This Bright Field- Bethnal Green, London

268 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DA
http://www.thisbrightfield.com

This Bright Field is a relaxed and friendly restaurant, a short walk from Bethnal Green tube station. Known to have reasonably-priced and regularly-changing set menus, we went on a Wednesday night and enjoyed their ‘Pie and Pudding Night’- a choice of pie main courses and pudding desserts for £16 ahead. 

On yet another freezing cold March evening, the warm and hearty chicken, ham hock & leek pie they served up was perfect and we shared an indulgent plate of creamy and calorific mashed potatoes to accompany. Our rhubard crumble pudding with warm custard was a lovely finish. We were brought a carafe of water with sprigs of fresh mint on arrival and the Chilean red we chose was delicious. 

The interior is simple and slightly eclectic...walls are painted taupe, tables and chairs are a wooden mis-match and small jars of colourful fresh flowers dotted the room. With fantastic service and a fresh, affordable and interesting menu, This Bright Field is definitely one for your list.

Barbecoa- St Paul's, London

20 New Change Passage, EC4M 9AG
http://www.barbecoa.com

Founded by Jamie Oliver, Barbecoa aims to celebrate traditional fire based cooking using some of the highest quality ingredients. All the meat featured on the menu is sourced by in house butchers and cooked using Texas pit smokers, tandoors, fire pits, robata grills and fire wood ovens. Visiting for brunch, we chose the fail safe burger and fries and were more than pleased with our decision. This huge and succulent beef burger came generously topped with melted gubeen cheese, crispy bacon and tomato & onion chutney. The pulled pork shoulder with jalapeño muffin, bbq sauce and coleslaw looked a delicious dish too. The interior is sleek and the view of St Paul's Cathedral is breathtaking. Visiting just to make use of the bar is worthwhile; it offers the widest range of whiskies in the UK and extensive wine, beer and cocktail list.

Indigo at One Aldwych, Covent Garden, London

1 Aldwych, WC2B 4BZ
http://www.onealdwych.com/food-drink/indigo.aspx

I feared boozy brunches were a thing of the past when I left New York but after an eventful day at Bunga Bunga and more recently a visit to Indigo in One Aldwych, I am reassured this isn't the case.

After the lengthy and difficult process of deciding what to order from the wonderful brunch menu, the following were all included in our choices. To start; eggs benedict, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, Asian-spiced crab cakes, home-made blueberry butter-milk pancakes and truffled egg on brioche (the winning starter in my opinion). Main courses ordered were the mammoth burger and chips, the colourful beetroot and goats cheese risotto, the hearty full English, and the rich caramelised onion and goats cheese tart. All plates came beautifully presented and the service overall was excellent. Some of us managed to squeeze in sticky toffee pudding from the dessert menu...returing my next choice would be the apple and blackberry crumble or the mandarin parfait with walnut ice cream.

Throughout the two hours we were in the restaurant our glasses were quickly and generously topped with unlimited prosecco after a few sips. The decor is clean and elegant; muted browns and creams are offset with huge vases of bright red, orange and yellow flowers. Large circular windows provide a close view of the Lyceum Theatre and passers by on Wellington Street below.

Searcys, National Portrait Gallery- Trafalgar Square, London

St Martins Place, WC2H 0HE
http://www.searcys.co.uk/national-portrait-gallery/

Searcys sits on the third and highest floor of the National Portrait Gallery beside bustling Trafalgar Square. Although relatively low in comparison to other top floor restaurants, the window that stretches from one length of the room to the other affords a lovely view of Big Ben, Westmister, the London Eye and the Shard. The room is bright, airy and a full of chatter while retaining an air of sophistication. Spoilt for choice, the mussels followed by the chicken breast, spinach & chesnut stuffing, puy lentils and celeriac puree were the most appealing choices on the set menu. The mussels were some of the best I'd tasted and the flavours in the main dish all complimented each other wonderfully. Dessert was an indulgent chocolate bomb with vanilla ice cream and a brandy snap basket, delicious!

Baltic- Southwark, London

74 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8HA
http://www.balticrestaurant.co.uk

Dining in Baltic is a refreshing change from the typical cuisine you come across; on a freezing February evening, warm and hearty Eastern European dishes really hit the spot.  We were brought  fresh bread and beetroot dip before deciding on the reasonably priced pre-theatre menu. A traditional soup with sauerkraut and bokzec (ham) to start followed by a warming beef and dumpling stew were delicious choices. 

Great service and food aside, the design of Baltic is a massive selling point. The vast restaurant room (formally an 18th century coach builder's works) is painted completely white with large wooden beams spanning the length of the ceiling. Numerous exposed brick and grey concrete walls add further roughness to this clean interior. Each table is clothed in white and dotted with candles. One side hosting a large intricate wall sculpture and the other a hanging formation of gold beads, both ends of the room have beautiful focal points. With jazz nights on every Sunday and a bar Boasting 60 types of Vodka, Baltic is worth a visit even if you're not eating.

Ottolenghi- Islington, London

287 Upper Street, Islington, N1 2TZ
http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/

From the outside, Ottolenghi looks like a high end deli with its array of beautiful window front cakes & pastries, large counter filled with bowls of delicious salads, blackboard of daily specials and shelves of jam, preserves, oils and quality wines. Further through, you’ll find a small and elegant restaurant which was still packed when we took our seats at 9pm on a Tuesday evening. Completely white, the room is minimal with accents like oversized gold candle holders and several bright orange chairs. Whether you order from the counter or kitchen, the dishes are small so you need a few each. We sampled unique flavours from plates such as pan fried gunard with baby onions & Jerusalem artichokes and seared lamb fillet with peanut paste & piquillo peppers.  Most interesting, and unexpectedly good, was the blood orange salad with complimenting pecorino, spiced macademia, pickled red onion and orange blossom dressing.

Polpo- Covent Garden, London

2 Maiden Lane, WCE2 7NA
http://www.polpo.co.uk/

Polpo has small, rustic restaurants in several locations; Covent Garden, Soho and Smithfield. Reasonably priced, the menu offers a wide selection of delicious sharing size Venetian dishes and has won rosettes in the AA guide for culinary excellence. Arriving on a cold Wednesday night, we were ushered down to the low-lit and cosy cellar.  The interior is authentic; stripped back walls, a selection of high and low tables and an open and well stocked bar.  An interesting touch was the drinks menus being presented on clipboards. Our choices were all good ones; lamb and mint meatballs, goats cheese, kale & pine nut pizette, arancini, duck ragu parpadelle and potato & parmesan crochette. Too stuffed from dinner, we missed out on plates like ricotta crumble or panacotta with rhubarb & pistachio for dessert…a return visit is a must!