Dinner in London (advice, please)

[David Erickson]

Anybody can find restaurants with Michelin stars.

We've done due diligence at Gayot and Zagat and Time Out.

But it is you, the dear, the faithful, the diligent, who know where to go for interesting bottles and dishes.

FAQ:

Visiting in early September.

One of us is a Cordon Bleu graduate, which in this case means a preference for substance over style (she tells the joke about how the third Michelin star is for gold faucets in the toilets).

Yes, Nobu is out of the question.

 

[SFJoe]

Nobu?

What a nutty idea.

Anyone can find St. John, but so should you. I've had several great meals there in the last year. Wine list is quite solid, but they are also unusually friendly to BYO, particularly if you call.

The food at Terroirs is not bad, but the wine list is great.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

I would suggest The Ledbury.

 

[Yixin]

Hedone.

Pollen Street Social.

Dinner.

Probably in that order.

St. John (and Bread & Wine outlet), Anchor & Hope, Great Queen Street are all good but perhaps better for repeat visits than a once-off.

Ledbury not too bad but depends on how fond you are of grouse (since you're there in September).

Terroirs has a good wine list, I'm not crazy about the food or service.

My favourite itinerary is lunch at Fat Duck, dinner at Hinds Head, and breakfast at the Waterside Inn (still the meal they do the best). It's not far from London, it's beautiful if one catches an Indian summer, and the contrast between all three establishments neatly captures Middle England, if not London.

 

[SFJoe]

I would mention that last fall I far preferred my grouse at St. J. to my ** grouse.

But I don't get out that much.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

Geez, stop grousing, guys.

 

[Yixin]

originally posted by SFJoe:
I would mention that last fall I far preferred my grouse at St. J. to my ** grouse.

But I don't get out that much.

Nor do I.

St. John is a longstanding mistress, where the sex keeps getting better. The Ledbury, as with most multi-starred places, is a high class escort. Mindblowing sex, a combination of raw material and worldly expertise, and 'love' for a fleeting moment, at least until the bill arrives.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

What a refreshing trope.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

It's amusing how quickly this thread turned into the fight of the scrappy underdogs against the big BIBENDUM. (Though one still sends unsuspecting Yanks out to the Fat Duck for a nice dose of norovirus.)

It'd be more pertinent to mention the sous-vide effect as reprehensible, but really, grouse? In season? As treachery? The only dish on the menu?

Tourists aren't looking for the girl next door, Yixin.

Check out the champagne list.

 

[SFJoe]

Mmmmmmm, norovirus.

 

[nigel groundwater]

Sharon's recommendation, the Ledbury http://www.theledbury.com/ is a favourite of ours and reasonably priced for a 2 Michelin starred restaurant with a pretty good wine list. We usually find a wine we like at an occasionally exceptional price. Most recently a 2000 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne at price that was less than it could be found retail.

It is also the monthly location of major offlines of forum members of WinePages, Tom Cannavan’s highly supported UK online wine forum.

This http://www.wine-pages.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=035163 is the thread in that forum of the recent Bordeaux offline with comments and photographs of some of the dishes that you might find useful.

Chez Bruce http://www.chezbruce.co.uk/ , La Trompette http://www.latrompette.co.uk/ and the Glasshouse http://www.glasshouserestaurant.co.uk/ are also recommended all of which have some common ownership which might explain the well-regarded cooking, service and wine lists. The websites provide relevant information about food and wine including locations and contact details.

I have no involvement, financial or otherwise, except as a regular customer at the Ledbury and an occasional customer elsewhere.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by nigel groundwater:
Chez Bruce http://www.chezbruce.co.uk/

That was good, when I was there a few years ago.

 

[maureen]

I appreciated Ransome's Dock when I was in London, albeit it was a few years ago. But check it out.

 

[Chris Tuttle]

In the last year I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the following, in order of preference:

1. The Ledbury - great food, service, and wine list
2. Dinner - interesting, delicious food - not my favorite wine list
3. Pied a Terre - excellent food, good wine list, overly stuffy/pretentious service
4. Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's - meh

 

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

The Square is highly thought of on the UK wine forum, but guess Ledbury beckons too.

 

[David Erickson]

Thanks. Y'all just carry on, please.

 

[Tom Glasgow]

259 Hackney Road looks like a good small shop. Sort of Overnoy central combined with the Brit version of Cory and Guilhaume.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Tom Glasgow:
259 Hackney Road looks like a good small shop. Sort of Overnoy central combined with the Brit version of Cory and Guilhaume.

I lived not too far down the road from that address way back in 2008. The area was already quite trendy but there were no such solid wine options in the area at the time.

Nice.

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Bob Parsons Alberta:
The Square is highly thought of on the UK wine forum, but guess Ledbury beckons too.

The Square in my one experience is rather highly conventional and quite expensive, though there are good things on the list.

Very much a Michelin kind of place.

 

[robert ames]

a little late to this posting, i can't believe no one has mentioned rsj cafe on coin street near waterloo station.

very good menu of french cuisine, but the real draw is the wine list-- a 3 ring binder of loire valley wines--est. 30+ pages. pages of anjou, pages of saumur, pages of vouvray, chinon, bourgueil, sancerre, etc. you get the drift. huet back to the 50's. and yes, on the last page there are a couple few bordeaux and burgundy for complete idiots.