London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [104]
Hélène Darroze at the Connaught.
£££££ | FRENCH | The crème de la crème flock to Hélène Darroze at the Connaught for dazzling regional French haute cuisine, served in an Edwardian wood-paneled hotel dining room. Taking inspiration from Les Landes in southwest France, Darroze sallies forth with a procession of magical dishes. Caviar d’Acquitaine wows with oyster tartare in a stylish martini glass, topped with black caviar jelly and white haricot bean velouté. Spit-roasted and flambéed grouse is served delightfully pink, with duck foie gras, and mini–Brussels sprouts. To finish, enjoy Madagascar chocolate ganache with galangal (Asian root) crème brûlée. Note that the prices are high: £35 for lunch, and £75 or £85 for the set dinners. | The Connaught, Carlos Pl., Mayfair | W1K 2AL | 020/3147–7200 | www.the-connaught.co.uk | Reservations essential Jacket required | Closed Sun. and Mon. | AE, MC, V | Green Park .
Hibiscus.
££££ | MODERN FRENCH | French chef Claude Bosi excels at one of London’s finest modern French restaurants, tucked away on Maddox Street in Mayfair. Bosi’s effortless cuisine is sure to impress with frogs’ leg fricassée, Cornish pollock with clams, Glenham salmon with eucalyptus, or Lyonnaise tripe with cuttlefish and pig’s ear. Rice soufflé and pineapple sorbet will send you home happy. | 29 Maddox St., Mayfair | W1S 2PA | 020/7629–2999 | www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk | AE, MC, V | No lunch Sat. Closed Sun. and Mon. | Oxford Circus, Piccadilly
La Petite Maison.
£££ | FRENCH | American in London star Gwyneth Paltrow blogs that La Petite Maison is her all-time favorite London restaurant, and no wonder—there’s nothing on the impeccably well-sourced French Mediterranean and Provençale menu that fails to delight. Try a crab and lobster salad, a soft Burrata cheese, Datterini tomato and basil spread, or an aromatic baked turbot with artichokes, chorizo, and white wine sauce. Based on the style of the original La Petite Maison in Nice in France, dishes come to the table when they’re ready, and the friendly staff make for a convivial vibe. | 53–54 Brook’s Mews, Mayfair | W1K 4EG | 020/7495–4774 | www.lpmlondon.co.uk | AE, MC, V | Bond St. .
Le Gavroche.
£££££ | FRENCH | Master chef judge Michel Roux Jr. thrives at this 44-year-old clubby basement haven in Mayfair, which some rate as the best formal dining in London. With silver domes and unpriced ladies’ menus, Roux’s mastery of classic French cuisine dazzles with signatures like foie gras with cinnamon-scented crispy duck pancake, langoustine with snails and Hollandaise sauce, or Pyrennean lamb with flageolets (French kidney-shaped beans). Desserts like the chocolate omelet soufflé are equally accomplished. The weekday set lunch is a relatively affordable treat at £48.90—with a half bottle of wine, water, coffee, and petits fours. | 43 Upper Brook St., Mayfair | W1K 7QR | 020/7408–0881 | www.le-gavroche.co.uk | Reservations essential Jacket required | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed Sun. and 10 days at Christmas | Marble Arch
Nobu Berkeley Street.
££££ | JAPANESE | Supermodels, soccer stars, and the global fashion crowd pay silly money for new-style sashimi with Peruvian flair at this so-hip-it-hurts Nobu spin-off near Piccadilly. More trendy than nearby flagship Nobu on Park Lane, this version seems to triple up successfully with a combined restaurant, cocktail bar, and nightclub feel. Once seated, the beautiful people go bonkers for miso black cod, California sushi rolls, tuna teriyaki, yellowtail sashimi, Bento boxes, and grilled Wagyu beef. Prices are downtown-Tokyo extreme, but the hot people-watching is just so good. | 15 Berkeley St., Mayfair | W1J 8DY | 020/7290–9222 | www.noburestaurants.com | AE, MC, V | Green Park
Fodor’s Choice | Scott’s.
££££ | SEAFOOD | This is where the A-list come to dine. Founded in 1851, and reborn as a glamorous seafood haven and oyster bar, Scott’s draws movers-and-shakers and the beautiful people who pick at Cumbrae oysters, Dublin Bay prawns, and Stargazy pie (Cornish pie with fish heads gazing out of a pastry crust).