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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
London: 3 Nights (Need Food Recs)
I will be in London for just three nights this month.
Do you have any restaurant recommendations for me?
Price is not an issue, although making reservations at this late date may be. We have no major dietary restrictions, and we enjoy low-end and high-end meals.
Thanks!
Re: London: 3 Nights (Need Food Recs)
Please dine at my favorite restaurant of all time, Zuma. Have their cocktails too. I wouldn't even bother with sushi (it's excellent but a waste to order there because the remaining menu items are divine). Hopefully they will have lobster noodles on the menu when you go.
Tayabs for the most awesome lamb chops at this Pakistani restaurant.
Hakkasan for a Michelin starred Chinese restaurant. The mixologists are crazy good. Order a mojito and watch them make it.
The Churchill Arms, a pub with the best Thai food (the restaurant is attached in the back).
OXO for the amazing view of the Thames.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
We had a few good dinners...
Dean Street Townhouse (Soho)
http://www.deanstreettownhouse.com/
Thai Square (Trafalgar Square)
http://www.thaisquare.net/#restaurants
We also had english tea service at the Orangery (Kensington Gardens)...it was excellent.
We liked Star of India which was recommended to us by a couple that used to live down the street.
Also liked Les Trois Garcons which was recommended by a London coworker. Fun and kitschy with a great menu.
Also:
One of my favorite eating experiences in London was Borough Market. MH and I would hit up all of our favorite food stands, it was amazing. Our route would be raw oysters, pork roll (the most savory and flavorful pork in a buttery, flaky pastry), chorizo sandwich stand, raclette w/potatoes and cornichons, this place that only did grilled scallops in the big pretty shell, and if you have room, German sausage. Also, there is a place that sells a turkey dinner sandwich (turkey, cranberries and the best stuffing).
One more. Hit up the food court at Harrod's. Get a meat pie there, heaven. I also love the champagne and raw oyster bar. They also have the most amazing caviar at the bar too, but I cheaped out and got an oyster tower.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
I agree with the Borough Market...the cheese sandwich was fan.tas.tic.
I am not so good with the food recs - we left in 2006 and when we visit we tend to stay with family (so, eating in and being in the 'burbs of Finchley). My BIL and SIL also really don't go out much other than down the pub.
I am a big fan of Time Out LONDON, derp for all recommendations London:
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1569/time-out-eating-and-drinking-awards-2011
Eat and Drink is just fun if you want to sing some karaoke, eat okay food and get drunk with The City folk after work. 11 Artillery Passage, London, E1 7LJ
Pret-a-Manger is recommended for quick lunches (sandwiches) on the go.
Ditto on Borough Market.
One of the alleged oldest pubs in London is called The Grapes, it's in Limehouse/East End. It's really cool. The food used to be decent. It was not a tourist trap at the time, which I am afraid The Prospect of Whitby (Wapping/East End) has become.
If you like Indian food, head for Brick Lane or Mela in Covent Garden http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/ is good.
Floridita was a super-fun date night - great food, great cocktails, great atmosphere.
http://www.floriditalondon.com/
This I just saw while googling and it looks fun: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2%3A20997/albion-at-the-boundary-project By now Shoreditch is either very hot or just about "over". It will have been "hipster over" probably 3-4 years ago, lol.
Oh, and YOU MUST GO to the food court at Harrod's. Seriously, you will DIE.
And it's fun to drink Champagne cocktails in the bar of the Savoy, which I believe has just undergone a major renovation. I saw Donny Osmond there once! lol.
Another fun place to people watch is the Fifth Floor Bar at Harvey Nichols.
Yeah that's right my name's Yauch!
If you happen to be in London on a Tuesday night, go the the Harwood Arms. It's a Michelin-starred pub and they do pub quiz (trivia) that night. You absolutely cannot beat this for an authentic British experience (i.e. not on tourist row) and an amazing menu.
ETA: Be sure to have a Scottish egg!
http://www.harwoodarms.com/
Other recommendations:
http://www.bumpkinuk.com/
http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=43
I love eating in London--so many different types of food!
Some of my favorites:
Zayna's, near Marble Arch, Indian/Pakistani: http://www.zaynarestaurant.co.uk/
Gilbert Scott, at St Pancras, for a traditional British splurge: http://www.thegilbertscott.co.uk/ (make sure to have the snow eggs, oh my goodness!)
The Wells, Hampstead, for a gastropub experience and a game of Scrabble: http://www.thewellshampstead.co.uk/
The Providores, Marylebone (Baker St or Bond St), for delightful brunch, http://www.theprovidores.co.uk/
Let me know if you're looking in specific areas or for more specific types of food and I'll see what I know. Enjoy!
We had tea at the National Gallery, and it was a nice informal way to experience tea. No reservations recommended. Actually, I had tea, and the husband had wine and a cheese plate.
I assume you are taking the train from London to your next city? If so, try and grab a pasty. This is a place in Victoria Station, but they're everywhere.
ETA: YES, Borough Market! We had Fish and Chips there as well as a few other things.
If you are walking around and need a quick lunch or bite to eat, Garfunkel's is the best chain (gasp) for fish and chips hands down! http://www.garfunkels.co.uk/
Afternoon Tea or breakfast at The Dorchester is quite delightful. http://www.thedorchester.com/afternoon-tea
The Dorchester's tasting menu is great as well. (Their Dover sole is also to die for.) http://www.arobis40.com/sites/thedorchester.com/uploads/documents/Menus/Tasting%20Menu.pdf
Tamarind has great Indian. Check out their Dawat and Shahi Dawat menus. Their presentation is great. I would make a late reservation here. http://www.tamarindrestaurant.com/food.php
I've always wanted to go to the Fat Duck - it has 3 Michelin stars
http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/
This is one of my suggestions as well. Plus, the neighborhood is so much fun! Another one in that neighborhood is Zizzi's for fresh Italian.
I just remembered another one of my favorite restaurants, Mandalay Burmese Restaurant on Edgware Road. The food is sooooooo good, delicious and get many refills of their accompaniment sauces. Also, very reasonable cost-wise. They should charge more for the quality of their food, but they don't. You don't need a res.
Oh another one. FishWorks, there's 3 locations but I can vouch for the one on Marylebone High Street. Laid-back sit-down white tablecloth restaurant and the seafood is super fresh. You don't need a res.
I would get seafood in London, I miss the freshness and the taste. Don't get a steak in London unless you like the taste of grass-fed beef. It's different from corn-fed.
Blog: Call Me Imelda
I know you aren't big drinkers but I would still stop by
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese to look around-- an important stop for English majors.
(Dr. Samuel Johnson's house is just around the corner.)
and
The courtyard at The George Inn is delightful. (We were there when it was cold-- they had heat lamps. Also I believe we had a cheese plate.) It's near Borough Market so you can stop in before or after.