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 London is overflowing with new and exciting places to drink, eat and dance the night away. Eating out is no longer just about food, it is an art form of the highest order. Diners look for a complete experience, a restaurant that envelops you in its magic and individual style.
 The old world charm of popular institutions like Le Gavroche provides the perfect foil to the new wave of places striving to be all things to all people, bar, club, brasserie and fine dining room. A meal in any of the featured restaurants is guaranteed to exceed your wildest gastronomic dreams. Please note all prices are an average per person for 3 courses excluding wine and service. Sketch Gallery
9 Conduit Street, W1S Sketch is the ultimate modern dining experience. A homage to cutting edge cuisine and dazzling design it never fails to amaze those who step through its designer doors. Laid out over two floors on the former site of the Royal Institute of British Architects, it comprises two restaurants, two bars and a salon de thé. At the helm are successful restauranteur, Mourad Mazouz and famed French chef, Pierre Gagnaire. Spend a whole day admiring the scope and style of this exciting, entertaining and expensive restaurant. Enjoy a late breakfast of exquisite patisserie and snacks. Lunch in the Gallery, the funkier and less expensive of the two restaurants where contemporary video art is projected onto the white walls. Upstairs the fine dining room exudes a relaxed opulence and the food is sublime. Even a trip to the toilet is a divine experience at Sketch! Cuisine: Modern European Address: 9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG Average Price: £45 Reservations: 0870 777 4488 Nearest Station: Oxford Circus Tube  Gordon Ramsay at Claridges
53 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K Take London’s most temperamental and talented chef, add the city’s most elegant location and finish it off with some fantastic food and sublime service. Gordon Ramsey’s marriage with Claridges has proved to be a match made in gourmet heaven. The grand art-deco dining room provides the perfect setting in which to savour the fabulous flavours of London’s only 3 Michelin starred chef. Indulge yourself with the 6 course Prestige Menu. Starters range from the light; tian of crab and avocado with a slow roasted red pepper and basil gazpacho, to the extravagant; foie gras with baby pousse, pear and saffron chutney. The menu is nicely weighted between fish and meat dishes. Try the roasted monkfish tails on a bed of lobster and crushed potatoes with a creamed coriander lemon grass sauce or roasted Cornish lamb with confit shoulder, white bean puree, baby leeks and rosemary jus. Cuisine: Haute Cuisine Address: 53 Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 5DS Average Price: £50 for 3 courses, £60 for 6 courses Reservations: 020 7499 0099 Nearest Station: Bond Street Tube  Chintamani Turkish cuisine has never been this trendy. Chintamani offers traditional flavours with a twist in one of the West End’s most beautiful spaces. Step inside this enchanting eaterie with its tented ceiling, colourful chandeliers and Ottoman furnishings. Sink into a comfortable sofa and order enough delicious mezze to make your table and stomach groan. Mezze are the main event at Chintamani. Flavours are strong and simple. Borecik are crispy minced veal dumplings with yoghurt sauce. Imam Bayildi was the name of a Turkish holy man that fainted at the end of a long fast when he smelt this intoxicating blend of aubergines, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Force yourself to make room for mouthwatering main courses such as Kuzu Budu, oven cooked leg of lamb with honey and Morina Harissa, cod with lentil hash parsley juice. Cuisine: Modern Turkish Address: 122 Jermyn Street, SW1 4UJ Average Price: £40 Reservations: 020 7839 2020 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Aura
48-49 St James’s Street, SW1 Hidden beneath Caviar House lies Aura, London’s trendiest new watering hole, a mecca for celebrities and young hipsters. A 3am licence allows this stylish basement to transform from classy cocktail bar to first class restaurant and finally to über-cool club. Cocktail queens choose from a range of 50 drinks including the Gucci Slingback or New York Cheesecake, a wickedly sweet mix of crunchy cake and alcohol. As the clock strikes dinner-time a more refined atmosphere reigns. All diners must sample the tempura oysters crowned with caviar that equally explode and melt in your mouth. Exceptional mains include a succulent pan-roasted swordfish wrapped in pancetta and grilled beef eye fillet with herb polenta. After dinner, tables are pushed back, crowds swell and DJ’s spin top tunes. Cuisine: Modern European Address: 48-49 St James’s Street, SW1 Average Price: £50 Reservations: 020 7499 6655 Nearest Station: Green Park Tube Le Gavroche
43 Upper Brook Street,W1K Le Gavroche is a London institution. Serving the finest French food this side of le manche, a meal at this Mayfair restaurant is an incomparable experience. Michel Roux expertly mixes the classic cuisine of his father, the legendary Albert Roux, with his more contemporary style. Everything about this restaurant reeks of class, from the strict dress code, to the highly professional waiting staff and exclusive atmosphere. There are not enough superlatives to describe the quality of the food. The menu changes seasonally but past highlights include tangine of langoustine flavoured with saffron and preserved lemons or hot foie gras and crispy duck pancake flavoured with cinnamon. Mains range from the sublime roast saddle of rabbit with galette to the succulent lobster mousse with champagne butter sauce. The perfect place for that extra special occasion. Cuisine: Haute Cuisine Address: 43 Upper Brook Street,W1K 7QR Reservations: 020 7408 0881 / 020 7499 1826 Average Price: £50 Nearest Station: Marble Arch Tube Red Fort
