Best of London food shops , restaurants and wine establishments for 2020

 Here is my list of best of London food shops , restaurants and wine establishments for 2020.

Best Restaurant(s) in London : The Clove Club , Claude Bosi at Bibendum , , Kitchen Table , The Ritz , Portland (with Theo Clench) , Sola Soho , Maos and Pied a Terre

Best Sourcing and Ingredients :   Sola Soho , The River Cafe 

Best Restaurant Wine Lists :  Chez Bruce  , Medlar , Noble Rot , Hunan, Wild Tavern and Hide

Best New Openings : Noble Rot Soho , Maison Francois , Darjeeling Express 2.0 and  Pantechnicon

Best Argentinian : Zoilo

Best Italian Restaurant (Southern) :  Gola

Best Italian ( Sardinian) Olivo Group 

Best Italian Restaurant (Northern) :  Novikov ,  Locanda Locatelli

Best Pan Italian :  , River Café  ,  Boca di Lupo , (Francesco Mazzei 's) Sartoria and L'Amorosa

Best Trattoria : Mele e Pere  , Radici and L'Amorosa

Best Indian : Jamvar , Gymkhana and Roti Chai/Chai Ki

Best Casual Indian :  Chai Ki 

Best Indian delivery : Motu

Best Indian (Modern) : Roti Chai and Gymkhana

Best Pakistani :  Saloos and Tayyabs

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

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

Best Thai :   Som Saa , The Heron

Best Fusion : Novikov and Maos

Best Japanese : The Araki , Endo at the Rotunda and Umu

Best Vietnamese : head to Paris or Vietnam

Best Singapore/Malaysian : Rasa Sayang

Best Lebanese/Syrian : Ishbilia  Knightsbridge

Best Greek :  Opsos , Meraki and Horvada

Best "Politiki Kouzina " Peckham Bazaar  and Dulwich Lyceum

Best Turkish : Gökyüzü and Yeni 

Best Iranian/Persian : Kateh and Berenjak

Best Sushi : The Araki and Endo at the Rotunda

Best French :  Gauthier Soho , Club Gascon, Claude Bosi at Bibendum

Best Vegan : Gauthier Soho

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

Best Spanish : Cambio de Tercio  and  Pizarro 

Best Tapas : Tendido Cero , Barrafina , José

Best English : St John's , The Guinea Grill , Parlour and Quality Chop House

Best Fish/Seafood : Noble Rot ,  Parsons ,  The Sea The Sea and Bentley's

Best Oysters : Noble Rot , Wright Bros , The French House  and Bentley's

Best Gastro Pubs : Parlour , Harwood Arms , Anchor and Hope and Eagle

Best Service : Noble Rot and Cambio de Tercio

Best Sandwich : Kappacasein's , Cheese Toastie

Best Pub : The Guinea 

Best Selection of Craft Beer :  The Rake 

Best Wine Bar : 40 Maltby St , Antidote Wine Bar, 10 Cases and Noble Rot

Best Brasserie : Bob Bob Ricard and Bob Bob Cite

Best Neighbourhood Restaurants : L'Amorosa , Peckham Baazar , Myrtle and Chez Bruce

Best Mavericks : Quality Wines , Mao's  Catalyst Cafe & Roasters and 40 Maltby St 

Best French Bistro/Bourgeois Cooking :  Casse Croûte  

Best Burger :  Zoilo

Best "joint" Burger :  Patty and Bun and Meat Liquor 

Best Chain Burger : Patty and Bun

Best Steak : Guinea Grill , Zelman Meats , Flat Iron and Goodman

Best Steak Restaurants : Zelman Meats ,  Hawksmoor , Flat Iron , and Goodman

Best Pizza :  Santa Maria and Pizzicotto

Best Pizza chain : Franco Manca

Best Italian Deli : Prezzemolo e Vitale 

Best Street Food : Mr Falafel ( Shepherds Bush )

Best Value for money Wine List : Noble Rot, The Wild Tavern , Hunan and Andrew Edmunds

Best Value for Money Restaurants : Koya Bar ,  Flatiron and Peckham Bazaar

Best Breakfast : Koya Bar and The Guinea

My best meals in London 2020 . Calude Bosi at Bibendum , Sola Soho  and Peckham Bazaar.

