Restaurants in London
 

My sister and I (late 50s) will have 2 days in London before our cruise and would like some restaurant recommendations for both nights we are there. We're staying at the Park Plaza Westminster and don't mind walking or taking public transportation. We would like local favorites and would enjoy something "upscale" for at least one of the nights. Thanks!

Some of my favourites:

Roast at Borough Market http://www.roast-restaurant.com/
Barbecoa at St Pauls: http://www.barbecoa.com/

Smith of Smithfields: http://www.smithsofsmithfield.co.uk/sos/index.html

Hawkmoor at Shoreditch or West End: http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/

The Ledbury in Notting Hill: http://www.theledbury.com/Home.aspx

Another good resource is www.toptable.co.uk

Two of my favorites are The Wolseley, the English equivalent of a French brasserie, and J. Sheekey, upscale fish. You will want reservations at both, and the concierge at your hotel should get them.

I think the various Carluccio's offer good value for money, especially if you like mushrooms, which are a sort of signature item on their menus.

Others will no doubt have their own recommendations, and I may think of more after I have another cup of coffee.

It's true that Antonio Carluccio is a distinguished food writer and cook with a particular passion for finding wild mushrooms and encouraging everyone else to try them.

But he's not a professional restaurateur. He's given his name to a fairly bland restaurant management company, who provide at best adequate Italian food (and far too often food that's a great deal less than adequate in quality). And then pack their tables together, promote themselves to the loud voiced young and decorate their outlets with no form of sound absorbency.

The result is an appalling cacophony: fine for adolescents intent on going deaf before they grow up, but simply intolerable for anyone over 30. OK if you're stuck somewhere for lunch with no other edible restaurants (it's the only place to eat if you're unlucky enough to have been dragged to the Bicester Village outlet mall for example). but absolutely not worth wasting any time on in a real city.

Personally, I'd no more give a blind recommendation to a stranger on a website about eating in London than I'd ask for one if I were visiting New York.

There are far too many excellent restaurants here to trust advice from someone about whose tastes you're as ignorant as they are about yours. The most sensible thing to do is to buy when you arrive here Time Out Eating and Drinking in London, 2011 (about £15). Buy it at Heathrow when you arrive, and use the journey in to read succinct and gastronomically literate reviews, usually by real experts on the cuisines concerned, about the extraordinary range of different food we offer here.

I have to say I completely agree about Carluccio's - its loud, food is average at best - its just a typical italian chain restaurant. Service is slow and average at best. So many better restaurants in London to spend your time and money.

Great thread for my upcoming trip.

Luvtogo, you might consider RULES in Maiden Lane, "oldest" retaurant in London, full of Dickensonian charm.

Time Out is a great source for recommendations and you can read them online: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/

Ackislander, the Wolseley is not the equivalent of a French brasserie. Over my many lunches and afternoon teas there, I had a chance to have some long, friendly chats with the management. Their inspiration was Austrian, not French. One of the reasons I started frequenting the Wolseley was that it offered a nice selection of Austrian wines by the glass and Austrian pastries. The manager told me that part of their pre-opening research included some time in Vienna at various cafes/restaurants. (nice work if you can get it!)

I like the Wolseley for a lot of reasons, and while I've never had a bad meal there, it's not the best food in town. It's also quite noisy - doesn't bother me, but for those who like a quiet dining experience, the Wolseley isn't the place to go.

For upscale, our favourites are Zuma (sushi/Japanese) http://www.zumarestaurant.com/zuma_uk.html or Petrus (French) http://www.gordonramsay.com/petrus/

And speaking of wine, IMO, the 1707 wine bar in the lower ground floor of Fortnum & Mason is too often overlooked. They offer consistently interesting wine choices and it's a nice place to relax.
This link gives you a video tour

http://www.fortnumandmason.com/1707-wine-bar.aspx