Vinoteca- Soho, London

53- 55 Beak Street, London W1F 9SH
http://www.vinoteca.co.uk/soho/

Vinoteca is a wine bar & dining room with locations in Soho, Farringdon and Marylebone. Over two floors, the Soho branch is inviting and full of life. What is unique about Vinoteca is the enormous selection of high-quality wines available by the glass; the modern British menu has a suggested glass of wine for each plate. The rich and indulgent menu changes daily but dishes like confit of duck, Cornish hake with spiced lentils or English rose veal might feature.

Simply Indian- Borough, London

25 Tabard Street, SE1 4LA
http://www.simplyindian.co.uk/

Bring your own bottle and head to Simply Indian to sample delicious, authentic Indian food in a cosy and intimate setting. Located a few minutes away from Borough Tube Station, this restaurant offers curries we hadn’t seen before and were intrigued to try. In all our main dishes, the meat was of the highest quality and cooked to perfection; working in harmony with aromatic sauces to create a wonderful culinary partnership.  Try Mama Ishtu (£5.80); a coconut based lamb stew or the Goan Chicken Curry (£5.90); a cashew, green chili, cumin and tamarind delight. The sag aloo was the best I’d tried.

 

Haozhan- Chinatown, London

8 Gerrard Street, London, W1D 5PJ

http://www.haozhan.co.uk/ 

This is quite simply, the best Chinese food I have had in London. This post should make choosing from the multitude of restaurants on Gerrard Street a little easier! The small, clean , modern interior of Haozhan lets the food do the talking. We devoured delicious grilled pork dumplings, satay vegetarian chicken and crispy vegetable rolls with seaweed for appetisers. Following that our exquisite main courses surpassed the starters; lemon chicken, spicy prawns in a green curry & lemongrass sauce and traditional roast hoisin duck. The winner was a lip smacking rib-eye beef dish presented in an ornate noodle cave. It’s reasonably priced and available on the Taste Card. 

Tramshed- Shoreditch, London

32 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3LX
http://www.chickenandsteak.co.uk/

Visit Tramshed in Shoreditch for one of London’s latest unique dining concepts. Much like Burger & Lobster and Bubbledogs…the menu is very limited but what they do, they do well. Steer clear vegetarians, at Tramshed, beef or roast chicken are the only main course options. The chicken and beef theme extends beyond the menu with an impressive and specially commissioned Damien Hirst artwork. Suspended from the ceiling is an enormous formaldehyde filled tank complete with cow and cockerel.  This vast space was once used as a shed for trams but despite its size is quickly filled with the chatter of many customers. Go for an interesting experience rather than fine dining ;)

Zucca- Bermondsey, London

184 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3DT
http://www.zuccalondon.com/

Having been claimed one of the best Italian restaurants in London and its location on one of my favourite streets,  it was only a matter of time before I popped in to make a reservation at Zucca. Night after night it is deservingly booked up; the menu is modern, reasonably priced and of a very high standard. We dived into an appetizing starter selection of ‘Zucca friti’, broccoli with ricotta and mozzarella balls…all very good. Pasta was on the menu for most of us…and the mushroom tagliatelle was the creamy, buttery, heavenly, ‘melt in your mouth’ indulgence I was hoping for.

Inside Zucca the décor is minimal…the white walls and crisp white tablecloths are offset by splashes of abstract art and colorful tea-light holders. A completely open kitchen spans the length of the restaurant and opposite is a wall of windows- allowing you to relax and watch the world go by on charming Bermondsey Street.