Time Out Eating & Drinking Awards 2009
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Anonymously reviewed by Time Out's panel of expert judges
Updated: Wed Sep 16 2009
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Best New Restaurant | Best New Italian | Best New Cheap Eats | Best New Gastropub | Best New Bar | Best New Local Restaurant | Best New Café | Best New Design | Best Spanish Restaurant | Best Spanish Wine List
Best New Design-
WINNER: Bob Bob Ricard
1 Upper St James Street, Soho, W1F 9DF
Designer: David Collins (with additions by the owners) Uniforms: NoUniform Yes, this is a no-expense-spared glamour-fest from celebrity designer David Collins, but it is also so much more. Working within a loose theme of Orient Express meets American diner, Collins has brought polish and professionalism to this Soho restaurant, with exquisite finishes, intimate booth seating, marble table tops, theatrical drapes, wooden panelling, brass rails and an inlaid floor. He’s also been pushed beyond his tasteful comfort zone into bold colours such as peacock blue and baby pink. From here the owners have added their own tweaks, not necessarily with the designer’s blessing – gold tassels, mis-matched lamps, art by friends and regular customers, and Japanese bookbinding papers used to cover walls and ceiling with colour and pattern. Despite the restaurant’s name, a truncation of those of the owners (‘Bob’ and Richard), this isn’t all ego trip either. Everything has been carefully thought through for the customer’s convenience: hanging/storage space between each booth for jackets; sockets at every table for laptops; individual task lighting; shiny toasters in each booth; and call buttons optimistically marked ‘Bring Champagne Now!’. The downstairs bar continues the booth theme but sets a more clandestine mood with rich theatrical red, a nod to nearby Theatreland, and witty interventions such as the backgammon-board for the floor. There are far too many quirky touches to list every one, and the owners are adding more all the time, but BBR is our winner for its exuberance, fearlessness and individuality; a visit will almost certainly put a smile on your face. Read more
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RUNNER UP: St Pancras Grand
Upper Concourse, St Pancras International, Euston Rd, Euston, NW1 2QP
Housed in one of London’s most impressive stations and at the head of the capital’s new high-speed link to the continent, St Pancras Grand rises to the occasion. Spherical lights hang from ceilings that glow with gold embossing; the floor is a sea of deep blue leather booths, separated by deco-influenced screens and boxy lamps. There’s polished brass aplenty, particularly on the two bars – the oyster bar, topped in raspberry pink, at one end of the wide space, a crepuscular whisky bar at the other. Rail passengers have their journey eased with a substantial luggage room for cases, a triple-faced clock for constant timekeeping, electronic departure boards on the way to the toilets, and small corner booths and alcoves for solo travellers. A gentlemen’s club meets ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, St Pancras Grand already feels like it is part of railway history, even though the oak entrance doors are in fact the only original features of this former store room. Read more
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RUNNER UP: L'Anima
1 Snowden Street, City, EC2A 2DQ
Designer: Claudio Silvestrin Another cool, calm space from architect/designer Claudio Silvestrin, and the antidote to the clamour and stress of the Broadgate offices that surround it. In the bar and main dining room, milky limestone floors, an onyx bar front, dusky porphyry walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, white leather furniture and monochrome settings (even the fresh-cut roses are white) create an air of luxury and spirituality, a physical manifestation of the restaurant’s name, which means ‘soul’. Diners can catch glimpses of the action in the busy kitchen through strips of glazing; and of course the chefs can also see out. A curved passageway leads round to the impressive wine cellar where guests may dine surrounded by fine Italian wines. But the show-stopper is the private dining room: a chapel-like space with a vaulted ceiling lined with the finest French limestone. Here diners gather round a monumental table cut from slabs of green South African marble and are soothed by the sounds of the subtle water feature cut into the end wall. Read more
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RUNNER UP: Comptoir Libanais
65 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, W1U 1PZ
Designer: Tony Kitous Murals : Rana Salam Like the winner, BBR, Comptoir Libanese is an expression of its owner’s personality, executed with love. Taking his cues from everyday Middle Eastern life, owner Tony Kitous has surrounded himself with reminders of his childhood. The monochrome geometric floor tiles evoke his grandparents’ house, the metal stools and laminated tables are ubiquitous canteen furniture, cutlery is stored in recycled harissa cans and the quatre-foil pattern, used in bright blue on a communal bar, picks up on one of the oldest Islamic motifs. For a touch of showmanship, he invited his friend, London-based Lebanese designer Rana Salam, to provide the colourful murals that dominate the space: one of giant Arabic Chiclets packets, the other inspired by a vintage movie poster of 1960s filmstar Sirine Jamal al Dien, now the logo for this emergent chain. Read more
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Best New Restaurant | Best New Italian | Best New Cheap Eats | Best New Gastropub | Best New Bar | Best New Local Restaurant | Best New Café | Best New Design | Best Spanish Restaurant | Best Spanish Wine List-
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17 comments
Lola Rojo is not really spanish. it is catalan. They do rices for British taste that do not exist in Spain, portions ae tiny, the atmosphere is depressing. It is miles away from the real thing you will find in Spain. It just shows how terrible Spanish food is in London. Sad "taste" of things.
