Heading for London on June 5th for 5 days and I have 2 questions:

1. Anyone want to recommend a nice gourmet restaurant? We are staying at Dolphin Square. Has anyone tried Rhodes in the Square? It does have one Michelin star. Our plan is to have one really "nice" dinner. Otherwise, pub food, curry, and picnics in the parks are our MO.

2. Are there any good gourmet food shops (I actually had fun in the basement at Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street last year) or kitchen gadget shops you can suggest?

Thanks a bunch!!!

What's a foodie?! Sounds like a cross between a joint and a malt liquor beverage.

For 2:

Go to Harrods! Their food courts are amazing. We were in an apartment and brought home dinner to reheat - delicious!

Sorry can't answer 1 - we slummed it at pubs and some very good but inexpensive ethnic restaurants.

Main Entry: food?ie
Pronunciation: 'fü-dE
Function: noun
Date: 1982
: a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads

Hi
I disagree slightly with the last definition of a foodie. I might be one, but it's not just trends that interest me. For me, it's the savoring, appreciation, and culinary interest in fine dining.

Anyway, my suggestion for a gourmet treat in London would be one of the Gordon Ramsay restaurants.

Hi Elaine,

I like your definition better too...I just got the one above from Merrium-Webster online for ehazard's info.

Thanks for the Gordon Ramsay suggestion!

Main Entry: ehaz ard
Pronunciation: e'ha-z&rd
Function: noun
Date: 1978
1. a person having an avid interest in shoving his foot in his mouth with sarcasm attempts that go horribly wrong.
2. one who should not be attempting an answer at which no prior knowledge is present
3. one whose vocabulary has increased

ehazard:

NOW I'm laughing

Two of my favorites ....

Le Pont de la Tour (Butler's Wharf). Especially if you can manage an outside table with a view of Tower Bridge.

Oxo Tower - Drop dead gorgeous view of St. Paul's and the rest of London.

The best London restaurants for a foodie:

1. Gordon Ramsay
2. Connaught
3. Ivy
4. Le Caprice
5. St. John
6. Veeraswamy
7. Spoon

Here's the web address for the Michelin red guide for the UK:

http://www.michelin.co.uk/gb4.pdf

Liberty's has an excellent kitchen gadget shop.

Gavaroche, Caprice and Rules for Typical but good English food in old times Ambiance.It's like our old Loch-Over's here in Boston. My friend's uncle treated us as he does all guests from America.

Petrus. Marcus Wareing studied under Gordon Ramsay, whose own restaurant gets top reviews.

All the suggestions are good, but also try Ingognico on Shaftesbury Avenue, where the lunch and pre-dinner menus are very good value.
Also, check out our Gastropubs. They are not a chain, but there are lots of them around. Basically, they are trad. pubs that have been gentrified, smartened and which offer good, well-presented food (often trad. British) at fair prices. Time Out should help you out. Many are in the 'villages' of London like Notting Hill, Hampstead, Clapham etc.
Finally, if you like good good to take away, a look at Marks and Spencer sandwiches or the 'Finest' range at Tesco might be a good idea. Even though they come wrapped in plastic, they are very good (especially compared with sandwiches brought in the US/Canada.)

You can't do serious eating in London and not eat Chinese. Best Cantonese food on the planet outside Hong Kong. Almost anywhere in Chinatown (Golden Dragon generally currently best rated, especially for dimsum). Royal Garden on Queensgate, though besat avoided Sunday lunch when the queues of London Chinese almost go round the block.
Harvey Nick's (the fashionable, interesting neighbour to Harrod's) for food shopping. If you're thinking of eating at Club Gascon at Smithfield, their attached food shop is great.. Paxton&Whitfield or Neal's Yard for cheese.
Borough Market, Southwark on Fris and Sats.
Guidebooks haven't yet caught up with the miniboom in foodie shops close to the out-of-London tourist traps - especially Windsor, Chatsworth and Blenheim. Interested?

If you have a chance to get out to Bray
(small village near Windsor, about 1 hr from central London) go to The Fat Duck - really innovative, unusual food. Has 2 Michelin stars and is simply delicious.

Four Seasons (Chinese) on Queesnway, Bayswater for great roast duck - not fine dining but the queues speak for themselves

Food Hall at Harrods is a must. Also the one at Harvey Nichols. The Bluebird on the King's Road is also a nice foodshop, with a brasserie-style restaurant. Agree with most of restaurant suggestions, and want to add The Square in Bruton Street. Very elegant, great food, very expensive too. I have stayed at Dolphin Square, but haven't tried the restaurant. I'm sure Gary Rhodes is a great chef, but the restaurant itself is uninspiring.

If you want to combine buying good food and exploring a traditional London market go to Borough Market. It's wonderful for food and you can buy great snacks there.
Near Spitalfields market is a little shop A. Gold which sells gourmet English food, Yorkshire Brack, sticky toffee pudding, "real" pork pies etc. etc. It has a website at http://www.agold.co.uk/
with a map showing you where it is.

Thanks for all the terrific suggestions! I'll be printing this thread out and bringing it along. I am also going to check out the restaurants suggested. Any thoughts on whether we'd need to call now for reservations?

I have been to Harrod's food hall and that is certainly going to be one of my stops. We had champagne and oysters there last year!!!!!

Maybe I'll scratch Portobello Road Market and switch to Borough.

Flanneruk...we are considering a day trip, it's a close race between Windsor and Greenwich, would love to hear what you have as far as suggestions.

Thanks EVERYBODY!!!

There are many kitchen gadget shops along the king's rd, including the one attached to Bluebird, also several in the covent garden area..one right in the market buildings and another as you approach the market from the CG tube station. Also you might want to stop in Partridges nr Sloane Square , for traditional products .