Favourites (Spring 2016)

Last updated in Fall 2015.

It is by no means exhaustive, just a list cobbled together about what I think is good today. London and UK, followed by Rest of the World. Hope you find something you like on it.

TL:DR: Current all time favourites are Bonhams, Medlar , Goodman, Cambio de Tercio and The Ninth.

Best meals this year so far were at Bonhams, Clove Club, Pitt Cue, Marianne and Takahashi.

London and UK

Restaurant£ppCuisineLocationPublic TransportLatest BlogpostLast visit (IG)No. of visitsNotes
Spuntino020 - 30American London, UKPiccadilly Circus20112015-0310+Still my favourite Russell Norman haunt. Less busy these days, making it a great place to relax for long afternoon snacks.
Bob Bob Ricard040 - 70Anglo-RussianLondon, UKPiccadilly Circus2012-0720145Crazy fun and more importantly incredible wines, vodka and bubbles at decent prices.
Bread Ahead Donuts003BritishLondon, UKBorough Market, London Bridge-2016Too many..Best donuts in town.
Quality Chop House030 - 50 BritishLondon, UKFarringdon2015-072015-071
St John Group030 - 60BritishLondon, UKFarringdon , Liverpool Street2010201410+Its the quintessential classic. If you've never, you should.
Ginger Pig Sausage Roll003BritishLondon, UKBorough Market, London Bridge

...and various.
-2016-01ManyHas been and still is the best sausage roll in town.
The Clove Club050 - 130British ModernLondon, UKOld Street2016-0420162Young Turks. Love them to bits. Those buttermilk chicken nuggets.

Now has a £95 extended carte blanche, with exceptional roast Challans duck. Don't miss.
The Fat Duck255++British ModernBray, UK-2010-0420101Can't believe it was 5 years ago. It was £150 then, now its... gasp. They re-opened this year after long refurb, now with floating pillows. I need to go back..
Portland040 - 75British ModernLondon, UKOxford Circus2015-032015-083Fantastic reserve wine list at great prices. Will is doing great things to change the way we buy quality wine in restaurants.

Of course, the food is proper too. Merlin is a chef to follow.
Lyle's040 -70British ModernLondon, UKLiverpool Street2014-102015-032
Bleecker St.010BurgersLondon, UKLiverpool Street-2016-02, 2015-064Lives up to its hype, just solid burgers.
Tommi's Burger Joint010 - 15BurgersLondon, UKBaker Street2012-102014-125-10The steak burger with béarnaise. Quality.
A.Wong030 - 75ChineseLondon, UKVictoria2014-022015-065My favourite Chinese restaurant in London, both for dinner and dim sum.

The duck egg buns are peerless (in London).

I also love his beef hofun - with scratch of lemon zest, genius.

Andrew continues to innovate with his recipes. He loves visiting restaurants too, so feel free to sit at bar and chat with him. Always something different here.
Prufrock003 - 05CoffeeLondon, UKHolborn2011201310+Favourite cafe in London
Vintage Salt020 - 30Fish & ChipsLondon, UKIslington-2015-073Favourite fish and chips in London.
Medlar040 - 70FrenchLondon, UKBus 328 to Worlds End20152015-1215-20My favourite restaurant in London.

Pictures of dishes through the years (1, 2, 3, 4)
The Ninth025-50French-MediterraneanLondon, UKTottenham Court Road2016-012016-03, 2016-02, 2016-014Definitely one of my favourites in 2016.

Jun Tanaka's new outift is quite casual, offers great value (esp lunch) and some fabulous cooking - light & fresh intepretations on classic dishes.

His pain perdu is incredible, and I love the salt beef cheecks, ossobucco tortellini and the stuffed quail. Don't miss.
Roti Chai020 - 40IndianLondon, UKBond Street2012-0420145
Takahashi030-70JapaneseLondon, UK Wimbledon2016-032016-042Ex-Nobu husband & wife outfit. Good Izakaya.
Atari-ya Swiss Cottage030 - 50JapaneseLondon, UKSwiss Cottage 2010-062015-0320-30Long-time Japanese importer with numerous locations. Swiss Cottage branch is my favourite izakaya-style in London. Just easy and good value. Great for midweek tuna-fix like this
Sushi Tetsu040 - 100JapaneseLondon, UKFarringdon-2012-062Like those Ginza legends, a pain to book, but absolutely fantastic sushi.
Shoryu010 - 20JapaneseLondon, UKOxford Circus2013-02201510 - 20All about the non-ramen dishes.. The wagyu skewers, the genki don, superb prawn tempura and frozen kirin.
Yashin030 - 100JapaneseLondon, UKGloucester Road, High Street Kensington20102015-066-10I prefer Ocean House to the original. More cooked dishes, plus they've got a good chef who does the hot food there.

Interesting things such as this Ishiyaki Sukiyaki.

The Yashin 8 still hits the spot.
Jingogae020 - 40KoreanLondon, UKMotspur Park2015-112015-073After moving to the area, this is one of my two favourite Korean restaurants in New Malden. The other is Yami.

They specialise in Kalbi Tang (spare rib soup).
Bonhams Restaurant050 - 80Modern EuroLondon, UKBond Street2016-05
2016-03
2015-12
2015-09
2016-05, very successful turbot5It was best meal in 2015. I've been a total of 5 times, but now making an effort to go back once a month. It has become my favourite. I am quite addicted to Tom Kemble's cooking.

