The best of London in 5 restaurants

Anyone will tell you that if you have a taste for the world, there is no better city than London to experience vast variety and quality of food. Known for its diversity and culture, the city is nothing shy of great places to eat, from French to Italian, and Thai to Mexican. Below is a hand-picked list of London’s finest restaurants for you to explore.

Hunan

Established in 1982, Hunan is a divine spot in Belgravia to dine, welcoming you to its distinguished array of food. The food originates primarily from Taiwan; however you can order Hunan’s speciality dishes too. These are double-cooked pork, home-made delicacies like wind dried meat and braised pork, and for foodies who enjoy their foods with a kick, the spicy aubergine is also a popular choice! The culinary ‘pièce de resistance’ is an unbeatable sturdy broth of minced pork, Chinese mushroom and ginger. Alternatively, try Hunan’s very own crispy frog legs recipe inspired by the French. This Chinese restaurant has been listed in a number of London’s best restaurant polls. They recently launched their cook book where you can find some of the recipes that they serve in the restaurant.

Masala Zone

Two Indian sisters developed their passion for Indian food and combined it with mastery cooking. Through their travels, they have perfected the art of curries from all over India to share with their customers visiting the London restaurant, using expert chefs who have been trained and now specialise in this regional cooking. All meals prepared by the chefs are freshly made using traditional spices imported from parts of India, giving the dishes even more of an authentic taste. They do great set meals for a very reasonable price. Don’t miss their street food offering of crispy puris.

The Gate Restaurant

From one family to another, The Gate Restaurant was founded by two award-winning brothers, combining their family roots with their love of food, eating and sense of fun. Starting in 1989, Adrian and Michael based their recipes and approach on the foods they grew up with at home, influencing from Jewish Indian and Arabic cuisines mainly cooked by their grandmother. They have now created a perfectly executed vegetarian menu with dishes cooked, presented and served without fault. The Gate has a lot of non vegetarian customers too as the cooking is innovative and delicious.

Bàcaro Polpo

It’s easy to be mistaken when in London in thinking that you are in fact in Venice when you visit Polpo’s. Since opening in 2009, this restaurant wants to bring the experience of Venetian cicchetti through simple yet delicious food, and aged wine. The diverse menu includes various meatball dishes to choose from such as spicy pork and fennel, and chick pea. Experience the fresh fish selection with octopus and fennel carpaccio, or the swordfish tartare and carta di musica if you want a true taste of the Italy. To finish off, you will definitely need to indulge into the endless dessert menu with either a gelato cone or popular Tiramisù pot. You can read a review of Polpetto here.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Leaping back in time and experiencing true British culture while you tuck into a mouth-watering meal can only be done properly at one place – Dinner. Heston Blumenthal and his team researched long and hard to create a unique menu full of culture and excellence. Be prepared to expose yourself to dishes from the 1500s, such as Meat Fruit or the savoury Porridge with frog’s legs. If you prefer something even older than that, the Frumenty filled with grilled octopus, and smoked sea broth with pickled dulse is recommended. Alternatively, you might like the lamb and cucumber dish, which is accompanied by sweetbreads, borage and mint.To finish, you musn’t miss the famed grilled pineapple, roasted on a rotating spit.

For more ideas on where to eat in London check out this link.

In collaboration with The Gate Restaurant