There is no shortage of options when you’re looking for a restaurant for a London dinner date.
In a city like this, it’s no surprise that there are more restaurants on the bucket list that I haven’t been to on a London dinner date than those I have.
It really is something of a Sisyphean endeavour. It feels like no matter how many I visit, the list of places I want to visit continues to grow.
Sigh.
But we all have our crosses to bear, and I am nothing if not committed. I am willing to keep working at my list — no matter how long it takes.
Fancy a London dinner date? Go ahead — make my day... and then let me make your night...
Take me out for dinner? I'll put on a bra... Actually I probably won't 🤷🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/BiuqGzCwHY
— Rachel Fox 🇬🇧 London, Paris, FMTY (@RachelFoxLondon) August 21, 2021
11 London restaurants: a rundown in their own words.
A Wong, Pimlico
The ‘collections of china’ is a 3-hour multi course journey across china’s 14 international borders. The menu pays homage to the five flavours of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spice. a exploration of the balance and a celebration of 3000 years of technique and culinary history.
Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone
Chiltern Firehouse celebrates contemporary, ingredient-focused cooking, with an underlying American accent. Executive Chef Richard Foster has created a fresh menu of reimagined classics and bold new flavours, placing emphasis on seasonality and healthy eating. A London dinner date classic.
Claude Bosi, Bibendum
Claude Bosi’s dishes are poised and well-balanced with bold, assured flavours. ‘Our Classics’ includes the likes of ‘turbot à la Grenobloise’, while ‘Tastes of the Season’ offers bolder, more creative combinations. If you spot soufflé on any menu, get excited, particularly if it’s of the chocolate variety.
Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill
Core is an elegant fine dining restaurant. Go for one of the tasting menus: ‘Core Classics’, which features dishes that Clare has continually refined over the years, or ‘Core Seasons’, which sees more contemporary constructions with a luxurious edge. Modern dishes that deliver superb flavours and textures but in a restrained, understated style.
Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden
Eye-catching dishes with a rather uplifting feel, this is Adam Handling’s flagship restaurant, and its fresh, clean look keeps the focus firmly on the food: to the front is the main kitchen and to the side, the counter where they prepare the desserts.
When the conversation is so captivating that you don’t realise you’ve been sat at dinner until 1am! Whoops 😅 truly this was everything I want out of life: late night giggles over a glass of wine, a magical connection with a new lover — and heart-shaped waffles with caviar 🤍✨ pic.twitter.com/YoGMxUUatp
— Rachel Fox 🇬🇧 London + FMTY (@RachelFoxLondon) October 30, 2023
Hot Stone Steak and Sushi Bar, Islington
The ancient Japanese method of cooking and eating known as ishiyaki. Specializing in wagyu, and one of the only restaurants in the UK to serve Kobe beef, and to serve freshly grated Japanese wasabi with sushi.
Ikoyi, Strand
Ikoyi builds its own spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality: vegetables slowly grown for flavour, sustainable line-caught fish, and aged native beef. The foundation for our menu is a vast collection of spices with a focus on sub-Saharan West Africa.
Kol, Marylebone
KOL was born from a desire to showcase the true authenticity of Mexican food: the culture, soul and people behind the cuisine. A new take on Mexican fare, anchored in an understanding of using simple flavours in bold combinations to create dishes that deliver the bright, fresh notes of home.
Marcus, The Berkeley Hotel, Knightsbridge
The Chef’s Table at Marcus is a truly immersive and memorable affair, making it one of the best private dining rooms in London. The intimate space provides front row seats to the restaurant’s Michelin-starred kitchen, where awe-inspiring dishes are created right before your eyes.
Otto’s French Restaurant, Clerkenwell
Classic, elegant and romantic, this is fabulous French food for old-school, traditional, classic, Gallic fine dining.
Sushi Tetsu, Finsbury
Arguably the most sought after seat in London, Sushi Tetsu is a seven-seat sushi bar in Farringdon. Ex-Nobu sushi master Toru Takahashi prepares every single dish himself, while his wife Harumi serves drinks. A unique London dinner date experience.
Don’t worry, I’ll zip it up when we’re at dinner pic.twitter.com/xZZOt599HN
— Rachel Fox 🇬🇧 London + FMTY (@RachelFoxLondon) June 30, 2023
Doesn’t everything taste better with a charming and funny brunette sitting next to you? (It does — trust me.)
And you know what, things taste even better on a London dinner date with two gorgeous brunettes next to you…
Come on then — you make the reservations, and I’ll make the hilarious jokes?
Rachel
