The best restaurants in South Kensington

A bona-fide London institution with a fine-dining powerhouse at the helm, Bibendum is one of London’s nattiest and most heart-warmingly pleasurable dining rooms – although über-chef Claude Bosi is putting his own dizzyingly technical and dazzlingly creative stamp on proceedings. Prices are unnervingly high, but the food is overwhelmingly excellent – so go on, blow the budget and prepare to be blown away by signature dishes such as the no-rice ‘nosotto’ with English snails, chervil and vine jaune.

Open since 1974, Sale e Pepe is something of a London institution. Tables are closely packed; 'Happy Birthday' rings out every hour; and the limoncello flies freely. A friendly but fancy old school Italian restaurant with dedicated regulars who come week in, week out for big tasty plates of pasta – such as the massive platter of linguine vongole e bottarga for two – and a lenghty crudo offering, as well as lashings of red wine, and extremely affable service. 

Head down the storied Fulham Road for this beauty of a bistro, another local spot from the equally storied chef Claude Bosi. Josephine is pretty and cute, but maintains an edge of robust Gallic urgency. Flavours are as full-bodied as a ruddy-faced Serge Gainsbourg after a Syrah binge and it self-identifies as a ‘bouchon’ – the name given to French restaurants that serve hearty Lyonnaise cuisine. Divine.  

It’s diddy compared to some of its outlets, but this offer from Wright Brothers (London’s uncrowned oyster king) scores with its cracking atmosphere, basement cocktail bar and exceptional seafood. Oysters top the bill, although you can also share the spoils of gargantuan fruits de mer platters and other briny treats such as whole gilthead bream with heritage beetroot, watercress, orange and chilli – all dictated by the catches from the West Country boats.
 

Everything about this follow-up to Japanese hotspot Dinings in Marylebone is an improvement, from the glitzy, capacious dining room to the quietly ambitious, head-turning menu. Signatures such as the ‘modern’ sushi and bang-on teriyaki wagyu beef buns have made the trip down to SW3, but also look for palate-janglers scuh as josper-charred ibérico pork with savoy cabbage and walnut miso vinaigrette. Tiny portions and complex precision-tuned flavours are the norm, as are big-city prices.

A home-from-home for expats since 1947, this much-loved grand dame among London’s Polish restaurants strides valiantly onward – although it has a breezier, shabby-chic brasserie look these days. The exiled Polish president was a regular, and punters still come for flavourful no-nonsense dishes from the old country (and beyond). All the classics can be relied on here (zurek soup, pierogi, confit goose etc), so expect bowls and plates of gut-busting, cockle-warming comfort washed down with punchy beers and head-banging vodkas.

We’re very fond of Min Jiang, not least for its superlative daytime views of Kensington Gardens. Set high up on the tenth floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, this glassy dining room is a serene space, but it’s also warm, welcoming and approachable. The kitchen is famed for its superior version of beijing duck (served in three stages), but the menu also offers high-end variations on the regional classics – plus upscale dim sum at lunchtime. Just brace yourself for a big bill.

We all know how excellent Dishoom is, but this branch might just be the popular Indian restaurant chain's funnest outpost. A tribute to Bombay’s lively 1940s jazz age, there's live piano here every Wednesday evening, and on Thursdays and Fridays  a band plays swing sounds up on the mezzanine. Gorgeous art deco style interiors are a big draw too, as well as the tried-and-tested menu, including Dishoom's signature butter-rich black daal, juicy masala prawns and the chicken ruby in makhani sauce – a true contender for the best curry in the capital. 

High Street Kensington’s ornate Italian spot Jacuzzi impressively straddles the line between high camp and high class. Like being invited into Sophia Loren’s boudoir, it’s at once seductive, sort of silly and kind of overwhelming. Homemade focaccia was warm, salty and beautifully bouncy, ideal for dipping into decent dollop of burrata dotted with black truffle and for slathering with a zingy Sicilian gambero rosso di mazara ceviche.

After a spot of retail therapy in the nearby shops, ladies who lunch (and others) repair to this relaxed all-day seafood café in the tiled foyer of the Bibendum building. Oysters, crabs and lobsters are the prime attractions (naturellement), but there are also elaborate plateaux de fruits de mer for those who fancy sharing. Prefer something meaty? Try a burger or steak tartare with fries, with a classy tipple from the thoroughbred wine list.

Daphne’s current incarnation will forever be compared to its Princess Di glory days. Togged out like a snazzy Italian townhouse (complete with a canopied conservatory), it serves punchy regional food – leavening its muscular pastas, grills and seasonal black truffles with more delicate salads, carpaccios and briny-fresh seafood. Service remains a strong point, honed by years of attending to a gaggle of Bolly-glugging regulars.

Japanese chefs often go where others fear to tread, and ‘nose-to-tail’ gastronomy is part of their DNA – just look at this offshoot of Yashin Sushi, which serves all manner of esoteric piscine delicacies ranging from crunchy deep-fried mackerel skeleton and fish skin to ‘paradise’ prawn tempura (served ‘head to tail’). We’re also sold on the hot tapas and more outré ideas – anyone for aubergine brûlée, miso-cappuccino-topped tofu espuma or marinated black cod with candyfloss?

Chef Phil Howard’s sleek but casual rendezvous, serves up meticulously presented high-end food in warm low-lit surrounds with a hefty price tag. Expect a procession of tip-top Euro-accented dishes such as Cornish mackerel fillet with crushed potatoes, glazed lettuce, vichyssoise sauce and rhubarb, backed by a strong list of big-ticket wines.

Tendido Cero’s chilled-out vibe is much favoured by South Ken’s tapas-scoffing hordes. Ham croquetas, tortillas and padrón peppers keep it traditional, but expect the odd new-wave combo such as salmon tartare with wakame and grapefruit to go with an epic list of Spanish wines and sherries. Elsewhere, big pans of paella are built for sharing.

‘Fresh, clean, fun and colourful’ sums up the food, the decor and the merry staff at this cute Levantine diner just off Old Brompton Road. A bustling open kitchen turns out the best from a region covering Turkey to Israel (and everything in between), so expect a raft of fragrant dips, ‘green bits’ and meze morsels followed by intriguing kebabs, skewered grills, Persian kaftas (beef patties) and other specialities, all liberally strewn or stuffed with jewel-like pomegranate seeds.