Brilliant Indian Food
I am very fond of Indian food, and we’re lucky to get exceptional Indian food here in London. It’s a cuisine that you rarely experience a good standard of when travelling, so if I’ve been away from London, it’s usually the first meal I want to eat when I return. I have been going for almost 30 years to The Brilliant in Southall, a Punjabi restaurant that is popular with Asian families and which serves excellent food at a modest price. Dishes like aloo tikki and the methi chicken here are great, and they are one of the few Indian restaurants to make romali roti, a very thin bread. Another Indian restaurant I very much like, which is a little posher, is Jamavar.
Michelin Food In A Neighbourhood Restaurant
L’Amorosa in West London is a simple neighbourhood restaurant with a warm welcome, and much better food than you might expect. Chef Andy Needham still cooks the Italian dishes that earned a Michelin star when he was head chef of Zafferano.
An Essential London Gastropub
One place that I like a lot is Dysart near Richmond, which has a cosy pub-like feel and a talented chef who won the Roux Scholarship some years ago. It also has an excellent and fairly priced wine list.
The Grandest Dining Room In The City
If I want a special occasion kind of meal then I go to The Ritz where John Williams and his team are sure to produce a top class meal in the grandest dining room in London. This has been a regular haunt of mine for years, and they have a fabulous private dining room that is suitable for birthdays or similar meals.
Where You’ll Find The Industry Folk
A place that reliably impresses industry types is Noble Rot, a wine bar with the former head chef of Michelin-starred pub The Sportsman, and where the wine list is exceptionally well put together and moderately priced by London standards.
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