At long last, I write about London, the city where we live.

I was about to write something pompous, along the line of “it has much to entertain” and “if you are tired of London, you are tired of life”. But then I did a mental count of the restaurants that I could wholeheartedly recommend. It’s sad (and sort of funny) to say that even between the two of us, we could not list 10 (= we have high standards).

It’s true that the food scene here has improved massively over the last 10-15 years. It’s also true that you can find anything for anyone – all tastes and all budgets are catered for. And with all this variety, there are, of course, lots of lemons, tourist traps and short lived wonders that you visit once and never return.

Sadly, as I was doing my mental cataloguing, the news came in that one of my favourites – Hedone – is now closed. So, here’s my reduced shortlist for now:

1. Lyle’s: Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, Hackney, London E1 6JJ
2. Bubbledogs and Kitchen Table: 70 Charlotte St, Bloomsbury, London W1T 4QG
3. Cakes & Bubbles: 70 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 4DY
4. Dinner: Mandarin Oriental, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
5. The Clove Club: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, Hackney, London EC1V 9LT
6. German Gymnasium:  King’s Blvd, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BU

And some noteworthy chains:

1. Patara (Wimbledon): http://www.pataralondon.com/
2. Honest Burger (Covent Garden): https://www.honestburgers.co.uk/locations/covent-garden/
3. Meat Liquor (N1): https://meatliquor.com/restaurant/meatliquor-n1/

Bottom line and mental note to self – there is more exploring to be done.