3 nights in London - restaurant ideas

[bulb763]

She and I are off to London at the beginning of Feb for a long weekend. Having never been before we'd like some restaurant ideas for evening meals. Budget not huge - £30 / head + drinks is what I'd call expensive up here, although we realise we'll have to adjust those ideas while down there.

Staying at Double Tree West End and will be doing the central London touristy stuff, to give an idea of location.

Curry, Italian, good pubs, don't care really, although she doesn't eat meat (doesn't mind fish though), so no carnivore-only type places!

Oh and separately, she also wants to visit a tea room tea and scones, that sort of thing. Any recommendations?

Ta!

[Heff]

Any of the restaurants from the Wolseley guys are great:

http://www.brasseriezedel.com/

http://www.colbertchelsea.com/#

But particularly the Wolseley (http://www.thewolseley.com/) and the Delaunay (http://www.thedelaunay.com/). They hold 30% of the tables back for walk ins, but book to avoid a wait.

[chuck_ster]

If you are careful in your ordering from the menu, or can do the 3 course fixed price menu, this place looks a million dollars and the food is great...walking into the Mandarin Oriental is a decent London moment.

http://www.danielnyc.com/barbouludLondon.html#barb...

Otherwise if you concentrate on lunches, or have dinner really early, you can get amazing deals at most of the top flight places. I always look at Andy Haylers site and look through his reviews of types of food you like.

If you want to push the boat out just once, Alyn Williams at the Westbury is the best value Michelin Star quality place in London in my book. He does an excellent veggie tasting menu for freaks, used to be the head chef at Wareings place so knows his onions. Cost will be £60 a head plus booze and tips though. Considering his food would've been £100 a head at MW though, it's a bargin!

Afternoon tea's at the 'destination' hotels are £40 a head, afraid I don't know any more affordable places. I'd rather go to Chinatown and have dim sum in any case..traditional chinese afternoon tea lol

Chuck

[BenjiA]

Afternoon tea at the 7th floor tate restaurant is £12, and has excellent views.

Koffamns' lunch menu/pre post theatre is a steal at £25 3 courses...
http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/knightsbridge-restau...

[Gareth1974]

Try Yauatcha in Soho http://www.yauatcha.com/soho/menus/ . It also fits the bill as a tea room. Sort of.

[Gareth1974]

Going off topic slightly, most attractions in London do a 2 for 1 offer if you go by train. Saved me a fortune when I went for a long weekend in autumn.

[calibrax]

(Traditional PH innuendo-laden answer... but actually serious!)

Why not take her up the OXO Tower?

http://www.harveynichols.com/restaurants/oxo-tower...

[bulb763]

Well thank you all very much for the suggestions! We'll check them all out and probably book a table at a couple. Twill be a bit tricky timing-wise to fit everything else in around reservations but would rather not have to rely on walk-in spaces being available. Thanks again

[1878]

If you like Mexican, then Wahaca will feed you well without the budget getting too badly rogered. No bookings, if they are busy they will give you an estimate of how long you'll wait; a pager; and direct you to the bar.

http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

[littlegreenfairy]

Have a look at The Crazy Coqs if only for a laugh at the name. It's the cabaret/show part of the Basserie Zedel.

Afternoon tea at Cake Boy in Battersea is quite a nice experience. Very modern and owned by Eric Lanlard.

[LooneyTunes]

If you're taking the train back to Lancs, there are worse places to finish your trip than the Great Nepalese (round the corner from Euston) or Euston Tap (just out front). Neither is flash/expensive, but both are good.

[jonnylayze]

Try Corrigans in Mayfair for Sunday lunch. 3 courses for less than £25 iirc. Great atmosphere and lovely food

[Bullett]

La Poule au Pot seem to still be doing their lunch deal at £20 for 2 courses. Been there forever, utterly wonderfully arrogant French service which is part of the experience.

http://www.pouleaupot.co.uk/

[DudleySquires]

Just to drag this topic back again.. We've booked a table at Kettners but we also fancy trying something in China Town another night. Won't bother booking this time but are there particularly good places that we should look out for? Ta!

[princeperch]

Wong Kei !!

[silverthorn2151]

You'll have a great time. Us Londoners get so blase about what's around us. Seeing it all for the first time must be fantastic.

I would suggest walking everywhere you can. The centre of town isn't vast. You can spend more time going down to a tube and coming up than it would take walking.

Get an a to z at a reasonable scale and follow your nose. Soho is about 400 yards from Covent Garden, for instance.

If you have some places or things you want to try for certain then let us know and there may be some local knowledge we can pass on.

[smn159]

princeperch said:

Wong Kei !!

+1. Not to everyone's taste, but the food is really good. I think, but can't remember, that they don't take credit cards, so check first...

[DudleySquires]

smn159 said:

+1. Not to everyone's taste, but the food is really good. I think, but can't remember, that they don't take credit cards, so check first...

What a strange website they have :S

[Gwagon111]

Zedel is a good shout, if you head downstairs, you'll find a very nice cocktail lounge (bar Americain).

The Hawksmoor in air street is just around the corner. I don't rate the one in spitalfields.

If you head up to Oxford circus, and head towards the BBC, you'll find the Artesian, which is the worlds best bar (as voted for by drinks international). There's also a crappy little restaurant / hotel attached (only kidding, it's top notch)

The white horse, in Parsons green is definitely worth a look. They have a restaurant, and a bar serving some incredible craft beers (and lots of them). They have the newly crowned "worlds best craft beer". It's a pale ale called Delirium Tremens (I'm not kidding ) and it is served in a large goblet, with pink elephants on the sides (again, I'm not kidding ). The food there is very nice, and quite reasonably priced as well.

Edited by Gwagon111 on Sunday 27th January 19:56

[littlegreenfairy]

I went to burger and lobster on Friday and it was good fun and good food for the price. (Mayfair location) would be well worth a punt.