Angela

Hi everyone

We have just decided on a very last minute trip to London this weekend. Despite living in N Ireland, I have very rarely been to London, and not for a very long time.

My ideal weekend in London would include a meal in Gordon Ramseys Hospital Road restaurant, but as we are going this weekend, that shall have to be on a future trip.

I am hoping for recommendations for the following:

1 - A restaurant for Saturday night, I know it is VERY last minute, and I dont stand a chance of getting in anywhere worth going, but I really am a foodie and would love to go to a really good restaurant. Somewhere with top class food, that is not too stuffy but with a great atmosphere, not chinese, indian or italian. Good wine list is a must, and really good 5 star service. I don't mind paying whatever it takes!

2 - A good bar to go to after the meal. Last time I was in London we ate in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and I really liked the bar there. Somewhere buzzing and sophisticated, with plenty of people to watch (!), with good cocktails and wines, and within walking distance of the recommended restaurant!!

I appreciate your help.

Many thanks

Angela

LeDoutre

I can't help with restaurants because all the "majors" are probably full already, although you could try for a cancellation. Friends who just came back from London were taken to Lost Society by British friends and had a good time there.
http://www.lostsociety.co.uk/index2.htm

Angela

Thank you LeDoutre, I shall look into this.

Any other suggestions?

Angela

Angela

ttt

Angela

Anyone?

caroline_edinburgh

Well, in the absence of other recommendations by people who still live in London... As you already know, you won't get in any of the top places unless you try for a cancellation. But I always liked Kengsington Place, on Kensington Church Street, where the food is nice and the atmosphere good. If you book today or tomorrow I'd expect you'd get in. Mm, the foie gras with sweetcorn panckaes...

Somewhere I keep meaning to go but haven't got round to yet is St John - I don't know what your chances would be but better than the most famous places - worth a try, & that's what I'd try for first.

caroline_edinburgh

P.S. The last vg place I went in London was actually Royal Hospital Road - very good, obviously, but not the best meal I'd ever had.

Nate_77

try gordon ramseys maze the fod is amazing. you might be lucky and get a booking. try the following site which i always use: www.london-eating.co.uk. there are loads of reviews and deals as well, also this website links you into www.london-drinking.co.uk where you can find a bar nearby. else www.toptable.co.uk. the mandarin is still good place but it depends on the place you book. there are tons of places in london so i am sure you will find something. good luck

david_west

I suspect one of the reasons that you aren’t getting any responses from us Londoners is your question is too open. There are thousands of restaurants and tens of thousands of pubs and bars, so we’re a bit overwhelmed being asked to just pick one.

You might as well forget getting into any of the really well known restaurants at this notice, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get anywhere good. Could you give us an idea of your tastes?

As for bars – this is England – we don’t do bars, we do pubs. Whereabouts are you looking? Where are you staying? (There are bars in London but they tend to be nests of tossers)

carylspall

My favourite is Aubergine.

BTilke

We're very fond of Zuma
http://www.zumarestaurant.com/
It's Japanese, which wasn't on your "no" list. Zuma has a lively bar as well. I called them to inquire about Saturday night availability and they are full but there are only a few people on their waiting list so the chances are pretty good that you could get in.

I also called The Wolseley (http://www.thewolseley.com/) and they do have a FEW tables left for 6:30 pm or 10:30 pm. It's not what I would consider an absolute top tier restaurant, but it's still quite good, has a great vibe, and is in an excellent location. And it's not Chinese, Indian, or Italian. The wine list is well chosen and they carry some appealing and normally hard to find Austrian options you might like to try (including dessert "eiswein&quot. If you wanted a table there, you should call ASAP. I have eaten there several times and they've always treated me very well.

Angela

Thank you for all the suggestions, I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer! A special thank you to BTilke who actually telephoned the Wolseley for me.

I have tried MANY restaurants, and I finally got a reservation in Angela Hartnett at the Connaught, which I am very pleased with!

We have booked for 9.45, and we hope to go somewhere for a drink afterwards, but I believe that all bars close at 11pm, is this true? Would there be anywhere nearby that we could walk to after dinner, keeping in mind that I would enjoy somewhere like the bar in the Mandarin Oriental? A trendy, fun place for a few cocktails and people watching.

Thanks

Angela

david_west

Bars pubs etc don’t have to close at 11 any more – although a lot still do. Most trendy places stay open late (1 or two – places for younger people to 3)

Angela

Thank you David, and also for your earlier reply.

We're in our late 20's, and as we are eating so late and probably won't be finishing til 12/1am, we might just get to hit the 3am places!

Any suggestions?

Angela

jay

How about the Cinamon Club for Indian food. It comes highly recommended.

david_west

You could try the Dover St Wine bar – That stays open late, and of course there is the bar I the Hotel itself.

It’s not really an area I know – really you want MKingdom, it’s where he hangs around (in co-respondent shoes no doubt).

m_kingdom2

The Wolseley (for future reference) is really extremely mediocre. I was there a couple of weeks ago for a late dinner (it's one of the few restaurants where you can turn up gone 11pm on a Sunday and not have to rush your meal)..the steak that was served up was virutally all fat, the waitress promptly removed it from my bill. The dry martinis were apparently made with Grey Goose vodka...it was Smirnoff, and Smirnoff Red Label at that. The best thing there is the puddings - their île flotant are superb.

"As for bars – this is England – we don’t do bars, we do pubs". I only like members bars or hotel bars - anything else will always give me cause for complaint. This is why I wouldn't recommend walking into a bar that is just a bar - the drinks will be over-priced, and very poorly mixed, and the music, and atmosphere will be lousy. You mention that you like the Mandarin Oriental bar, so I assume that hotel bars are the right way to go for you. The Connaught's bar is a little dull for my tastes, and unremarkable. Nearby, try Claridge's fumoir for a very intimate space - if you go late you'll be the last ones there and enjoy an almost "private party for two" experience. Or if you don't mind the company of lots of Americans with money, and often very brash with it, The Library Bar at the Lanesborough offers some of the best drinks in London (and very, very reasonably priced too) even though Salvatore Calabrese - their star barman - has been lost to the Fifty Club in St James's. I wouldn't recommend Brown's Hotel's bar - drinks are the most expensive of any hotel bar in London (bizarrely), and the service to go with it just isn't there. Or if you want some amusement, go to the American Bar at the Savoy where they have the most awful pianist/singer (one person) playing "classic tunes" and murdering the lyrics...but after a few drinks you hardly seem to notice!

caroline_edinburgh

Hi mk2, haven't seen your name for a while. I've just heard I've won a stay at what they are calling the May Fair Hotel, the Radisson Edwardian on Stratton Street. I'd be fascinated to hear your opinion of it !

m_kingdom2

They like to describe it as a five star property, which I suppose somewhere, somehow, it is. The food/drinks aren't bad actually, although the bar closes far too early, and isn't even open on a Sunday. The public areas are very small, the lobby has a low ceiling, making it feel even more cramped. Some sort of a spa in a basement, but I always feel a spa without a pool is too small.

The position is a minute's walk from The Ritz, so that is its saving grace. But if it's free, you can't be too fussy!

caroline_edinburgh

Thanks, mk !