An avid restaurant lover, this informs his pure and natural style of cooking with keenly sourced seasonal produce of distinct quality.

He expanded his team to 5, dare I say, flashes of Ambroisie and Arpege when its on...
Taberna do Mercado030-40PortugueseLondon, UKLiverpool St2015-072016-044Just excellent. Recent visit, £10 Brill head , Steamed Egg Yolk , excellent tinned fish , those oozy tarts and the best pork sandwich in town surely.
Smokehouse030 - 50Pub & BBQLondon, UKHighbury & Islington, Gunnesbury2013-102015-085Favourite sunday (pork) roast.
Parlour Kensal 030 - 70Pub & ReataurantLondon, UKKensal Rise2016-0420163Do the Chef's Table. You won't regret it believe me. Read the blog here.
The Sportsman050 - 80Pub & RestaurantWhitstable, UK-2011-1020111As time goes by, it is becoming clear that this is one of the best in Britain.

Paul Weaver at Noble Rot will give you a tiny glimpse if you are London based.
The Hind's Head050-75Pub & RestaurantBray, UK-2010-0520101Always thought of this as the precursor to Dinner. In many ways, Hinds Head may just be better than either Dinner or Fat Duck. Easier to get into and much cheaper, but food is just as brilliant.
Lurra045 - 60Spanish GrillLondon, UKMarble Arch2015-1020151
Cambio de Tercio060 - 100Spanish ModernLondon, UKGloucester Road2011, 20102016-0540-60Favourite Spanish in London. Been coming here for 12 years, never disappoints.
Copita030 - 40Spanish TapasLondon, UKOxford Circus20112014-065
Goodman & Beast050 - 100SteakhouseLondon, UKOxford Circus , Canary Wharf, Bank20112015-0420-30Favourite steakhouse in London.

But you must also try their Norwegian king crab at Beast. Yes I know, very expensive, but it is worth it.
Flat Iron Steak010 - 25SteakhouseLondon, UKOxford Circus-20156Not just serving flatirons anymore. Unique cuts from good breeds.

Incredible value for money. The burger with Béarnaise , The irish beef belly steak for £15.

Around the World

Restaurant£ppCuisineLocationPublic TransportLatest BlogpostLast visit (IG)No. of visitsNotes
Glorious BBQ King003 - 10ChineseThe Venetian,Macao--20142Best chicken rice Ive ever had - like polished porcelain... meat has layers!
Yu Ding Xiang030 - 40ChineseTaipei, Taiwan--2015-091The Best Peking Duck I've ever had.
Ming Court060 - 100ChineseMongkok, Hong Kong-2014 2014-101Because Charsiu.
Pizzarium005 - 10ItalianRome, Italy--2014-013Honestly my favourite pizza place ever. They do hundreds (or thousands?) of toppings every year. It's crazy good. Took a box on the plane with me.

If pizzas were like a box of chocolates.
Roscioli025 - 40ItalianRome, Italy-2016-032014-013The best carbonara. In the world. Likely.

They also sell the carbonara home kit. We tried it - look here. Its amazing. The Conero Guanciale.
L'Archangelo030 - 50ItalianRome, Italy--2014-011The best amatriciana I've ever had.
Trattoria Meloncello015 - 30ItalianBologna, Italy--2013-071Indebted to Helen for this rec. Mythic tagliatelle al ragù, and a beautiful restaurant run by two sisters.
Katsukara020-30JapaneseKyoto and Tokyo, Japan--2013, 20124No ceremony, just brilliant Tonkatsu, from this chain restaurant that has a bunch of locations across Kyoto and Tokyo.

This is my favourite Tonkatsu. I prefer this to the famous Maisen.
Sabi Omakase110 - 220JapaneseStavanger, Norway-2015-1020151Norwegian Crab, Langoustines, Scallops, Salmon, Mountain trout + careful sushi ageing techniques + crazy good wine.
Sushi Saito150 - 300JapaneseTokyo, Japan-2012-0920121Best sushi I've ever had.
Kyubei035 - 120JapaneseTokyo, Japan--2015 3At today's exchange rate, you can get 10 pieces for £35 as lunch. It may have lost its reputation to the younger guys, but it's still an institution and offers ridiculous value, and the skills are still there. Custard tamago and dancing shrimp and those unagi/anago.
Tango bar & kitchen050 -75NorwegianStavanger, Norway--2013. (1, 2, 3 , 41Basically this is one the best restaurants in Norway. The chef, Tony Martin is extremely talented lad and has dubbed his restaurant's style 'rough fine dining'.

If you end up in the south of Norway, make this your number 1 priority.
House of Curry002 - 04Roti PrataBrunei--2015-023Forget Roti King. This is the BEST roti I've ever had in my life. It's seriously that good. Those condiments.

Worth a flight to Brunei just to eat this.
Bar Nestor010-30SpanishSan Sebastian, Spain-2015-1220151Some of the best egg tortilla I have eaten, and fantastic tomato salad.

Their steak dinners are very famous and a good choice if you're still up for Rubia Gallega. You'll be amazed how cheap it is compared to London. Great atmosphere.

Peter Luger060 - 80SteakhouseNew York, USA--20131The Original.
Shi Yang025 - 40TaiwaneseTaipei, Taiwan-2012-0120121Perched on the side of a mountain. Unforgettable, spirit-nourishing stuff.