London

Don't come expecting 'molecular gastronomy' - this is all about respect for, and a wonderful renewal of, British food, with just a little playfulness thrown in. — Michelin Guide

Heston Blumenthal's "famous techniques, combined with an homage to Britain's culinary past", result in "impeccably prepared", "visually stunning", "other-worldly" creations. — Zagat

Here is the missing link between the labour-intensive complexity of contemporary haute cuisine, and the produce-led simplicity of modern British pioneers. — Independent

Sumptuously presented Dinner is a gastronomic tour de force, taking diners on a journey through British culinary history (with inventive modern inflections). — Lonely Planet

Blumenthal looks back over centuries of British cookery with a menu that includes everything from 15th-century meat fruit to 17th-century powdered duck breast. — Travel + Leisure

Try a dinner of mackerel with smoked eel, mustard and shiso, or foie gras terrine with apples in sake, followed by sea bass with confit squid, buckwheat and nasturtium. — Gayot

Since opening in 2005, Michelin two-star rated restaurant Ledbury has seen a great deal of success. — Travel + Leisure

The Ledbury is a superbly run restaurant that should glide through the gathering storm. — The Guardian

The airy restaurant is redolent with discreet luxury, as is the menu, which features truffles and foie gras alongside humbler ingredients that are accorded equal respect. — The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Australian-born Brett Graham has now earned two Michelin stars at this sophisticated neighborhood restaurant. — Frommer's

The ingredients are the best, the cooking is superb, and the dish is what it says on the menu. — Frommer's

They call it "Nose-to-Tail Eating," and you'll be amazed at the number of obscure cuts that can crop up between those too extremes and end up on your plate. — Concierge

This place is ALL about the offal. — Not For Tourists

Located in a former smokehouse near Smithfield meat market, St John specialises in what chef Fergus Henderson terms ‘nose-to-tail’ eating – ie, offal. — BlackBook

The walls, painted in a shade of detention centre white, add to the utilitarian feel of the room which was a smokehouse in the 19C. — Michelin Guide

The menu is varied, influenced by Europe so you can go from herrings with potato and dill to coq au vin, from Wiener Schnitzel to roast haddock, cockles and Jersey royal potatoes. — Gayot

"There's a wonderful sense of occasion" to this "luxurious", "bustling" Viennese-style Modern Euro Piccadilly brasserie, voted London's Most Popular restaurant for being full of "charm and character". — Zagat

This erstwhile Bentley car showroom has been transformed into an opulent Viennese-style brasserie. — Lonely Planet

The Wolseley is an experience of the Grand European tradition of all-day dining from hit restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. — On the Grid

The decor is glamorous, with chandeliers hanging from lofty ceilings, and the atmosphere always buzzing. — DK Eyewitness

The latest modern Indian restaurant from chef-owner Karam Sethi (also of London’s beloved and respected Trishna) is quality Hindi home cooking dressed in an elegant, upscale setting. — Departures

If you enjoyed Trishna then you'll love Karam Sethi's Gymkhana - that's if you can get a table. — Michelin Guide

Combining traditional Indian cooking with British ingredients, and featuring a menu of cocktails infused with Asian spices, Gymkhana has been a game changer in how Indian food is perceived in the UK. — Travel + Leisure

Indian curry virtuoso Karam Sethi invokes the last days of the Raj at London's finest top-end curry emporium in Mayfair. — Fodor's

If you really want a treat (that will blow a small hole in your pocket), hit this sophisticated, wood-panelled dining room for a seriously delicious Indian meal. — Condé Nast Traveler

In the heart of Covent Garden, J Sheekey has been known for its fresh fish, oysters, and shellfish for more than 100 years. — Travel + Leisure

It was sadly neglected for years, but since 1998, under the same owners as Le Caprice, its wonderful Victorian interior is again thronged with Theaterland crowds. — DK Eyewitness

Tucked into a small alleyway off St. Martin's Lane, J. Sheekey has long been a Theatreland favorite for both the famous (Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh) and the not-so-famous. — Frommer's

J. Sheekey has, it seems, been around forever, defying the march of time and remaining one of London's favorite fish restaurants. — Gayot

One of Londoners' all-time favorite West End haunts. — Fodor's

The cooking and setting are undeniably lovely, yet the overall experience lacks wow factors... largely because of its unfashionably restrained, traditional approach to fine dining. — Time Out

Alain Ducasse has more three Michelin starred restaurants than London does. He has three, we have two. And, er, one of those, this one, is his. — Evening Standard

Better known for its extortionate prices than michelin-starred food. — Not For Tourists

