Monday, December 07, 2009

Best of 2009 in London

Here is my list of best food shops , restaurants and wine establishments for 2009 and you can compare with 2008 here 2007 here and 2006 here

Best Italian Restaurant : L'Anima

Best Indian : Bombay Palace

Best Indian (Modern) : Benares

Best Pakistani : New Tayyabs & Saloos

Best Chinese : Hunan

Best Thai : Nahm

Best Japanese : Umu

Best Vietnamese : Mien Tay , Hackney and Battersea

Best Lebanese/Syrian : Ishbilia

Best Sushi : Sushi - Hiro

Best French : The Square , Hibiscus and Le Gavroche

Best Spanish : Cambio de Tercio

Best Tapas : Fino ; Barfina

Best English : St John's

Best Fish/Seafood : J Sheekey

Best Gastro Pub : Anchor & Hope , Great Queen St & Harwood Arms

Best Selection of Beer : Draft House and The Rake

Best Wine Bar : Vinoteca

Best Brasserie : Le Cafe Anglais

Best Bistro/Bourgeois Cooking : Racine , Knightsbridge

Best Burger : Hawksmoor

Best Steak : Cote de Boeuf at Racine

Best Steak Restaurant : Hawksmoor ,& Goodmans

Best mid range Burger : Byron Burger

Best Pizza : Franco Manca

Best Value for money Wine List : Andrew Edmunds

Best Value for Money Restaurant : Giaconda Dinning Room

Best Italian Deli : Speck

Most over rated : The Wolseley , River Cafe and Sketch

Best Butcher : Oshea's Knightbridge

Best Bakery : St John's Bread , Franco Manca & K&S Bakery (German breads only)

Best Patisserie : William Curley

Best Cakes and Brownies : Bea's of Bloomsbury

Best Fishmonger : The Chelsea Fishmonger (Rex Goldsmith), Chelsea Green

Best Cheese Shop : La Fromagerie

Best Wine Merchants : Berry Brothers & Rudd , Bibendum Wines

Best Fruit & Veg : Andreas Georghiou , Turnham Green Terrace

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most Over rated list could go on and on...it must have ben hard to stop!

Greedy Diva said...

A fine list! And love that you mention St Johns bread in the bakery section - I can eat their madeleines by the box full. I love so many of these places - although am still falling over myself to get to Hawksmoor.

Anonymous said...

Hey Dino,

Happy to be found in two establishment of your fine list.

Gal

S said...

interesting list, D. tayyab's and saloo's my fave, too. i do love the wolseley's cream tea, though :) shall try Hiro, have been to nozomi and umu. umu was a bit fussy wouldnt go back. like your list, d. shall be referring to it.

Gastro1 said...

mnaahs I'm sorry to say you are right :-)

About Greedy Diva very moorish indeed

zoharwine it's all about being at the right place

shayma to be honest have had better Pakistani food in Glasgow , Birmingham and Bradford but my list is London only have you tried the tea at Browns Hotel much better IMHO

S said...

i tried it long time ago (Browns), back in '97 i think. shall give it another go upon your suggestion.

catty said...

A brilliant and thorough list! I need to start making my way through this, and luckily already have St John's booked in for January '10. Sushi Hiro is also on my MUST HAVE list.. but Nahm.. hmm I think this is the first time I've heard something positive about Namh! Yay for Hawksmoor and Goodman :)

Gastro1 said...

Shayma Browns has been bought and refubed by Rocco Forte since then Tea is still tops.

Catty Niamh gets some negative vibes because of location and the fact it is pricey however for me the food is superb in a city where Thai food is really in decline with lots of restaurants being in pre prepared food etc.

scandilicious said...

A comprehensive list from London's ne plus ultra Epicurean! I agree with you on Umu, Racine, L'Anima, Hunan, Nahm, Great Queen Street, Le Cafe Anglais, Franco Manca, Giaconda, O'Sheas, William Curley, La Fromagerie...

OK the list goes on. Basically I agree with you on all fronts and am curious to try Ishbilia. Have had better fish/seafood at Bentley's than J Sheekey...

Not sure why Nahm gets a bad rap, the food there - I've heard from several reliable sources - is fantastic and as good as gourmet Thai food gets in London

Best cake? I'd add Scandi Kitchen to that list ;-) And Ella's bakehouse in Covent Garden. Last time I was at Bea's their cakes were bland and dry. Their brownie is still delicious.

And Brown's afternoon tea is the best in London, without a doubt. Went two years ago and loved it, must revisit in 2010!

Luiz Hara said...

Hi, thanks for sharing that impressive list, I do not know many of these places but will make sure to tick off a few in the new year! Merry Xmas to you.

Luiz @ The London Foodie

Gastro1 said...

scandilicious yes I agree with you about Brown's must try Ella's Bakehouse have walked by but never ventured in - we certainly need more real bakeries and patisseries in London.

The London Foodie thank you for your kind words and for stopping by.

Nick said...

What happens if you don't like somewhere - do you just avoid doing a review?

Gastro1 said...

Nick

It is a very good question I only tend to review, with some notable exceptions ,restaurants I eat in at least 3 times. I also obviously undertake considerable research before going in the first place so I rarely have a below average experience . Saying that I would say about 5 % of the restaurants I eat in don't make it past 1 or 2 visits and I don't bother posting a review.

However I have been known to be very critical about certain establishments in conversations with friends or on Twitter !