and diners in London where you can eat a three-course meal for around £10. Those listed here do not include the cafés serving 'sausage, egg and chips', nor the international 'fast food' chains which can be found on nearly every high street. This list prizes all styles of cooking and features restaurants where you will find a good atmosphere and which offer good value for money. Boggi’s Café in the Crypt Chelsea Kitchen Geales
InternationalThese restaurants master a number of different cooking styles and offer an array of authentic tastes from all corners of the globe. Some pick from the best dishes of the world, blending styles and flavours to create distinctive new ones. The Canteen Hornimans Pomegranates Quaglino’s
ItalianThere are plenty of places to eat Italian food in London, from old-fashioned ristorantes and trattorias to the new style of restaurants where chefs draw on Italian ingredients to produce their own interpretations of traditional dishes. Biagi’s La Famiglia Orso San Lorenzo
JapaneseIn Japanese cooking only the freshest ingredients are used as a high proportion of food is eaten raw. Ingredients are cooked separately to preserve flavours and are cut to emphasise the natural shape and texture of the food. Plain rice, noodles and miso soup from the basis of any meal; noodle bars are the latest trend. Etiquette is important; however restaurant staff will usually be happy to explain the 'rules'. Masako Wagamama
Malaysian, Indonesian & SingaporeanCoconut, peanut and coriander are some of the characteristic flavours in this cuisine. For hotter tastes try sambals (fiery pickles served as condiments). Malaysian specialities include satay - a spicy peanut dip. Singapore boasts mild and creamy curries; Indonesia is famous for rijstafel (a collection of small dishes served with rice). Melati Singapore Garden
Mexican & Tex-MexMexican dishes are largely variations of tortillas (thin corn or flour pancakes), minced or shredded meats, frijoles (red beans cooked until soft and mushy) and chili. Ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice), chicken mole (in a spicy chili and bitter chocolate sauce) and tamales (pancakes of meat slow-baked in com husks) are also popular dishes. Rice, avocados and tomatoes are common accompaniments. Café Pacifico La Cucaracha
ScandinavianFish, salads, fruit, cheese and Wholegrain bread make this type of cooking extremely healthy. The traditional smØrgasbØrd is a good way to sample lots of dishes at once. Anna’s Place Garbo’s
Thai & VietnameseThai cuisine encompasses many different flavours and styles of cooking, and uses interesting mixtures of meat, seafood and vegetables. Dishes tend to be spicy with either sweet and sour or hot chilli sauces, and are always beautifully presented. Vietnamese cuisine is a combination of Chinese and French cooking. Root ginger, coriander, coconut milk, chilli and lemon grass are common ingredients. Bonjour Vietnam Van Long
Vegetarian & WholefoodVegetarian restaurants are very popular in London and some of the best are listed below. Cranks
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Pubs in LondonThe British pub is an institution which has evolved from the Saxon alehouse, the medieval tavern and inn, to the Victorian 'public house'. For centuries London was one of the greatest brewing capitals; in the 11thC the Domesday Book recorded that the monks of St Paul's Cathedral brewed 67,000 gallons of ale annually. In the 12thC children drank beer as a preventative to typhoid. In 1437 a Brewers' Company was set up and many breweries were established alongside the Thames. In the 16thC workmen's wives blended malt, yeast, water and sugar at home. By the end of the 17thC there was a switch from unhopped, heavy and sweet ale to lighter and more bitter hopped beer. By 1733 there were almost 100 gin shops (drinking houses) in st Giles next to tuppenny brothels. A publican's placard in Southwark promised: 'Drunk for 1d. Dead drunk for 2d. Clean straw for nothing'. The rise of gin palaces resulted from the Beerhouse Act of 1830 which permitted the unlicensed sale of beer. Throngs of gin palace patrons spurred the brewers into improving their premises and it was out of these gin mills, taverns and inns that London's 7000 pubs evolved. The British pub has always been a great meeting place and a venue for games (such as darts and dominoes) and entertainment (Shakespeare presented his plays in taverns, and Music Hall was born in Victorian pubs). Today London's thriving fringe theatre and music scene is largely based in pubs. The variety of London's pubs is enormous: historic pubs in the City, modern pubs of unusual design and decor, riverside pubs, theatre pubs. Traditional pub hours are 11.00-15.00 & 17.30-23.00 Mon-Sat, 12.00-14.30 & 19.00-22.30 Sun. However, these have been relaxed and pubs are officially allowed to open 11.00-23.00 Mon-Sat (no change on Sun hours). Not all pubs take advantage of the new opening hours so it is advisable to check in advance. Many pubs in the City are closed on Sat & Sun and also close early at around 21.00. B means bar food (snacks or full meals). Some pubs have a
separate restaurant: L restaurant lunch; D restaurant
dinner. Pubs# Blackfriar # Captain's Cabin # Dirty Dick's Grenadier # King's Head & Eight Bells # Red Lion # Red Lion Rossetti # Running Footman # Salisbury # Seven Stars # Still & Star
Outdoor DrinkingDuke of Clarence # Jack Straw's Castle # Waterside Inn
Real Ale Specialist# Bricklayer's Arms Three Kings
Riverside PubsBlack Lion # Dickens Inn # Dove Grapes # Mayflower Prospect of Whitby
Music PubsThese vary enormously, from pubs with a pianist who plays old-time favourites to those with professional facilities and large audience capacity for rock and jazz bands. The pubs listed below are all established live music venues, but it's best to check in advance what is happening each night. Most pubs with a separate music room ask for gate money; you should expect to pay around £5. Bull's Head Half Moon King's Head Minogues Sir George Robey Station Tavern Tufnell Park Tavern
Theatre PubsYou normally need to become a member (M) of the theatre club; if so, membership can be bought before the performance, and the cost is usually nominal. The Bear and Staff Etcetera Theatre
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Copyright 2002 by Scottish Ghost |