Ducasse's proxy, Jocelyn Herland, produces dishes that are genuinely beautiful to the eye, but less ­memorable to the tastebud than that triple-star rating might suggest. — The Guardian

"Top class in every respect". — Zagat

One of London’s hottest restaurants, serving light modern cuisine in a warmly distressed space. — Rough Guide

Foodies flock to this much "hyped" Fitzrovia venue to "savour smart, ingenious combinations" of "cutting-edge" Modern European cuisine. — Zagat

It's a triumph of taste over technology at wunderkind Ollie Dabbous's extraordinary game-changer off Charlotte Street. — Fodor's

A table at Dabbous is currently one of the hottest tickets in town but that owes more to the fact that Ollie Dabbous is an extremely talented chef and his cooking is something special. — Michelin Guide

And so we come at last to the Holy Grail for which your correspondent has been searching: an exquisite tasting menu in London. — Independent

Lovely, warmly decorated restaurant that’s a place of pilgrimage for disciples of Sam and Sam Clark’s Moorish/ Iberian/Middle Eastern cuisine. — Rough Guide

Laid-back restaurant serving Moorish cuisine, where lamb is charcoal grilled, tuna is wind-dried, monkfish wood-roasted, and manzanilla sherry partners prawns and garlic. — Insight Guides

When it opened in 1997, Moro's Spanish and North African cooking helped put Exmouth Market on London's gastronomic map. — Frommer's

Sam(antha) and Sam Clark’s Exmouth Market restaurant and cookbook set the benchmark for a distinctly British style of Iberian-with-a-North-African-twist Mediterranean cooking. — Time Out

Moro is proof that a restaurant does not need to be a new hot thing to be worth visiting time and time again. — Travel + Leisure

The members-only Ivy Club may have siphoned off the top tier of regulars but The Ivy restaurant continues to attract new blood. — Michelin Guide

Talk about traditional: The Ivy’s building has housed various incarnations of this iconic restaurant since the 1920s. — Travel + Leisure

This restaurant is all about first-rate service and ambience - it’s upmarket without feeling stiff, and casual while remaining elegant. — The Infatuation

Dining experience that will prove memorable. — Not For Tourists

You’ll have to book one to six months ahead to enjoy the innovative modern British cuisine at this favourite hangout of London celebrities. — Lonely Planet

Celebrity chef Tom Aikens’ restaurant serves excellent food (including award-winning breakfasts and pancakes). — Lonely Planet

High octane, hugely busy, and wildly popular, this former pub has been turned into a brasserie from top chef Tom Aikens, and is a great all-day venue. — Frommer's

Crush-worthy (maybe just us?) Tom Aiken's British brasserie masterpiece. — Not For Tourists

Chef Tom Aikens'€™ restaurant is thoroughly attractive and offers all-day dining to everyone --- especially families. — Gayot

Tom's Kitchen is chef Tom Aiken's (with his twin brother, Robert) second place, done up like a fantasy Edwardian country-house kitchen. — Travel + Leisure

The buzz is as important as the food at Jacob Kenedy and Victor Hugo’s enduringly popular Soho restaurant. — Time Out

Be very ready to be very happy about jumping straight into this wolf's mouth. — BlackBook

For "lively, seasonal cooking" including "superb" homemade pasta, this "reasonably priced" Soho Italian "lives up to the hype". — Zagat

"The mouth of the wolf, in the heart of Soho," is how Bocca di Lupo announces itself, and there's a strong whiff of rustic earthiness, of hairy-armpit experimentation about the menu. — Independent

The place is always packed and the tables jammed too close together, but everyone still comes for the buzz and chef Jacob Kenedy's unusual rustic Italian regional fare. — Fodor's

Opened by the restaurateur Alan Yau (who has done so much to transform London's dining scene), this sexy, moody, subtly lit basement venue serves top-notch modern Cantonese cuisine. — Frommer's

Sleek, blue-lit boutique. For saketinis and rose petal martinis. — Not For Tourists

Alan Yau was the original mastermind behind the groundbreaking restaurant, ambiguously located underground in an alley near Tottenham Court Road tube. — Time Out

Dim sum is topnotch; try Chinese chive dumplings and light, fresh prawns and scallop parcels. — Gayot

Celeb Cantonese redux: London's second Hakkasan holds it down a soybean's throw from Berkeley Square, remains the It place for upscale dim sum with a side of Kanye. — BlackBook

London's oldest restaurant boasts a fine collection of antique cartoons, drawings and paintings. Tradition continues in the menu, specialising in game from its own estate. — Michelin Guide

