![[LondonTown.com Header Image (Thames Scene)]](/LTtemplates/template_images/londontown.upper.logoheader.thamesscene-cc.jpg) |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
  |
|
Strange though it may seem, on New Year’s Day many people will feel delicate, and possibly a little tired. One way to treat yourself and restore your vigour is to let someone else take care of the cooking and washing up. Thousands of restaurants are shut on January 1, but with a little effort you can still find a brilliant meal to put you back on your feet and start the year in style.
 Rhodes W1 The Cumberland Hotel, W1A 4RF Tuck into a hearty British meal at this exceptional restaurant whose head chef is the spiky haired one. The Cumberland is an extremely posh hotel with a relaxing art gallery foyer. The restaurant itself is an oasis of calm a few steps from Marble Arch, decked out in plush leather furniture, with excellent service and an impressive cellar should you fancy a hair-of-the-dog. The steaks and brunch options here are extensive for New Year’s Day, but it is fish that Gary Rhodes is justly famed for – and fish is a very good hangover cure. Tuck into a simply grilled, beautifully presented morsel from this kitchen and get your new year off to a satisfying start. This is a really excellent place. Address: The Cumberland Hotel, W1A 4RF Phone: 020 7479 3838 Price: Brunch menu around £40/head a la carte Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road tube Rhodes W1 - Information | Hotels near Rhodes W1   Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's53 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR The temperamental former footballer somehow finds time to appear on virtually every reality show going – and maintain a record three Michelin starred restaurants in the city. And he’s not giving his staff a break on New Year’s Day. Claridge’s is justly famed as the best of all Ramsay establishments. A meal here will stay with you for the rest of the year. Lucky diners will be treated to a five-course lunch, perfectly tailored to fragile appetites, with deliciously light starters and a substantial British roast for the main course. The sommelier will guide brave souls through a selection of accompanying wines, and despite the excesses of the previous night you can expect immaculate, friendly service and a refined atmosphere. Claridge’s is an expensive, indulgent treat. What better way to kick off 2006? Address: 53 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR Phone: 0871 288 4923 Price: 3 courses, £60/head Nearest Station: Bond Street tube Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's - Information | Hotels near Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's  The Savoy GrillThe Savoy Hotel, The Strand, WC2R 0EU The Savoy Grill virtually never closes and always features on our list of New Year’s Day recovery spots for that reason. Furthermore, the simple but perfectly sourced steak meals are the ideal restorative after a hard party the night before, and their barman makes one of the best Bloody Mary's in the world. Take shelter from the elements and give your body and senses a treat with a blow-out at the Grill. By the time coffee and dessert arrives, you’ll feel ready to take on the world. Address: The Savoy Hotel, The Strand, WC2R 0EU Phone: 020 7420 2065 Price: Around £40 Nearest Station: Embankment tube The Savoy Grill - Information | Hotels near The Savoy Grill  City CafeCity Inn, 30 John Islip Street, SW1P 4DD Another Bloody Mary specialist is the City Café, whose bar actually runs cocktail courses for aspiring Tom Cruises throughout the year. You won’t find any showing off at this understated, beautifully-run hotel restaurant – just mountains of tasty food on the buffet and an a la carte brunch menu that has been specifically designed to rescue lost souls on New Year’s Day. We’ve had the pleasure of a brunch here and recommend checking out some of their American twists, like waffles, pancakes or grits as part of your meal. The City Café is a perfect refuge, hidden away in this chic hotel, and combines impeccable service with an unusual flair in the kitchen. They will look after you. Address: City Inn, 30 John Islip Street, SW1P 4DD Phone: 020 7932 4600 Price: Brunch menu around £40/head a la carte Nearest Station: Pimlico tube City Cafe - Information | Hotels near City Cafe  The Zetter86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ If you find yourself in Clerkenwell on New Year’s Day (which seems entirely plausible if you partied there) then you could do a lot worse than check out Zetter, a new Italian restaurant right at the heart of this busy, trendy area. It’s a chic, airy space with friendly staff and a hip music policy – and the food is both affordable and authentically delicious. Italian cooking is good for the soul, and you can decide for yourself whether to pig out on a huge lamb shank or Italian sausage, or simply graze on delicious pasta. Everything here is simply cooked in a way that highlights the great ingredients – after all, they are surrounded by some of the best markets in the world. A savvy, inexpensive choice for a rescue meal on New Year’s Day. Address: 