77 Dean Street, London W1V Forget flocked wallpaper, blazing Balti’s and cheap curries. At Red Fort the emphasis is firmly on authentic Indian cuisine, stylish surroundings and the complete dining experience. The revered chef, Mohammed Rais, remains true to his heritage with his distinct Mughal Court cooking that now satisfies the appetites of business moguls rather than Maharajas. Red Fort is now refurbished and relaunched. Chef Rais recreates the spices from the royal kitchens of Awadh, dishes are not flaming hot but perfectly spiced. Typical mains range from the unusual Mahi annan – Dover sole filled with cottage cheese and pomegranate. To the succulent Bhuni duck – Barbary duck marinated in poppy seeds, mace and star-anise. The best north Indian cooking in London without a doubt. Cuisine: Moghul Court Address: 77 Dean Street, London W1V 5HA Reservations: 020 7437 2115 Average Price: £35 - £45 Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube Fifteen
Westland Place, N19 The King of Pukka Tukka continues his bid for super celebrity chefdom. Fifteen is a restaurant with a charitable twist. The cooking is done by 15 kids plucked from aimless obscurity and trained to produce world class posh nosh. No reservations are required for the ground floor bar where you can feast on antipasti and quality cocktails. Upstairs portions are hearty and flavours bold and booming. Start with potent smoked pheasant breast salad with blood orange or the “kinda sashimi” dish of raw scallops with Japanese herbs and spices. The excellent pasta dishes include handmade ravioli filled with sweet roasted squash, ricotta, mostarda fruits and cantuccini biscuits. Save room for the innovative mains, from organic pork loin with oozy polenta and fennel to roast turbot (the Aston Martin of fish) with lemons, capers, minted artichokes, spinach and olive sauce. Tuck in for charity! Cuisine: Mediterranean / Modern British Address: Westland Place, London, N1 7LP Reservations: 020 7251 1515 Average Price: £40 Nearest Station: Old Street Tube Locanda Locatelli
8 Seymour Street, W1H Culinary perfection is on the menu at Locanda Locatelli, brainchild of the excessively gifted and handsome Giorgio Locatelli. Despite its instant success and glittering clientele, the restaurant exudes an understated glamour, prices are reasonable and the staff warm and welcoming. Even the harshest of critics are regularly bewitched by the quality of the food and charisma of the owner. This is genuine rustic Italian cooking presented with urban panache. Give into greed and indulge. Starters range from gnocchi with little artichokes to deep fried calf’s foot salad with fruit. Sublime handmade pasta dishes include taglionni with courgettes and dry tuna roe for an innovative taste sensation. Main courses range from succulent roast rabbit with parma ham and polenta to exquisite Dover sole with yellow beans, potatoes and basil sauce. Cuisine: Modern Italian Address: 8 Seymour Street, W1H 7JZ Reservations: 020 7935 9088 Average Price: £50 -£60 Nearest Station: Marble Arch Tube Brian Turners of Mayfair
Millennium Mayfair Hotel, 44 Grosvenor Square, W1K Brian Turner is a true champion of British food. His extraordinary career has seen him conjure culinary magic in kitchens all over the country and on Ready Steady Cook. His latest venture is currently spicing up London’s most exclusive area with his distinct brand of traditional fare with a twist. The menu is crammed with Brian’s signature favourites. Be brave and kick start your palette with black pudding spring rolls with chilli plum sauce, or deliciously moist smoked eel with streaky Cumbria bacon and potato salad. Recommended mains include organic salmon with seafood rice and watercress sauce or a satisfying steak and kidney plate pie with oysters and kidney gravy. Relive your childhood with their tempting desserts. Who could possibly resist a Knickerbocker Glory? Cuisine: Modern British Address: Millennium Mayfair Hotel, 44 Grosvenor Square, W1K 2HP Reservations: 020 7596 3444 Average Price: £40 - £60 Nearest Station: Bond Street Tube Cedar Lounge
2a Pond Place, SW3 Chelsea is famed for many things but its nightlife is not one of them. That looks set to change with the opening of this relaxed and stylish restaurant cum cocktail bar. Soak up the evening sunshine pouring through the large windows and sink into the plush cushions lining the leather banquettes. Master mixologist, Agostino Perrone, blends signature cocktails the Cedar Apple Martini and Stramaretto, a dreamy mix of Amaretto, pineapple juice, coconut cream and strawberries. Dine in true Italian style; with a mouthwatering selection of hot and cold antipasti, followed by a heavenly pasta or risotto. The Chef works magic with fish, try the delightful bream baked in salt with capricciosa salad. The best thing to happen to Chlesea’s restaurants and bars since George Best moved to the area. Cuisine: Modern Italian Address: 2a Pond Place SW3 6QS Reservations: 020 7584 6755 Average Price: £50 Nearest Station: South Kensington Tube   |
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