This is the place for a genuine taste of traditional London. — Frommer's

Established in 1798, Rules claims to be the oldest restaurant in London. It’s a place where locals like to get their fix of good old-fashioned British food. — Travel + Leisure

You "can't get more traditional" than this "right, rigorous and reliable" Covent Garden "institution" that's been serving "hearty" British "classics. — Zagat

Rules, London's oldest restaurant, is old-school, funny, and a must for visitors. — Condé Nast Traveler

The famous cheese soufflé is still there, alongside hot foie gras on a crisp duck pancake with cinnamon. — Frommer's

Brothers Michel and Albert Roux have been synonymous with fine dining in Britain for decades, and the Gavroche is their flagship London restaurant. — DK Eyewitness

Known as much for its illustrious history – Ava Gardner and Charlie Chaplin were regulars – as its delectable, classic French cuisine. — BlackBook

Try the cheese soufflé; Scotch beef and foie gras; and something from the dessert menu. Lunch here is also a fantastic (less gouging) option.  — Departures

Since it opened on a previous site in the '€™60s, Le Gavroche has been an established part of London'€™s culinary history, serving haute cuisine to a discerning, well-heeled clientele ever since. — Gayot

Seafood is a speciality and the fish displays an exhilarating freshness; the Jabugo ham is also well worth trying. — Michelin Guide

"Stellar" Spanish nibbles, including the "freshest seafood", are prepared in front of you and served with "wines to impress" at this duo of "intimate", no-reservations tapas bars in Soho. — Zagat

Tapas are always better value in Spain but the quality of this food justifies the layout. — Lonely Planet

The freshest of ingredients make the best tapas, which include plates of thinly carved quality jamon, razor clams, squid and prawns, and dishes like the classic tortilla. — Gayot

Of course, you don't have to eat as much as we do, but that would be to miss out on a truly sybaritic eating experience. The food is sensational. — The Guardian

Bask in the storybook glow of Tower Bridge, seen from indoors or the terrace at the the converted Butlers Wharf Building. — BlackBook

You'll find the winning combo of top-end French cuisine and smashing views of the River Thames, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London at the storied Le Pont de la Tour in scrubbed-up Butler's Wharf. — Fodor's

Once the flagship of Sir Terence Conran's dining empire, now sold to D&D London, Le Pont de la Tour is still a destination restaurant for the great and the good. — Frommer's

For over 20 years, Le Pont de la Tour has been the flagship restaurant of the Butlers Wharf development. — Michelin Guide

The long riverside dining room is elegant if a little soulless, but the setting is picture-perfect. — Time Out

There’s something for everyone, at prices that aren’t greedy given the setting, the quality of the service and the assuredness of the menu. — Time Out

Just like The Wolseley, its hugely successful older sibling, The Delaunay was inspired by the grand cafes of Europe and boasts a similar celebrity clientele. — Michelin Guide

A "nostalgia fest" of "exquisite linen" tablecloths and "polished silver" forms the backdrop at this "elegant" Wolseley sibling in Covent Garden. — Zagat

The Delaunay has secured the pre-and post-theater set in town. — Travel + Leisure

This flashy new brasserie across from Bush House is a kind of Franco-German hybrid, where schnitzels and wieners sit happily beside croque-monsieurs and choucroute alsacienne. — Lonely Planet

A small, unshowy restaurant that’s made a name for itself with a short but perfectly formed menu and an easy-going conviviality. — Time Out

This understated bistro, which takes bookings at lunch but not dinner, is making quite a splash with a menu that takes top-quality British produce and puts a Mediterranean spin on it. — Lonely Planet

Sometimes, restaurants get it so right—from friendly and knowledgeable staff to unfussy surroundings (chalkboard, mirrors) to pure, clean, well-made food—that you wonder why they can’t all be this way. — Frommer's

Farm- and sea-to-table; courier font and slate. — Not For Tourists

This restaurant has a simple, monochrome interior with tiled features and teak chairs, and an open kitchen at the back. — On the Grid

Oysters are one of the delights (and wash them down with a pint of Guinness to be really Irish), but go upstairs for a treat from a menu that is unashamedly British. — Gayot

Lovely pub. Let down by braying trustafarians. — Not For Tourists

This good-looking Tom Conran gastropub pulls in a cool, slightly raffish crowd. Tasty British food, including oysters, is served in the bar area and in a more formal dining room. — Rough Guide

“Push past the crowds” of hip Bayswater types at this “cultish” pub to find a “small upstairs dining room” serving “well-prepared” British food that “changes daily. — Zagat

Owner Tom Conran was a gastropub pioneer, and the Cow continues to serve fine, pricey, fish-oriented food in its upstairs restaurant. — Time Out