kmowatt

Some of my favourites:
Noisé - lovely small French resto in Fitrovia
Kitty Fishers - small resto in Shepherds Market Mayfair...never miss going here...they have the most amazing crispy potatoes ever...I dream about them!
Jamavar - upscale Indian around the corner from the Connaught...I did their tasting menu paired with wine (not easy to do with Indian). I also don’t like spicy and they made good recommendations for me to steer clear of the hot stuff
Wolseley - on Piccadilly near the Ritz...always good, been there for years, always busy...good for tea and breakfast also
the Olivo brands on Elizabeth St - all are good and Elizabeth St is super elegant...the Cubbitt Pub on the street is great too

and for sure go to the Connaught and ask for directions to the Champagne Bar...small hidden private bar serving drinks in beautiful glasses (right up your street based on what I’ve read from your previous trip reports). We both like Catherine Reed in Paris so I feel like our food tastes might be similar.

Oh...I also love the bar in the Café Royal and they just opened a room devoted to champagne and dessert....called Cakes and Bubbles...on Regent Street

i am sure I’ll think of some others...like Les 110 de Taillevent...I think you’ve been to the original in Paris...the London location is small, beautiful dining room with the most amazing arched windows...a former bank I believe...they treated me very well here in December.

Enjoy!

maitaitom

"Wolseley - on Piccadilly near the Ritz...always good, been there for years, always busy."

I second that. Gorgeous space. When this building was completed in 1921, it first housed The Wolseley Car Company showroom. In 1926 and on the verge of bankruptcy, Wolseley sold the building to Barclays Bank. Due to decentralization of the banks, Barclay departed the building in 1998. Great food .. wonderful service ... delectable cocktails.

denisea

You guys are killing it! these are all amazing suggestions and exactly what I was hoping my fellow Fodorites would come through with! I hate that I won't be able to get to all of them. Thank you everyone.

I am very excited. kmowatt - you have been paying attention to my reports---private Champagne bar? That's gotta go to the top of the list and Wolseley sounds amazing.

tuscanlifeedit

I pretty much ran smack dab in to Rufus Sewell once at The Wolseley.

I don't know if Palomar is still getting rave reviews but we count it among our favorite London meals.

barbrn

I'm making notes too from this thread. This is wonderful. Denisea, I think you have some good recommendations. I hope you write a trip report from this trip, reporting back as to what you tried.

I think I'm going to be in London for 3 days in October (hence the note taking). I was just there last March, but I'm not much of a foodie, so a lot of my meals were just OK. Two places we loved though, were Rules, which claims to be one of London's oldest restaurants and where we had one of our fancier meals, and The Wellington which is where we enjoyed a delicious Sunday roast.

denisea

tuscanlife....Lord M at The Wolseley? Definitely going!! Barbrn - I will write a TR when I get back. It's the best way for me to remember our trip and only fair to repay the assistance of my fellow Fodorites, as well!

Tulips

Lord M? Obergruppenfuthrer John Smith you mean? Still wouldn't mind bumping in to him!

denisea

I only know him as Lord M from Victoria...haven't watched the series to which you are referring Tulips. Yet another binge watching episode that needs to happen, apparently. I got sucked into re-watching The Sopranos last week as it was the 20th anniversary of the debut of that series.

Tulips

It's the Man in the High Castle where he plays a top nazi officer. He was more sympatico as Lord M!

WeisserTee

Glad to see the Wolseley is still going strong; when we lived in Berkshire I went there almost weekly for tea or lunch. I got to know the manager at the time and he explained the restaurant's inspiration was Cafe Landtmann in Vienna. When the Wolseley first opened it always featured a nice selection of Austrian wines by the glass and some lovely Austrian-style pastries. Try to sit in the inner horseshoe if you can. Be advised tho that the Wolseley's acoustics mean it's not the place for quiet conversations...but a great choice for people-watching and for single diners!

