Tuesday, December 20, 2016

The Best of London Food and Beverage for 2016.

Here is my list of best of London food shops , restaurants and wine establishments for 2016.

Best Restaurant(s) in London : Hedone , Dinner , Bonhams , The Greenhouse , The Clove Club and The Ledbury

Best Sourcing and Ingredients : Hedone

Best Restaurant Wine Lists : Pollen St Social , Chez Bruce  , The Greenhouse , Noble Rot , Bonhams ,  Hedone and Taillvent 110

Best New Openings : Luca , Anzu and Daarbar

Best Argentinian : Zoilo

Best Italian Restaurant (Southern) :  Quattro Passi

Best Italian Restaurant (Northern) :  Novikov , Locanda Locatelli

Best Pan Italian :  , River Café  ,  Enoteca Turi , (Francesco Mazzei 's) Sartoria and L'Amorosa

Best Trattoria : Mele e Pere  and Artusi

Best Casual Indian :  Chai Ki

Best Indian (Modern) : Roti Chai and Gymkhana

Best Pakistani :  Saloos 

Best Chinese : Hunan , Kai , HKK, Silk Road and A Wong

Best Dim Sum :  A Wong  and Royal China (Baker St)

Best Thai :  Heron and Som Sa

Best Fusion : Novikov 

Best Japanese : The Araki

Best Vietnamese : head to Paris or Vietnam

Best Lebanese/Syrian : Ishbilia  Knightsbridge and Meza Tooting

Best Greek : The Greek Larder

Best "Politiki Kouzina " Peckham Bazaar 

Best Turkish : Mangal Ocakbasi (Stoke Newington)

Best Sushi : Sushi Tetsu , Yashin Sushi

Best French :  Gauthier Soho , Club Gascon and The Greenhouse

Best Modern British/European : The Ledbury , Kitchen Table and The Clove Club

Best Spanish : Cambio de Tercio  and  Pizarro 

Best Tapas : Tendido Cedro , Barrafina and José

Best English : St John's , Gillrays , The Guinea Grill

Best Fish/Seafood : One - O - One , Knightsbridge 

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

Best Service : Galvin's Windows and Cambio de Tercio

Best Sandwich : Kappacaseins Cheese Toastie

Best Pub : The Hourglass

Best Selection of Craft Beer :  The Rake , Drafhouse ( various)

Best Wine Bar : 40 Maltby St , Antidote Wine Bar and Noble Rot

Best Brasserie : Bob Bob Ricard

Best Neighbourhood Restaurants : L'Amorosa , Peckham Baazar and Artusi

Best Mavericks : Brunswick House Café , Dock Kitchen , Moro , and 40 Maltby St

Best French Bistro/Bourgeois Cooking :  Casse Croûte  

Best Burger :  Little Social 

Best "joint" Burger :  Tommi's , Meat Market , Meat Liquor and Patty& Bun

Best Chain Burger : Patty & Bun

Best Steak : Gillrays  , Guinea Grill , Zelman Meats and Goodman

Best Steak Restaurants : Gillrays, Hawksmoor , Sophie's and Goodman

Best Pizza :  Santa Maria and Pizzicotto

Best Pizza Chain : Franco Manca

Best Street Food : Mr Falafel ( Shepherds Bush )

Best Value for money Wine List : Noble Rot, Bonhams and Andrew Edmunds

Best Value for Money Restaurants : Koya Bar , Sophie's ,   and Mangal Ocakbasi

Best Breakfast : Koya Bar and The Ritz

My best meal in London 2016 . Hedone .

My best meals outside London in 2016 : The Sportsman (Kent) and The Crown Burchetts Green .

My best meals outside the UK in 2016 : Chez L'Ami Jean, Paris , Pierre Gagnaire , Paris ,  Le Calandre , Rubano , Trattoria Ai Due Platini , Parma

Best Bakery/Bread :  Hedone

Best  Chocolatier : William Curley

Best Patisserie : La Pâtisserie des Rêves , Orée

Best Coffee : Prufrock Coffee

Best Coffee Roaster : Square Mile , Monmouth and Caravan

Best Croissants : Little Bread PedlarOrée and Hedone

Best Gelato :  Oddono's 

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

Best Greengrocer : Andreas Veg , Chelsea . John and Elena @Spa Terminus

Best Greek food and wine supplier : Maltby & Greek

Best Cheese Shops : La Fromagerie , Androuet , Buchanans and Neal's Yard 

Best Purveyor of French Charcuterie  : The Ham and Cheese Company

Best Purveyors of Italian Salumi : The Ham and Cheese Company and L'Emporio Fine Foods

Best Purveyor of British Chacuterie : Cannon and Cannon

Best Wine Merchants Retail : Lea and Sandeman, Philglas and Swiggot , Market Row Wines , Bottle Apostle , Hansen Hayes and Clark and Handford

Best Wine Merchants Wholesale : Liberty , Fortyfive 10 , Aubert and Mascoli and Fields , Morris and Verdin

Sunday, September 04, 2016

What have the French ever done for us ? ( Gastronomically speaking )


Over the last ten years or so what the French call ‘Anglo Saxon” press have suggested that French Gastronomy has been in steady decline whilst at the same time overstating the improvements in both the US and the UK.

Reasons for the so call decline that tend to be sited are to do with the “rigid labour market, minimum working week legislation as well as demographic changes common in many advanced first world economies.

It is also suggested that in France, Chef’s and the populace in general are not open to new ideas and influences emanating from other food cultures. Continue reading here