London's top 50 restaurants

Hakkasan

Best interiors
Hakkasan
A secluded alleyway, bouncers guarding the door, a dark stairway and suddenly you’re in an evocation of 1930s-Shanghai-meets-‘The Matrix’. It could be a movie set (it’s certainly been featured on TV’s ‘Hustle’) but this Chinese bar and restaurant is the real deal – a world-leading, critically acclaimed eaterie that also happens to be drop-dead glamorous. Squeezed along the lengthy bar are fashion-conscious punters indulging in superb sakétinis while behind geometric wooden screens diners sit to enjoy directional modern Chinese food made from carefully sourced ingredients. We’re great fans of the lunchtime dim sum (but less impressed that staff don’t bring the dim sum menu unless specifically asked). And be warned, that smitten though we are, prices are steep in the evening and your bill may be higher than you expected – especially if you linger at the (admittedly wonderful) cocktail bar. Earlier this month the former owner Alan Yau sold Hakkasan (and branch, Yauatcha) to an Abu Dhabi-based consortium, but for the time being at least, it’s business as usual.
When to go Lunchtimes.
What to have Ask for the dim sum menu, and order anything from that.
Hakkasan, 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD (020 7907 1888) Tottenham Court Rd tube.
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Zuma
An absolutely fabulous Knightsbridge bar and modern Japanese restaurant. The crowd is Knightsbridge meets ‘Sex and the City’. And the food? Modern Japanese, with a lengthy menu featuring umami-rich sautéed Japanese mushrooms with miso, or cubes of fried tofu with a spicy crust served with avocado salad and tiny sprouted herbs. From the robata grill, barbecued tuna with umeboshi (salt-pickled plum) sauce and grilled vegetables is typical of Zuma’s innovation. Zuma has one of the best saké lists in town, with a knowledgeable saké sommelier to guide you around it. And the drawbacks? A meal here doesn’t come cheap, and the two-hour sittings are strictly enforced.
When to go When you need a little glamour in your life.
What to have Saké, sushi, robatayaki and any of the Zuma signature dishes.
Zuma, 5 Raphael St, SW7 1DL (020 7584 1010/www.zumarestaurant.com) Knightsbridge tube.
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Sketch: The Gallery
It feels more like a nightclub than a restaurant and, in many ways, it is. Yet the pounding soundsystem and glam customers can’t detract from Pierre Gagnaire’s dishes being surprisingly good. Overworked and fussy perhaps, but ingredient pairings work – think pigeon with pear-and-almond sauce, or soba noddles in a red miso broth. The Gallery at Sketch is still a destination for fickle middle-ranking fashionistas which, in itself, is no mean achievement.
When to go When you’ve got jaded guests to entertain.
What to have No one comes here simply for the food, darling; just make sure you’re suitably dressed.
Sketch: The Gallery, 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG (0870 777 4488/www.sketch.uk.com/) Oxford Circus tube.
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The Wolseley

The Wolseley
The main dining room of this former Wolseley car showroom is undeniably glamorous, yet our best times here have been in the small café area to the left of the entrance, and the similarly sized bar to the right. Mid-morning or afternoon, the café’s just right for the excellent coffee, accompanied by one of the cakes temptingly displayed at the centre.
When to go Breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.
What to have Mittel-European comfort food – with tea or coffee.
The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB (020 7499 6996/www.thewolseley.com) Piccadilly Circus or Green Park tube.
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Sake no hana
Alan Yau is London’s most consistently innovative restaurateur, so, of course, his latest, most upscale restaurant was bound to ruffle feathers. It’s uncompromisingly Japanese in both menu and drinks list; the dishes are a fusion of traditionally distinct Japanese styles, and the menu is saké-based, with almost no concessions to the fermented grape. The seating is Japanese-style, with your shoes off, and the look of the place is evocative of Shinto shrines and Tokyo modernity at the same time. You will either ‘get’ Yau’s homage to Japan, or fail to see what the fuss is about. Just be prepared for a bill of £70 or more per head if you’re drinking.
When to go When you crave a true taste of Japan.
What to have Saké, and several dishes.
Sake no hana, 23 St James’s St, SW1A 1HA (020 7925 8988) Green Park tube.
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Momo
Moroccan food is hardly one of the world’s great cuisines, but here it’s done well: the sour-sweet flavours of the meat and fruit tagines, and grainy couscous that’s such a good foil to the watery sauces. The non-traditional desserts are possibly the best thing on the menu, especially the milk pastilla served with crème brûlée ice-cream.
When to go On a hot date.
What to have A couscous dish, and some of the aromatic teas.
Momo, 25 Heddon St, W1B 4BH (020 7434 4040/www.momoresto.com) Piccadilly Circus tube.
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