"LondonRestaurants" news and stories

The first restaurants in a new chain offering dim sum have opened in London. Ping Pong Dim Sum Little steamed parcels of deliciousness. Three eateries are in operation to sample these under-appreciated Chinese specialities.

• 45 Great Marlborough Street Soho
• 74-76 Westbourne Grove
• 10 Paddington Street

If you cant get to one of these fabulous sounding places maybe you could try making dim sum at home. This article in the Independent has several recipes.

Source

The weekly recommended eateries list from the Times. The Telegraph recommended three burger bars recently; this list though covers just London and the South East of England.

1. Haché 24 Inverness Street, London NW1 "has that little bit extra to set it above the competition" [website]
2. Black and Blue Wigmore Street, 90-92 Wigmore Street, London W1 "there's no secret to great steak" [details]
3. Carnarvon Arms, Winchester Road, Whitway, Newbury, Berks "relaxed pubby atmosphere and a mix of classic bar food" [website]
4. Christopher's, 18 Wellington Street, WC2 "a touch of class about the upmarket American menu" [details]
5. Eagle Bar Diner, 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1 "the full American diner experience" [website]
6. Gourmet Burger Kitchen, 44 Northcote Road, London SW11 "there are more than 20 huge and tasty varieties" [website]
7. Hamburger Union, 25 Dean Street, London W1 "good-quality, good-value food" [website]
8. The Hartley Bar & Dining Rooms, 64 Tower Bridge Road, London, SE1 "not just classic beef but also emu with white pepper or ostrich with cranberry" [website]
9. Lucky Seven, 127 Westbourne Park Road, London, W2 "Malts, milkshakes, cream soda and root beer are the things to drink here" [details]
10. Sophie's Steakhouse & Bar, 311-313 Fulham Road, London, SW10 "no-bookings policy at Sophie;s so arrive early or prepare to wait for this place pulls a crowd every night" [website]

With guide book in hand, another 'must see' location ticked off the list, the hunger will soon descend. But where are the best places to eat near the sites? Step forward the  Times with the Top 10 bites near the top tourist destinations in London and the South East of England:

1. After London Zoo, Regent's Park, Madame Tussauds: Base Deli, 195 Baker Street "A good pit stop" [details]
2. After Buck House, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey: The Phoenix, 14 Palace Street "The cooking is classic and uncomplicated (and all the better for it) while portions are generous" [details]
3. While in Brighton: The Gingerman, 21a Norfolk Square, Brighton: The Gingerman "one of the best restaurants in Brighton" [website]
4. While in Winchester: Hotel Du Vin, 14 Southgate Street, Winchester "set in a renowned Queen Anne townhouse in the heart of this cathedral town" [website]
5. After the London Museums (V&A, Science, Natural History): Hugo's, 51 Prince's Gate "this continental style cafe next to he Goethe Institute has an intellectual vibe with smooth jazz accompanying an international menu" [details]
6. After Kew Gardens: Inn at Kew, 292 Sandycombe Road "informal and friendly public rooms and a pleasant garden" [website]
7. After the London Eye, Dali Universe and London Aquarium: Loco Mensa, 3b Belvedere Road "no-fuss Italian... staff are helpful and children are made to feel more than welcome" [details]
8. While in Oxford: Malmaison Oxford, 3 Oxford Castle "housed in an imaginative conversion of Oxford prison... stylish, but quirky.. good value" [website]
9. After the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark: The Spread Eagle, 1-2 Stockwell Street "charming, intimate restaurant" [website]
10. While in Cambridge: Venue, 4th Floor, Cambridge Arts Theatre, 6 St Edward's Passage, Cambridge "a modern and refreshingly unstuffy note amid all the history and ancient architecture of Cambridge" [website]

THe 10 top restaurants with a riverside location. As this covers the South East of England the Thames features heavily.. exclusively actually.

1. The Gun 27 Coldharbour, London E14 "combine pub informality and simple comfort with what is surely one of the most elegant gastropub menues of the year." [website]
2. Canyon, The Towpath, Riverside, Richmond "The weekend brunch dishes and the cheap set lunch are both excellent" [details]
3. Deep, The Boulevard, Imperial Wharf, London SW6 "Before dinner, enjoy a cocktail on the large riverside deck of the adjoining bar" [details]
4. The Grand Union Public House, 45 Woodfield Road, W9 "its increasing popularity with hip thirthysomethings" [details]
5. Hampton's, Hampton Court Road, Hampton Court, Surrey "benefits from the presence of the executive chef Russell Pollard, who hails from Marco Pierre White's stable" [details]
6. The Leatherne Bottel, Goring on Thames, Berkshire "The delightful location on a wooded bank of the Thames is reason enough to visit, but Julie Storey's cooking is the real lure" [website]
7. Le Pont de la Tour, Butlers Wharf, SE1 "This suave riverside restaurant is the Soth Bank's best bet for impressing important clients or wooing the love of your life" [website]
8. Royal China Westferry Circus, 20 Westferry Circus, London E14 "One of the best dim sum selections in London and a lovely riverside terrace" [details]
9. The Riverside Brasserie, Monkey Island, Bray, Bershire "The whole experience is made more delightful by the lovely views of the Thames outside" [details]
10. The Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire "This sumptuously furnished yet homely riverside restaurant offers one of the most cosseting dining experinece you could hop to find." [website]

Ten historic venues in and around London as recommended in the Times.

1. The French House, 49 Dean Street, London W1 "The patina of time and the stains from a trillion Gauloises enhance what was the unofficial drinking den of Gallic wartime exiles (de Gaulle prepared his rallying calls here... Ales are sold in half-pints and Pernod is de rigueur at this throwback to Soho's boho glory years" [details]
2. Amberley Castle, Arundel, West Sussx "The impressive barrel-vaulted dining room serves some excellent food" [website]
3. The George Inn, 77 Borough High Street, London SE1 "Great alfresco dining on a gorgeous cobbled courtyard off Borough High Street is one of the obvious draws of this small-scale pub" [details]
4. Gordon's Wine Bar, 47 Villiers Street, London WC2 "It is said to be London's oldest established wine bar 1980 and attracts drinkers with its history - Pepys and Kipling both lived in the building and with its wine" [One I have been to along with a bunch of other bloggers] [website]
5. Jerusalem Tavern, 55 Britton Street, London EC1 "Quite possibly London's most atmospheric pub, the tiny Jerusalem Tavern is made up of just a handful of pokey rooms, set on the ground floor of a 1720s building in a quiet steeet of Clerkenwell's main drag" [details]
6. Lightship X, 5a St Katharine's Way, St Katharine Docks, London E1 "Landlubbers with a taste for naval history will enjoy boarding the world's oldest lightship, docked five minutes from the Tower of London" [website]
7. The Magdela, 2A South Hill Park, London NW2 "Back in 1953, Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain shot her lover outside this Hampstead pub, though today the atmosphere is so tranquil that it's hard to imagine such drama" [details]
8. The Manor Restaurant, Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury, Bucks "For Waddesdon Manor visitors, lunch at the Manor Restaurant should be considered one of the main attractions" [website]
9. Rules, 35 Maiden Lane, London WC2 "A genuine piece of the capital's dining history. Rules began life in 1798 and more than two centuries later is London's oldest continually trading restaurant - a gentlemen's haut replete with ricu, upholstered decor" [website]
10. Thackeray's, 85 London Road, Tunbridge Wells "The house, with its all-white New England exterior, is the oldest in Tunbridge Wells and was once the home of the writer and satirist William Makepeace Thackeray." [website]