Chinatown, International Restaurant Guide

“A buzzing French-style brasserie with excellent service and attractive atmosphere” that helps “lift the spirits” if you are counting the pennies – “where else in central London can you get three courses of decent grub for £20-odd?”. “Splendid for pre-theatre”, this Soho fixture offers an “unusually wide choice” on its set menus, “while the dishes are well executed and flavoursome”. Top Tip – “eating à la carte may be a mistake. True to its name, the fixed price menu is probably a better option”.

Malaysia-born and Sydney-raised, Ramuel Scully’s “brilliant fusion cooking with surprising combinations” and much use of fermentation is on cracking form right now, according to all who report on his St James’s Market fixture. (“He is still innovating. He is still there regularly and it shows – had several spectacular dinners there this year”). “The funky menu is a puzzle – what does it all mean?! – but it all comes together on the plate so well. His blend of flavours really shines. Everything is so well thought-through”. The unit itself is potentially anodyne but enlivened by “really lovely” staff.

“Famous for being London’s top romantic dining spot with good reason” – this bewitching Covent Garden “haven” comes complete with an “exquisite” rear conservatory, with “a glass roof that opens in summer” and “the treat of a log fire in winter” – and “on the first floor you dine under a vibrant canopy of flowers”. By most accounts the European cuisine is “beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks” too, although a slight slip in its ratings of late supports those who feel that “it’s more hit and miss since the pandemic”. No change in its “wonderful wine selection” however: “a surprisingly eclectic list of wines, alongside the bonus of an extensive cognac offering (and Armagnac dating back 70 years!”). “A must for a special celebration”.

The soaring windows and high ceilings of this revamped hall make a “great setting” for a bite at the opera – “and you get somewhere to sit in the interval!”. Yes, it is “expensive” and the menu options are “rather limited”, but it does the job.

It’s hard to know how enthusiastic to be about these slick food courts from all-conquering JKS restaurants at the foot of Centre Point and in the heart of Battersea Power Station. They do win dependable feedback for their “nice mix of cheap ’n’ cheerful food and drink” and “great selection of different cuisines”, but more cynical types dismiss them as hyped, unimaginative venues for sanitised street food. BREAKING NEWS. In July 2025, the group applied for planning permission to create a third ‘Arcade’, in the landmark site of Covent Garden’s former TGIF.

Named for a “wine list built on love and low mark-ups” (they order 10 cases of each vintage on a rotating basis), this “bustling little wine bar and bistro” in Covent Garden is a marvellous haven for oenophiles, serving “top-quality food and regularly changing wines without too much faff” – and “not too stratospherically expensive” either. “Very well run, with professional yet discreet service”, it’s “a top place pre-theatre for a relaxed supper and a glass or two”, even if “the tables are a little close”.

“It’s been going for very many years, has become far too busy and can get very cramped”… but that’s been a typical description of the capital’s oldest wine bar (est. 1890) near Embankment Tube for as long as anyone can remember. One casualty of popularity in recent times has been the hot food specials – it’s now just the cheeses, cold cuts, pâtés and salad selection, although they recently introduced meat and mezze sharing boards. The “great wine list” is the same pull it always was. Top Tip – try to visit in winter and arrive early for a table in the candle-lit cellar… but in summer they also have one of central London’s biggest, nicest outdoor terraces.

2024 Review: A mega new hotel for London sees the Old War Office on Whitehall – in which Winston Churchill made many of the most important decisions of World War II – being taken over by Raffles, no less (their first venture in Europe) and the Hinduja Group, to open in late 2023 as a new 125 bedroom property. It will have nine new restaurants, of which we list the five most notable individually: Café Lapérouse, Endo Kazutoshi, Langosteria, Mauro Colagreco and Paper Moon (see also). Other options include Mauro’s Table and a fine high-ceilinged brasserie called ‘Saison’ – which fall under the Colagreco umbrella – as well as The Drawing Room (lounge and all-day dining) and Guards Bar.

“Good pre-theatre option very close to the Royal Opera House” – this Covent Garden fixture is “not overly expensive”, and even if its French brasserie food is sometimes “OK but uninspiring”, it “hits the spot for a quick dinner” and provides a very “buzzy” launchpad for an evening in the West End. Top Menu Tip – “excellent onion soup”.

Tabloid updates on its TOWIE-tastic happenings (“New Love Island romance confirmed as Lucinda Strafford packs on the PDA with beau Zac Nunns in London…”) and a prominent Piccadilly location win an entry for Dylan Hunt’s large Mayfair yearling. For some reason, no-one thinks to mention it in our annual diners’ poll – if you’re not wanting to hang with Chigwell royalty, its menu of ‘Main Events’ (e.g. Chicken Sheesh for £44), ‘A Bit on the Side’ (Black Truffle Cheesy Chips for £29) and ‘After Party’ classics (Baklava, £14) may not be your bag…