Someone once described this restaurant as the gastronomic equivalent of a “Bugatti”. These kinds of comparisons work with me… So we went. And I must concur – the setting is very impressive and it goes well with the City. Also the food is nice. The southern Italian / Sicilian concept is good but a bit confusing: what they offer here is high-end rustic food. Don't get me wrong, this could work (like at “La Poule au Pot”) but here it doesn't and the results are dishes with an identity crises which are neither rustic nor very high end (apart from the price tag). However, none of this matters as the service is decent enough for the City and it is refreshingly “European” compared to other City eateries of this type.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is absolutely sublime. The centre of attention is and has to be the food and its preparation. Both in the upstairs “cuisine” and the downstairs “comptoir” (the original bar dining on high stools) the team in the kitchen is on full display to the diners. The professionalism, dedication and perfect results are nothing short of inspiring. There is no shouting and throwing as some biritish TV chefs would like us have believe. Here a zen-like approach is evident and the result is a pleasure to behold: a perfectly tuned haute cuisine power house, working as perfectly as a swiss chronograph. It is said that many of the ingredients are brought from France and as a result the quality of the igredients speaks for itself.
The next layer which makes this restaurant probably the best in London, is the friendliness of the staff and the apporachability of the cuisine. The waitresses and waiters are there to discuss dishes, mix and match tasting plates, starters and main courses and then the somelier will help in adding the perfect wines to one's choices. Be prepared to be surprised here, as this is a great place to discover new and wonderful wines.
There is a mother-ship branch of this restaurant, as many readers will know, in Paris. However the fact that the team are maintaining these levels of cooking and service in London for the past six years speaks volumes about the dedication of everyone involved. Mr Robuchon is said to have wanted to remove some of the stuffiness from haute cuisine dining with the concept upon which the Ateliers in Paris and London are based. It has worked. There is a slight Japanese whiff about seeing the skilled chefs at work and the wonderful tasting plates which are ideal to share, remind of very good reastaurants in Spain, but the overall restaurant with its team, its food and its service is one thing: modern french cooking at its best.

There is a word in French which is very useful: “incontournable”. It means litterally unavoidable although the connotion would rather be unmissable than “un-get-aroundable”. I hope this makes sense. Anyway, so to say that the food at Le Gavroce wasn't good would be like saying the tennis at Wimbledon was mediocre. So yes, it's good and yes there is the fabled “affordable” lunch option. However there is somehting strange. This was, as we all know one of the first gastronomic restaurants in London and still the measuring point for all other. However, the staff is sometimes moody and snippy and the space although classic now feels somewhat dated. It's core clientele, it has to be said, seems to have aged with the venue and dont seem to either care or notice. But there is a whiff of “let's pretend we're in Paris” which utterly fails in recent times. And at these prices I think a day return to real gastronomic capital of the world from St. Pancras and a memorable meal in Paris is a better option. Don't get this wrong: I'm happy it exists and it is a great asset to the London dining scene. It would just be great if it regained its old spark, maybe Mr Roux Jr. has been spreading himself a bit too thinly recently.

We came here again after a while without visiting in Autumn 2011 during fhe truffle season. I am a great admierer of Locanda Locatelli, and so have had (and kept ) a soft spot for Zafferano as the Locatielli saga began here as we all know. Now, there is the dreaded effect of “resting on one's laurels” but in the case of Zafferano what seems to have happened is “not changing the name” and “keeping the place open”. It was abysmal. I cannot believe that there are many places in London which have declined so far so quickly, and that in what is one of London's most desireable locations… The service was very poor, the white wine was warm, the pasta overcooked and notably mediocre, the mains completely unispired and the bill hefty. Even the restrooms were not properly attended to! What a pity, is all one can say.

A little piece of France in London. Book early and don't be surprised if they're full… The food is excellent and the choice of wine is wide ranging but it's the atmosphere which makes this place so special.

The Camino bar/restaurant/event space is a rather impressive complex. As it is vast and probably will benefit from the redevelopment of the King's Cross area. However, the level of food is very low indeed and service need a lot of polishing too. This is a pity because this part of London has capacity for more such places which offer a range of dining options. However Camino seems to bee too much too early and which neither the kitchen nor the staff up to the challenge. A pity as it is an ambitious and applaudable concept. Maybe it will grow into something great one day.