Odin

Another restaurant with great decor and interesting history is Brasserie Zedel. Food is French brasserie style, inexpensive, not always great though but good atmosphere.

https://www.brasseriezedel.com/brasserie-zedel

If you'd like a restaurant or cocktail bar with views, this one is pretty good, we enjoyed it

https://www.galvinatwindows.com/gallery/

Right by the V&A

Orsini

If you want a bite to eat while you are in Hampton Court Palace, couple of notable restaurants within walking distance

https://www.mezzet.co.uk/ Lebanese food, the best I've had in the UK, better than any offerings I've had in Edgware Road/Bayswater etc, they supply Selfridges so this is the level we are talking about
https://www.mezzetdar.co.uk/ Really good tapas bar with cocktails

By Kew Gardens, can suggest the following

Glasshouse Michelin starred restaurant, very close to Kew Gardens
AWT Kew Grill Steak restaurant, good but pricey
https://www.gauchorestaurants.com/restaurants/richmond/ Argentinian restaurant on the river front in Richmond which is a short bus ride away from the Gardens
https://theivycaferichmond.com/ British restaurant, almost always full so needs booking
Richmond has so many restaurants, bars, traditional pubs etc

rncheryl

Although we enjoyed our breakfast at Wolseley, service was not top notch.

Pre theater meal at Le Balcon, charming, excellent service, food very good.

And, although we did not have Sunday Roast at Hereford Arms, we had such a great experience here that we had dinner two times in 10 days.

denisea

Again, many thanks! The information is perfect and I really appreciate all the responses and detail. Odin- thanks for the suggestions near Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace....we will definitely be looking for food nearby so these are especially welcome!

Watching The White Queen this weekend for a little "England" and reading an Elizabeth I bio to get into full Britain mode.

Odin

I forgot to mention a decent pub right outside HCP, the Mute Swan. Sunday roast lunch is pretty good, popular and can be hard to get a table unless it is booked. Their traditional fish & chips are great too.
https://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/m...round-the-pub/

And Petersham Nurseries close to Richmond, a wonderful place for lunch. Might be a bit tricky to get to, there is probably a bus from Kew Gardens, I could check that for you. Taxis are not plentiful outside Kew Gardens, unless there is an evening event.

https://petershamnurseries.com/dine/the-cafe

kmowatt

Back again Denisea with a couple more suggestions.

enoteca rosso - loved this place...small Italian wine bar, different sized plates to try, warm service...280 Kensington High Street...west of Holland Park
the abingdon pub/restaurant - haven’t been here yet, but follow them on Instagram...next trip! It looks great and in your neighbourhood just off Kensington High Street at 54 Abingdon Road

i’ve had a few flat rentals in Kensington and it is a favourite place of mine to stay...you should enjoy the area as it is easy walking to various attractions...take a look at Holland Park there’s a beautiful Japanese Garden amongst other things...and some of the streets off Holland Park have beautiful houses to look at. I have some pics on my Instagram (iwannadesign).

Always enjoy reading your trip reports...I like your and Chaz’s travel style!

denisea

Thanks. Instagram is great for finding new things, isn’t it?! Chaz will be thrilled to visit any Japanese garden...Japanese maple obsessed!

so many options and I hope the government can get their act together on Brexit before we get there!

denisea

and now I am catching up on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and there is Rufus Sewell again. He’s everywhere so I definitely expect to run into him in London!

macdogmom

Absolutely love the Barbary, a sister restaurant of Palomar. It’s all bar seating and just delicious Mediterranean and North African food. Also we always go to Barrafina-their original one is in Soho. Great Spanish tapas as good as being in Spain. We also love udon noodles at Koya, Sri Lakan food at Hoppers, ramen at Bone Daddies and Italian at Bocca Di Lupo. Should definitely go to an Ottolenghi restaurant, maybe Rovi his newest one.

denisea

Thanks - these sound terrific.

nanabee

Great thread, enjoying reading it - making me miss my favorite city - London. The problem too many great things to do and never enough time!
Enjoy your vacation and look forward to your trip report!