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London's restaurant scene continues to go from strength to strength with an astonishing quantity and variety of new openings. Here are a mix of established chefs and new talent helming some of the hottest tables in town.
La Dame de Pic, Tower Hill
Anne-Sophie Pic needs no introduction to global gourmands with her three-starred eponymous restaurant Maison Pic in Valence and the two-starred Anne-Sophie Pic Au Beau Rivage in Lausanne. The beautiful conversion of the new Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square hotel in London’s Tower Hill is the venue for her latest venture, La Dame de Pic, where she infuses inventive and high-end French cuisine with her signature aesthetic. This translates into dishes such as berlingots, delicate pasta parcels filled with Pélardon cheese and finished with a tonka bean and Cambodian pepper sauce. The skate wing was a brilliant rendition thanks to perfect cooking and a sublime consommé of cinnamon leaves and kaffir lime. The final show-stopper was her signature white cube millefeuille, decadent but somehow still light.
La Dame du Pic
Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square
10 Trinity Square
London, EC3N 4AJ
Tel. +44(20)32979200
Website
Hai Cenato, Victoria
Jason Atherton is one of London’s most successful restaurateurs with a burgeoning portfolio that continues to grow, most recent of which is Hai Cenato in Victoria’s swanky new NOVA development. The interior features an homage to chefs of the world through caricatures of everyone from Joel Robuchon to Joan Roca, Anthony Bourdain to Eric Ripert. The Italian menu with nods to New York offers some of the city’s most genuine pizzas around, but it’s the signatures such as chargrilled octopus on lentils that steal the show. An impeccable plate of corzetti comes with aged beef Bolognese, tomato, crispy sage and shavings of Berkswell cheese.
Hai Cenato
2 Sir Simon Milton Square
London, SW1E 5DJ
+44 20 3816 9320
Website
Anglo, Farringdon
Anglo may not be brand new as it opened last year, but it has quickly gained a reputation as one of the city’s most exciting tables, winning rave critical reviews and public acclaim. Located on the fringe of the City of London and Holborn, the tiny space is booked up months in advance for dinner - with good reason. One of London’s best value dinner menus brings seven courses for 45 pounds, allowing local and seasonal produce to be the hero. Standout dishes are Scottish halibut with bouillabaisse and sea fennel, while new season lamb with violet artichoke and anchovy is another triumph. Strawberries with elderflower and clotted cream are a perfect summer dessert to finish.
Anglo
30 St Cross Street
Farringdon London, EC1N 8UH
+44 (0)207 430 1503
Website
Nobu, Shoreditch
Another global culinary empire is overseen by Japanese dining legend Nobu Matsuhisa. The latest incarnation of his Nobu Hotel brand comes in achingly-hip Shoreditch, while of course the dining star of the show is the huge basement Nobu signature restaurant. No surprise that the biggest draw on the menu remains his miso black cod, while another favourite of yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, yuzu and coriander was another winner. Only tempura slightly disappointed, lacking the lightness of touch you’d expect.
Nobu
10-50 Willow Street
London, EC2A 4BH
+44 207 683 1200
Website
Bibendum, Chelsea
Bibendum is hardly a new name for London’s diners, but it’s the work of newly-appointed chef Claude Bosi which has again made it one of the most talked about destinations. He has overseen substantial changes, notably removing the tasting menu to focus on à la carte and launching a ‘Bibendum Classic’ menu with legendary dishes such as steak tartare and calves’ brains. The interiors remain beautiful more than a century on from opening back in 1911.
Bibendum
Michelin House
81 Fulham Road
Chelsea London, SW3 6RD
+44 (0) 20 7581 5817
Website