My best meal outside London in 2020 :  The Crown Burchetts Green  , Scran and Scallie , Edinburgh, The Star Inn, Harome

My best meals outside the UK in 2020 : Chez L'Ami Jean,  , Table ( Bruno Verjus) ,  Alliance, Le Clarence, and  L'Ambroisie , all in Paris. Aimsir , County Kildare , Ireland. 

Best Bakery/Bread :  Hedone Bakery

Best  Chocolatier : William Curley

Best Patisserie :  Hedone Bakery , Arome Bakery Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon and William Curley

Best Coffee : Prufrock Coffee , Queens Mayfair and Parcafe 

Best Coffee Roaster : Difference Coffee and Square Mile

Best Tea : Lalani and Co

Best Viennoiserie :  Hedone Bakery and Arome Bakery

Best Gelato :  Oddono's 

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

Best Fish and Seafood  Online : Pesky Fish

Best Butchers : South East - O'Shea's  * ,  South West - Provenence - West  - Brown's Artisan Butchers , North - Godfrey's

Best Greengrocer : Andreas Veg , Chelsea .

Best Cheese Shops : La Fromagerie , Mons, 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 

Best Purveyor of British Charcuterie : Cannon and Cannon

Best Purveyor of Greek food and wine : Maltby and Greek *

Best Wine Merchants Retail :  Hedonism , Hansen Hayes and Clark , Nysa , Lea and Sandeman and Handford

Best Wine Merchants Wholesale : Flint , Fortyfive 10 ,  and Field Morris and Verdun

* Disclosure - In the past I was involved with these businesses in a non executive capacity.

Sammach , Dubai

Sammach is a Lebanese fish restaurant with three branches in Dubai . It is one of my favourite places to go to when I'm in town and want really fresh fish from the Arabian Gulf.

My three friends and I picked a nice 2kg Hammour , 2kg of Red Mullett and 1kg of large shrimp. Hammour is the generic name given to a type Grouper found in the Arabian Gulf , Indian Ocean and parts of the Red Sea.

I am particularly fond of Hammour especially when it is simply grilled over charcoal and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Hammour is enjoyed by nationals of Kuwait , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Qatar ,Oman, UAE and Yemen whilst many of the expatriates use it in dishes ranging from Fish & Chips , steamed with ginger , garlic , chili and coriander , Tagine to curries.


After some delightful Lebanese Mezza the fish was brought to the table.

After a long hot day very few things can beat a good simple meal, with good friends where fish that has been landed a few hours before cooking is the star.

Sammach
Jumeirah Beach Centre
+97143494140

Fisher's for top Fish and Chips

It's so difficult to find good Fish and Chips in London in fact I struggle to name more than 4 places that are genuinely good.

The Rock and Sole Plaice and Sea Shell are really not very good any more.

This shop has been a chippy for over 30 years but about 8 years ago the Fisher twins took it over.

Fishers was sold about 18 months ago and the owner did not find suitable management to run it so standards went down.

The new owner has managed to bring Dan Fisher back who runs a tight ship and normal service has been resumed.

Currently I would rate the Cod and Chips here as being as good as anywhere in London.

The fish is always fresh and well sourced, cooked in good oils in a simple "Golden Sheaf" batter mixed with water. As Dan says he'd rather drink the beer.

The menu is extensive and fish is also available steamed and grilled for those who do not want to opt for classic English Fish and Chips.

The staff are very friendly and believe in getting to know their customers which probably explains why there are lots of loyal regulars who are not just local but are prepared to travel for good Fish and Chips.

Mrs Gastro and children visit every week en route to the scouts !

In fact Tom who runs the front of the very small sit down restaurant has the patience of a Saint. On a recent visit I watched him handle a very eccentric and drunk gentleman with wonderful tact and good humour.