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ Phone: 020 7324 4444 Price: Main courses £12-£20 Nearest Station: Farringdon tube The Zetter - Information | Hotels near The Zetter  The Gun27 Coldharbour, E14 9NS This historic pub is the place where Nelson is said to have taken his lover Lady Hamilton. Take a stroll on the veranda and marvel at the still beauty of the Thames before tucking into a traditional English feast fit for an Admiral of the Fleet. This place is run by a couple of brothers who really know what it takes to make a pub feel close to your heart. Tuck into their hearty winter menu over a bottle of wine from an impressive cellar. If you’ve got a huge appetite, we recommend the pint o' prawns as a starter. If you’re not quite so greedy, then you must leave room for mains – the steak and fish pie are both superlative British dishes. Wash it all down with a couple of pints of real ale and you’ll never want to leave. Address: 27 Coldharbour, E14 9NS Phone: 020 7515 5222 Category: Main Courses £13-£18 Nearest Station: Blackwall DLR The Gun - Information | Hotels near The Gun  Belgo Centraal50 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LA Every year we recommend Belgos for New Year's Day dining – they are always open, always serve hearty food in big portions, and invariably tempt their customers into the purchase of delicious imported beer. House specialties include a huge plate of mussels and chips for a fiver, a cracking set of Belgian sausages, and a huge, rare steak. And of course, there are the beers, lovingly prepared by Trappist monks in faraway monasteries and freighted direct to our tables in London to ensure a righteous start to 2006. Lovely stuff. The address below is for their central branch. They also have a branch in Islington. The near-identical Bierodrome, part of the same chain, has branches in Holborn, Clapham and Angel. Address: 50 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LA Phone: 020 7813 2233 Price: Main Courses £8-£18 Nearest Station: Covent Garden tube Belgo Centraal - Information | Hotels near Belgo Centraal  The Spaniard's InnSpaniard's Road, NW3 7JJ The Spaniard's Inn is definitely a pub first and a restaurant second, which is no bad thing at all when you need to relax on New Year's day, and can't really be bothered with white tablecloths and snooty sommeliers. an excellent selection of lagers and ales has recently come to include delicious Czech dark beers. And though the emphasis is on drinking, there is somebody very clever in the kitchen, producing hearty Sunday roasts to a standard that many gastropubs would envy, as well as interesting variants on old favourites, like Mussels in Hoegaarden Sauce. It's the building itself that is the main draw however, a dimly-lit warren of nooks and corners that has served the needs of local residents since the sixteenth century, with former clients including Dick Turpin, Lord Byron, Keats, and Dickens. Park your car on the other side of the Heath and walk there if you need to get some fresh air. Address: Spaniards Road, NW3 7JJ Phone: 020 8731 6571 Price: Sunday roasts from around £10 Nearest Station: Golders Green tube The Spaniards Inn - Information | Hotels near The Spaniards Inn  Itsu103 Wardour Street, W1F 0UQ We always suggest sushi as the perfect way to start the New Year - it's filling and delicious, but won't break the bank or any health-related resolutions. Itsu is an excellent mini-chain which serves a short menu of sushi without any of the gimmickry that infects many more expensive Japanese restaurants. They've had some bad press this November due to the alleged poisoning of Alexander Litivenko by a sinister international cabal, and it would be a shame if these consistently delicious restaurants, with their well-sourced and beautifully prepared food, were to be damaged by the fallout from the assasination. Head down to the Soho branch (details below) to get a taste of James Bond-ish glamour, or if that's a bit morbid for you, just phone in for delivery. Other branches are in Canary Wharf and Chelsea. Address: 103 Wardour Street, W1F 0UQ Phone: 020 7479 4794 Price: A la carte sushi from £3 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Itsu - Information | Hotels near Itsu  Abu Zaad29 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LH If you wake up on New Year's Day knowing that you need a good feed, but that the sight or smell of alcohol will definitely kill you, then you could do a lot worse than visiting this booze-free Syrian restaurant. Don't be fooled by the slightly rundown appearance or kebab shop prices - this is a serious restaurant with some excellent chefs. It's absolutely authentic middle Eastern cuisine, so you might want to ask the staff to guide you through the menu, which mixes familiar Meze and grill dishes, with exotic stews and sweets. Wash it all down with fresh juices or mint tea, and then gasp in amazement as the bill comes in at a tiny fraction of what you spent last night. Address: 29 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LH Phone: 020 8749 5107 Price: Main courses £4-£11 Nearest Station: Shepherd's Bush tube Abu Zaad - Information | Hotels near Abu Zaad |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|