Best restaurants?

Work outing for 5 racked up a couple of grand at a restaurant one time. Glad I wasnt paying!

I think one evening with arab clients went into 5 figures but I wasnt there.

Obscene.

 

rules is ok, but i was a bit disappointed with the langoustine i had there. the night was really made by the lovely red headed broker that took me.... gordo's i did p.a. and it was still worth it. rules is a bit fuddy duddy and really old english cooking. great but not the best.

 

the merchant house was another truley memorable meal. sean is certainly one of the finest chefs in the land.

 

pretentious... moi?

 

Rules isn't half the place it used to be 10 years ago. It's overpriced and not especially consistent.

My favourite restaurant in London is l'Etoile in Charlotte St - completely unpretentious, reliably very good food, and Elena, who runs it, is still there every day despite being at least a million years old.

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/425.htm

For expensive, but fantastic, food, and excellent, friendly service, the Michelin-starred Roussillon is hard to beat:

http://www.roussillon.co.uk/home.html

One of the best places I've been to this year is Michael Moore's, in Marylebone:

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2434.htm

-- Ian

 

I think the topic is (and some of the posts maybe) - not you personally though Blake.

 

i was just taking the p... personally i just love good food (unfortunately my waistline is starting to reflect that, especially when leisure time is taken over by trying to spend as much time as possible sat in front of a hifi....) and anywhere that can provide me with a tasty morcel!

 

May I draw your attention to my opening statement:

I admit, in fact celebrate, my ponceyness.. One thing I do hate about expensive restaurants is the fact that everybody is so quiet - all conversations are whispered FFS.. Makes me want to stand on the table and let fly with some serious trouser-ripping egg stench..

Must agree on Hunan in Pimlico...
And as for Sean Hill - big shame for Ludlow that he's gone!

And it's not just about the money you have to spend for a good meal - Saravanas in Willesden that I mentioned earlier has an average bill of £10 per head...

 

There is a new hunnanese restaurant in fulham from an ex-chef at the hunan - must give a try. Bintang is about a tenner a head - indonesian cooking. If you like a very "honest" eating environment. Food is great. Very friendly.

 

Sean has gone? where? that really is a loss!

 

There was talk of him going to Malvern..
I heard that he hadn't been able to sell the Merchant House as a going concern (not surprising if he's not there!).
Still, at least we've got Hibiscus - though it's too over-produced for my tastes (as in The Fat Duck at Bray..)