Claude Bosi at Bibendum

The height of modern French cuisine in London

Cornish brill, smoked hay, Jerusalem, artichoke, black truffle

Claude Bosi is without a doubt one of the greatest chefs in the UK in the world of fine dining, his modern French cooking is highly technical, full of imagination, and has a unique style that makes his cooking truly stand out. You would find really strange ingredients combinations in his dishes such as foie gras mixing with mango ice cream and having olive oil in a pudding. I personally am a fan of his cooking style as is always good to see chefs pushing the boundaries and coming up with new ideas. His creative French cuisine has landed him 2 Michelin stars wherever he goes. I have been to his old restaurant Hibiscus in Mayfair 5 times before he relocated to the current location at Bibendum, and have eaten at Bibendum when it was launched in 2017. For my first visit, it was more or less a copy and paste of Hibiscus' food style. 3 years on, I was keen to see how it has progressed.

Sabor

Epic Spanish feast

Seafood rice

I don't really go to that many Spanish restaurants in London, simply because you can get the real deal not far away and is usually so much better and cheaper than anywhere you would find in London. Take Barrafina as an example, while it does has a Michelin star and many would be considered is the best Spanish tapas bar in London, I find it pretty standard and you will find many standard Spanish restaurants that can be just as good, if not better back in Spain. However, there is indeed a special Spanish joint in London for me, aka Sabor. A casual tapas bar and restaurant that offers classic dishes from around Spain.

China Tang

Classic dim sum feast

Lemon Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun

London is so chaotic right now, we just don't know when we can eat out properly again with the UK government kept changing Covid rule and restriction. For me, while I still got the chance, I was keen to end December with a few classic revisit to round off such an unusual and somewhat sad year to cheer me up. High on my list for Chinese cuisine is, of course, China Tang within The Dorchester Hotel. The classic Cantonese fine dining restaurant is all about old school Chinese food but done in a masterful manner, the dim sum menu at China Tang is not near as big as other traditional Chinese restaurants in London, with some monthly specials based on what prime ingredients are available for the season. 

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Gordon's flagship

Lobster, langoustine ravoli, truffle

The name Gordon Ramsay doesn't require any introduction, the world most famous Michelin starred chef has a restaurant empire spreading across the world, and his most important, landmark restaurant is without a doubt Restaurant Gordon Ramsay located in Chelsea, London. This flagship site has held 3 Michelin stars for over 10 years, and these days is headed up by Matt Abe, who has recently becoming chef-patron. I rarely dine at a Ramsay restaurant, and this is the second time after a dinner at the single Michelin starred Petrus which is not too far away, and I found it pretty dated and lacked excitement. For my dinner at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, I opted for the prestige tasting menu, which contains a selection of Gordon's signature dishes that helped him reaching that 3 stars status, so pretty the greatest hits of his.

James Knappett at Carousel

Makeshift Kitchen Table

Pumpkin, walnut

2020 has been a crappy year, with 2 very top London restaurants Greenhouse and The Ledbury is no more. Which left only Kitchen Table and Core to be what I would consider the very best in the capital. Kitchen Table has been closed since March and decided to go under a revamp over the summer so we got to wait sometime before getting to try chef-owner James Knappett's masterful cooking. However, he has teamed up with Carousel restaurant near Baker Street to offer a week of pop up in December, offering some classic Kitchen Table dishes with some new dishes along the way.

Park Chinois

Weekend Chinese lunch in style

Madagascar Organic Prawn cooked in seafood stock

Lockdown no2 was short, but not dining out for a month is a pain for me. While stuck at home writing my must-visit list of restaurants to go to, Park Chinois was high on my agenda. This post marks my 10th visit to Park Chinois, this luxury fine dining Chinese restaurant is a personal favorite of mine. The cooking and the use of ingredients are exceptional, and easily is the best Chinese restaurant in London. For my 10th visit, I headed back for a lazy Sunday lunch, seated in the main dining room with lovely live jazz music playing in the background from a 3 pieces band. I had a selection of classic dim sum dishes, as well as some off the menu dishes that I was lucky enough to try.