Glaring omission in Best Spanish - Barrafina. Judging by the queues and all great reviews, including in Timeout and by its readers.
Confused by those who don't think Princi is not cheap? Fairly large portion of pretty good pasta or salad is £6-7, which is probably the most expensive thing in there. Pretty good tasting food and nice looking place. Pretty good value for money if you ask me. Ok, it's not as cheap as your local sandwich shop or greasy spoon, but come on. How cheap is cheap eats suppose to be?
I was disappointed with the Spanish Restaurants winner too. I frequent Tapas Variadas on Northcote Road, just metres down the road from La Rioja. The food is much more value for money (try the huge seafood platter for only £9) and the lovely little restaurant, quaint. I ve been to Lola Rioja, and found the atmosphere a little pretentious and the food overpriced for what you are given.
I agree that the "Best Cheap Eats" selection is pretty disappointing this year. I always relied on Time Out to help me discover real gems, not restaurants which have been well advertised and, quite frankly, aren't exactly groundbreaking discoveries.
Re Albion at the Boundary: good for brunch but not "cheap" (I'd go to E Pellicci any time instead! that's authentic and cheap). Not so good if you fancy well cooked comfort food: my cauliflower cheese was so crunchy that I had trouble cutting through it. I didn't even manage to finish it, incredible really as I was (a) extremely hungry and (b) in dire need of said comfort.
Please, Time Out, don't let us down next year!
the thing is that pretty much everywhere in london is a rip off.
you want value for money? go to capitan corelli in battersea park road. real italian as you could find in italy 30 yrs ago in small towns.
Great food, cakes to die for and a good cup of coffee. It's hard to beat The Fleet. I go there regularly, the foods always delicious, there's plenty of seating and there's always a buzz about the place , the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed certainly not lacking!
It is worth trying Harwood Arms! Great food (delicious soup as a starter) and friendly service, although a bit on the pricey side. Funny how everyone looks like they just left their houses in Westport, CT. Bocca di Lupo continues to be my favorite so far!
I found both Giaconda and Boundary rather disappointing. Great ingredients no doubt, and competent kitchen skills, which makes it even strager as to why the end result in both was a bit flat. Not sure the British 'food revolution' has helped much - people cook more and better, restaurants cook less and simpler, and thw two have ended up meeting in the middle somewhat. Do i need to spend £18 for someone to grill a chop for me?
And why 2 specifically Spanish categories?
I'm very sorry timeout, but Giaconda Dining Rooms was a massive disapointment to me. Difficult to create atmosphere in such a small space and food capable, but not exciting. I took my partner for his birthday having read the reviews on this site and had to apologise to him halfway through the meal... Maybe I missed something.
I have two things to say about these results.
Firstly 39 Colbrooke Row is a terrible little place full of cheap furniture and dirty toilets. Yes the barman is great and the cocktails fun but it's not fun spilling half of it on a wobbly table.
Secondly - Albion Caff Bakery - Christ Almighty, if these cakes are good I would not like to taste a Time Out rubbish-rated example. These may have to be some of the worst cakes I have ever eaten. YUK.
Come on Time Out, you are not exactly surprising us and encouraging us to grab our coats and scarper to a new exciting gem. Yawn!
Agree with Princi not being cheap. Maybe if you wanna eat three raviolis (and get a not-so-kind look when you ask for cheese)...
I agree with Anthony. Princi is not cheap!!
The Harwood is my local and, in my view a well deserved winner. IIt's a great mix of quirky and traditional english food....and always beautifully cooked and presented:)
concerns me when there are an awful lot of negative reviews about lola roja how it could win best spanish hmmmm??