Thanks everyone - some great recommendations.
I looked at the reviews for my list and most were very disappointing, although Wahaca in Covent Garden (which I had been advised against) came out better.
Thanks tonywalton9625 - I am narrowing some of my focus to the area where we are staying (Dalston - no expense spared!). I managed to track down the Masterchef star Ismail (latest series) who has a well reviewed Gastropub: Stags in Hampstead, but maybe that is too far for us - I've no insight on how different parts of London co-exist.
One thing that I am (sort of) sure is that we will have afternoon tea at the Cafe Royal - although it aint quite booked yet. The great thing about being a procrastinator is that its never too late to change your miind.

The Nudge is good for restaurants - a paid subscription, but you can get a trial period free. They do special offers for members at some newly opened restaurants. I also read the food critics in The Guardian.
In January and Februari there are some amazing deals, especially for lunch. 28 pound lunch at The Barbary now, for example.
We went to Dorian, food was good but they gave you a ridiculously short time for a meal, then service was slow and main and dessert were rushed,. It was crowded and not friendly. I love The Barbary. Also in Notting HIll, Caractere is wonderful. Run by Michel Roux´s daughter, just got a first Michelin star. Simpsons in the Strand is due to reopen this month, now owned by Jeremy King. Should be really good, all his restaurants are. Also high on our list is Corenucopia, Clare Smyth´s second restaurant, if I can get a table.

Dalston is foodie heaven, if you do not mind rubbing elbows with hipsters. I do not think you will have to venture far for a good meal.

What I found really disappointing (last summer )was that the kitchen in most restaurants closed at 10:00 PM. Was I in the wrong parts of town or is this a normal practice ?

Restaurant are suffering big time in the UK. Even some places that used to stay open late have shortened their hours. The Hospitality industry -- especially restaurants -- are facing really difficult conditions. Very high property and employment taxes, people ordering less (partly due to ubiquitous weight loss drugs), younger generations eating out less/drinking less, etc. Forcing even some long time places to close or cut back on days/hours. The dining scene in London is amazing both in quality and variety - but being successful takes a LOT of work / cost cutting.

Though you can still find places with kitchens open late. Just takes some searching.

New NYC mayor is planning a 9.5 percent increase in property taxes next year to balance the budget. That should help the already-stressed local eateries and the hospitality industry. You will now find the finest NYC cafes and restaurants.....in Florida!

Thx. It makes sense for the industry, probably works for the locals and most tourists. I visited London often before COVID, don’t
remember the hours then…
I was also surprised that many restaurants and cafes would not take cash. Not my experience in Spain, France..etc

I’ll be in London in May & will activate my usual system, aka the Diavolo Methodology (see post #2).

Most restaurants in the US close around 10 don’t they except maybe a few in big cities. London definitely ate dinner sooner then continental Europe which I was actually appreciative of since my husband was working and needed to be up early most days. Assume pubs stay open much later.

Pubs were open after 10:00 , but the kitchen not.
Where we live, it is similar to the US.
Somehow, on holidays one would like a change…one reason we keep returning to Spain🙂

Yeah we’ve been in restaurants in countryside of Spain and Italy (Paris no one brings their kids) and always been kind of shocked at kids still at dinner at 10 or 11 at night. In the US kids eat pretty early and have to be at school by 8 or 8:30am. As I get older I’m also eating earlier so we always grabbed the 7 or 7:30 reservation in Europe on our travels.

I use Opentable to find out the specials at the various restaurants / cuisines and read the reviews.

This year I will be also using the App EatClub when I visit this year, I usually go 2 or 3 times a year from Australia where I use this App 2 or 3 times a week, for instance in Sydney they have around 1200 cafes and restaurants, offering daily discounts from 10 to 50%. It's partly owned by Marco Pierre White and is easy to use as you don't need to tell the staff that you have a discounted meal as it automatically deducts it when you come to pay by Credit Card

This why these popups in pubs are so great - they help the pub with rent and overhead for unused space, and the popup has a place to see if a concept can get off the ground without a massive amount of initial investment. It is why there are so many Thai and other kitchens in pubs now too - they take money separately, and are basically renting the kitchen. It is a win/win.

Spain operates on a completely different schedule, they eat dinner when places in the UK are closing. Restaurants don't even open until 8pm or later. You cannot really compare the two. But you can eat lunch at 2.30 pm and have your G & T at 6.00 pm in the UK, just like they do in Spain :)