Chutney Mary

Tantalising our taste buds since 1990, Chutney Mary is a stalwart of the Kensington and Chelsea culinary scene. Sister restaurant to Veeraswamy, Britain’s oldest Indian restaurant (Est.1926), this is most definitely not your local curry house.

Bangalore Express

Opened just a month ago, the unfortunately-named Bangalore Express in its hidden location belies its fab quality. This mid-priced, 80s-decor Indian restaurant is a real find if you can find it, but no one seems to have located it quite yet.

Locale, Balham

Locale Balham is one of a chain of five Italian restaurants around London, the Balham restaurant, on the corner of Balham High Road and Ritherdon Road has a modern but comfortable feel with well spaced tables. It is a good local restaurant, as the name suggests.

Caleya

Some critics have had a pop at Caleya’s decoration and style, but I rather like it. Bright and modern and with chairs that boast extra wide seats, presumably for extra wide bums, it’s friendly and cheerful but is also a tale of bi-polar cooking. Starters and desserts of true genius, mains of less than perfection.

Jeremy’s Restaurant, Haywards Heath

On the drive to Borde Hill gardens, through tree-branch tunnels, I spied the aftermath of a great many game birds, spread on tarmac. Morbidly, I found the sight mildly appetising. Rather than irrational bloodlust, I interpreted this as impatience to sample the speciality at destination, ‘Jeremy’s’, a family-run restaurant known for its game…

Mehek

Just a five minute walk from Moorgate station, Mehek nestles under the overhanging office buildings just short of where London Wall meets Moorgate. A modern, but comfortable and popular Indian restaurant..

Stanza

You will find Stanza on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Greek Street, opposite the fire station. Set in the heart of buzzy theatreland, the restaurant has a lot to offer.

Canteen Baker Street

The suffix Canteen never boded well for meal prospects: School Canteen, Staff Canteen, Office Canteen, you knew it meant grisly grey dishes of indeterminate meat served by a woman in a tabard, probably with a cigarette dangling from her lips. In this Canteen,they could do with a bit of a tighten up in the kitchen, particularly by whoever is on the chip station, but they have the right work ethic.

Ondine Edinburgh

Douglas Blyde last saw Edinburgh’s ‘Ondine’ restaurant as a building site. Two months on, he returns to test-dine the finished product and is enthusiastic about this glamorous seafood restaurant and what is arguably ‘Edinburgh’s opening of the year’.