Waterside Inn

French fine dining, the classic way

Devon crab with langoustine tails, lovage

In the whole of UK, only 4 restaurants have been awarded 3 Michelin stars, and Waterside Inn is one of them. However, Waterside Inn is far more than that. Located in Bray, this 3 starred restaurant has been holding such acclaim for 30 years, which is an amazing achievement and no other restaurants in the UK can rival it. This restaurant is what traditional fine French dining is all about, dining at The Waterside Inn does come at a cost, however, with most dishes costing around the £50 mark, my advice would be go for the 8 course tasting menu, as you would be only paying just a touch more than the standard a la carte option, but with so many more dishes to try. 

Shikumen

Top notch Chinese cooking in The City

King Prawn Curry with Almond Slice

Shikumen, the highly acclaimed Chinese restaurant in Shepherds Bush has long been on my to visit list. The only thing that has been stopping me is due to the western location, but this has all changed with it has launched a new site in Algate, right by the tube station, inside Dorsett City hotel. The restaurant offers a dim sum menu at lunch hours and an a la carte for dinner. What really stood out is its menu is pretty short for a Chinese restaurant, which could actually be a good thing, as the chefs can focus on really refining the dishes and reducing waste. Below are some of the highlights from my two visits.

Gauthier Soho

King of Soho

Scottish scallop, chorozo, squid, marrow

For the 6th time, I headed back to Gauthier Soho for a lengthy tasting menu affair. Located in the heart of Soho, this fine French restaurant is full of charm and renowned for its modern French cooking whilst maintaining a touch of classic element. Unlike many other high end French restaurants, it is well priced with one of the best lunch deal in town, £45 for 3 courses, a glass of bubbles and 2 glasses of wine.  Come for dinner, its low light setting, small but well spread out space make it ideal for impressing a date, not to mention its 8 course tasting menu is simply a patch to food heaven. The below are some of the highlights from the dinner tasting menu.

Le Relais de Venise

Steak-frites combo at its best

Steak frites

Le Relais de Venise is a mini French restaurant chain spreading across London that came from France. It is now a global presence business with sites across France, UK, US and Mexico. The restaurant is renowned with its single menu item, a starter of salad and a plate of steak and frites, at £24 per person. The only choice you have is for the dessert course (which you need to pay extra for). In a way, it is a little bit similar to Flat Iron's £10 steak concept. The house "Porte Maillot" steak, aka a piece of tender sirloin steak that came with a special sauce was simply a pure sensation. The secret recipe contained butter, parsley and anchovies, which offered bags of rich and creamy flavours to the steak, and was perfect to dip in with the crispy fries. Also special shout out to the wine selection, well priced with some bottles costing under £15 but at a fine quality at the same time. This is an amazing value for money steak joint, with charming and classy service. Perfect for any steak lovers.

One O One

Seafood fine dining

Cod / Red Prawn / Paimpol Coco Beans Cassoulet /
Iberico Chorizo / Piquillo / Parsley

This is my second time dining at One O One restaurant, a fine dining seafood restaurant located in Knightsbridge, inside the Park Tower Hotel. The restaurant is highly regarded with its seafood offering. It has won countless awards including Sunday Time's best UK restaurant award at 13th and 3 AA Rosettes. The cooking style is French in essence with a few creative element in the mix. They use the top quality seafoods such as Cornish seabass and Norwegian king crab, to turn it into something refine and visually tempting. The restaurant has a best kept secret, 50% off for its tasting menu if you book online.