[UlteriorMotive]

London’s Restaurants Datasheet

I’m not sure if this will be of any value to anyone on here but if you are like me (a lover of fine-food) I would recommend giving one of these places listed a try.

I was considering categorizing this data-sheet by the type of food served but instead I decided to do it by price as this I believe will help making a selection easier.

This is only a small amount of the places I have visited (mainly the ones that stood out to me) but if anyone wishes for more recommendations I will be more than happy to update this.

I will underline my favourite in each category and add stars next to it.

As with any restaurant it is easy (once you add a few drinks) to over-spend so the categories below are purely based on buying food (Starter, Main, Desert) but as with anything this can be under or above the category price.

Categories (price is 2 people eating)

Under £50

The White Swan Fetter Lane (Farringdon)





Description: Elegant gastropub with mezzanine balcony and double-height dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows

Food Quality: 10/10 You wouldn't expect it considering the price.

Service: 8/10 Had to wait a little while for the main to come out but this was in peak hours

Crowd: Mainly people ages 20-40 in here with a half decent ratio of women 40/60. A lot of people pop in here after work so expect a lot of white collar people.

/

Eat Toyko (Hammersmith / Soho / Notttinghill) **





Description: Small Japanese diner with no-frills decor serving sushi and bento boxes, plus sharing platters.

Food Quality: 10/10 Probably the best Japanese food place in London in my opinion, the menu is the size of a Dictionary.

Service: 10/10 The chef's are working at the pace I appreciate.

Crowd: 80% East Asian people, the place is drowned in chatter. You'll see a few non-asian people here and there.

/

Too Too Moo (Islington / Cround End / Highgate)





Description: Tootoomoo Asian tapas restaurant pairs the street market flavours of Japan, China and Southeast Asia with Britain's finest premium ingredients. Bringing the tastes and atmosphere of an Asian shophouse to Highbury and Islington.

Food Quality: 8/10 Have had experiences with food not being as good as Eat Tokyo but in general this is a solid choice if you are closer.

Service: 7/10 Can take a little while than you'd expect but the environment is good enough for conversation to drown out the added wait time.

Crowd: Mixed bag everytime I've been (Ages/Race/etc)

/

Jinjuu (Soho)





Description: Korean street food and soju cocktails served in a hip ground-floor bar and basement dining room.

Food Quality: 9/10 A little on the price side compared to other picks but you do get damn good food and the area is what you really pay for. Watch out for the price on the drinks though you can quickly end up spending close to £100.

Service: 8/10 cute Asian / Polish girls when I was there, enough said.

Crowd: Lot's of "Young and cool hipsters" with a bunch of other random people thrown in. Great place to kick back in with it being in the heart of London. Surrounding it there are a ton of other restaurants so you will not be spoilt for choice.

[UlteriorMotive]

£50-£100

Plateau (Canary Wharf) **







Description: New French dishes in a modern space with Saarinen tables and terraces overlooking Canada Square. (Amazing view of the docklands and the square, probably my favourite place to eat in all of London)

Food Quality: 10/10 I couldn't pronounce half of the dishes but the way in which they are served up you aren't sure whether to take a picture or to dig in. The food is always extremely interesting to the taste buds and is prepared to perfection.

Service: 10/10 you really go get the royal treatment here. Food arrives quick and there are usually a few cute girls working there too. Bonus point (No British women)

Crowd: This can be a very expensive place to eat so expect a lot of rich young people or older rich people. No jeans here just suits and dresses when I have been.

/

Lautre Pied (Marylebone)





Description: Upscale Modern European cuisine in a contemporary setting, with tasting menu and wine pairings.

Food Quality: 8/10 but it did take a little bit longer than I had first anticipated. Luckily I was not in a rush and ended up spending 3-4 hours sat comfortably in here.

Service: 7/10 I had went here with a previous LTR of mine, the staff are very friendly (albeit somewhat hard to understand with their French accents and how many drinks you have under your belt) and the décor is very cosy. It is a very small place but I prefer that as it adds to the intimacy.

Crowd: Mixed bag all types of people.

/

£100+

Side note / I have had to book weeks and sometimes months in advance to get a table at these places so if it is something you're considering for a special occasion I would recommend getting your claws in quick.

Oblix (The Shard)







Description: 32nd-floor New York-style rotisserie/grill with panoramic views and relaxed entertainment lounge. (Make sure you ask for a window seat)

The view from here and Ting is something to behold especially as night sets in. I was here for a friends birthday, getting drunk 30 odd floors up while shooting the shit is something that sticks with you.

Food Quality: 10/10 for a bill that costs in excess of £200-£300 you would not expect any less.

Service: 10/10 Friendly staff, extremely fine eye for detail. What you would expect from a place like this.

Crowd: Lots of high rollers / families / etc. Overall mixed bag but most people here are upper class.

/

Ting (The Shard)

Probably the best looking restaurant other than Plateau that I have been fortunate enough to have eaten in.





Description: Sleek, stylish hotel eatery with Asian-inspired, thoughtfully sourced fare and panoramic city views. (Make sure you ask for a window seat)

Food Quality: 10/10 Same as above + try not to get suckered into buying one of the expensive wines. I saw a bottle priced at £20,000 and nearly had a stroke.

Service: 10/10 Same as above. Be warned this place can be very expensive. I took a previous LTR here for a special occasion and the bill set me back £380 (we both had 9 courses and 3 bottles of wine + extras)

Crowd: Rich people / rich families / rich.

/

If you noticed there's a trend of Asian food as I am partial to it but if it is not to your liking just hit me up and I can post a few other places taking your personal taste into consideration.

[britabroad]

Atari-Ya - James St for Japanese
My Old Place - Middlesex St for Chinese
Needoo Grill - Whitechapel for Indian

all fairly cheap

[Brodiaga]

Just curious, what's the tipping etiquette in London, particularly at more expensive restaurants? I know there's no tipping at cheaper places, but not sure about expensive ones.

[UlteriorMotive]

(09-29-2016 09:15 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

Just curious, what's the tipping etiquette in London, particularly at more expensive restaurants? I know there's no tipping at cheaper places, but not sure about expensive ones.

Service charge is included with the final bill. I always pay by card and there is an option to add a tip on the reader in which I will usually add £10-20 depending on my mood and if the experience was worth it.

All in all if you don't want to it will not be looked down on.