If only there could be more places Andrew Edmund's in London! What a great place. The food is very good. Not Michelin Star good, but French countryside restaurant good. And then there is the wine. The owners have a special agreement to buy bin ends at a famous London merchant and pass the discounts on the guests. The result is without a shadow of a doubt the best value-per-drop wine list in the London. It is an absolute joy, really really great. All this is topped of with a romantic atmosphere and some of the kindest and most genuine service around. It is seldom that I such things but, it would be very difficult, if even possible to improve Andrew Edmunds.

Locanda Locatelli serves the best Italian food outside Italy I know. It is seldom that a celebrity chef so directly delivers what he promises. The restaurant is a true pleasure, of course this level comes at a price but it is a truly very good effort. The menu covers the classics but allows for some slightly more innovative dishes as well. A top pick in London. This impression was recently re-affirmed. Italian in London? Look no further.

What a pity. Even the great heritage of Scalini in Walton Street can make us forgive its current shortcomings. Let's hope they will in time be overcome. Like so many other “vintage” London Italian restaurants, Scalini has been resting on its laurels for quite some time. The food was not “bad” but notably mediocre and by current standards of inspired italian cooking in the capital. But the problem here is that there are so many so much better places close by. Let's hope that one day there's a revival in the kitchen. At the moment there is room for imporovement. However, there are glimmers of hope, I believe it would be a very good place for a private party…

“Cambio” as it often referred to is an interesting case. It has grown into a little spanish empire there are three related bars of which Cambio is the most formal, and you guessed it priceiest. The food is good but you have to make the waiters understand that you know what you are doing and that you know what you are ordering otherwise you will end up with far too much on the table and logically the bill. However if you know your Spanish food and can stomach the bill it is O.K.. However prices are at the top end of even this part of London, so beware. And, given that Cambio has been around for so long, it is not quite up there with best Spanish food in London.

A very good place overall, warm service although mostly very busy. A wide range of well prepared dishes ranging from “something light” to a full french meal. The patisseries in the afternoon are great and this branch of Aubaine has the added benefit of a truly very pretty setting and good lighting all day. Attention to detail has always been a strong point, but constistency is a key point here. This was on of the initial branches of Aubaine and I recently had to remind myself that these guys have been around for quite a while and keeping up standards far better than other growing chains. Well done. A branch inside Selfridges doesn't happen by coincidence.

Tom's Kitchen at Somerset House currently strikes a great balance. It's easy-going enough for a leisurely weekend lunch with friends – especially suitable for out-of-town visitors due to the beauty of the venue and the views – but also serious and professional enough for a working lunch (not client entertaining though, mind you…). The food is very well executed and although the menu includes many gastro-pub favorites, the execution lies way beyond most such places. Also full points on constistency. The service is friendly and very efficient and value for money is good as well, especially considering the locaiton. Keep up the good work!

The start you see here on Square meal is well deserved at Christopher, but only – these days – for one quality: the venue. It is walking distance from the Opera and most theatres around this part of town. For many years it delivered acceptable, if not great, north American fare and a very important function in having a nice and well run cocktail bar on the ground floor. This as we all know is still surpisingly difficult to find in Covent Garden. So, I was a regular. I probably visited Christophers a dozen times a year. However, since early 2011 all has not been well. The spirit seems to be lacking, the venue has very rapidly started showing its age and although the staff is grumpy, one almost feels sorry for them as there is a whiff of “poor management” in the air. So on a very recent – and probably last until somthing fundamental is changed – we had a drink in the sticky and worn out cocktail bar reading eye-popping prices from an euqally worn and falling apart cocktail list.

My previous enjoyement of Christopher makes me want to wish them well. The bulidng/venue has tremendous potential, so let's hope this is not the last chapter of the lovely site…

The Dean Street Town House was one of the greatest disappointments in recent London outings. Everything from the food to the service to the price was a disaster. It was exceedingly difficult to understand where the hype comes from, apart from being a slightly more civilised option in this part of SoHo, but I would not return if I was paid. The only plus is the decent atmosphere, but it cannot begin to make up for raw fish, rubbery side vegetables and an uspeakable mistake with the wine. Thumbs down.

Babbo is very nice and acutally surprisingly “authentic” italian outpost in this part of Mayfair. The word Mayfair indicates that prices are not going to be exactly cheap, but at least the quality partially justifies the bill. What is most notable is that the team at Babbo take seasonality serious. This is so often not the case even with high-end itlain kitchens in London. Further, they are used to special requests and this makes the restaurant very versatile and a good destination for business lunches with discerning clients. However, and this keeps Babbo from receiving top marks form me, there is a wow factor which is missing. It's not a lot, but they need to find a little extra, otherwise Locanda Locatelli is too close price-wise…