To Fly, To Serve.
British Airways’ head chef and menu design manager Mark Tazzioli and Food & Beverage/Product Change Manager Christopher Cole recently curated a Top 10 List for Singapore travellers to dine at London’s tastiest! I have been to London a couple of times, and its truly a cosmopolitan city! You can see people from all over the world riding the tube with you, hardly any Londoners commute Underground. So this Top 10 guide comes in handy if you are planning a trip to the one and only capital.
London attracts top chefs from all over the world, and if you are traveling by British Airways, you will begin your culinary adventure in the skies with the finest foods and beverages served on board in all cabins from World Traveller to First! Since their mantra is to fly and serve, the 250 dishes are on rotation on board all flights; and the head chef ensure local ingredients inspired by authentic recipes. I wonder how a plate of Hokkien Prawn Mee would taste like on board a British Airways… Well I trust Mark and Christopher combined experience and knowledge, because they are revealing their top 10 restaurants to dine at in the English capital, everything from fine dining to tasty BBQ, I can’t wait to try them all. That’s provided I get complimentary air ticket that is, just saying.
Counting Down LONDON TOP 10 restaurants (in no particular order)
1- The Ledbury, Notting Hill
There’s an Australian chef at the restaurant called Brett Graham who has two Michelin stars. The Ledbury is probably ranked No1 in London right now. They don’t advertise but they don’t have to, they’re fully booked. The food there is very good and if you can secure a table, it’s worth going – but it isn’t cheap! www.theledbury.com
2- Cau, Blackheath, St Kat Dock and Wimbledon
3- Cinnamon Club, Westminster
Brick Lane might be the home of curry in London, but for a more sophisticated experience head to Cinnamon Club in Westminster. Chef Vivek Singh is behind the capital’s plushest curry house, which sits inside the Grade II listed former Westminster Library. The style of the food is very contemporary and they are renowned for their unique take on game dishes, such as their Tandoori loin of Oisin red deer. www.cinnamonclub.com
4- Jason Atherton Social Eating House, Soho
Jason’s latest venture is in the Middle East – Marina Social – at the Intercontinental Hotel Dubai Marina. It’s fast becoming the place to visit in the Emirate to enjoy a contemporary menu and is worth visiting before sampling his London restaurants.
All of his restaurants in the UK capital are great. I prefer the Social Eating House to his Pollen Street Social. You’ll find it in Soho and like many of the restaurants around there, the exterior is really understated. The food is excellent. It also has a wonderful little bar upstairs called The Blind Pig where you can grab a cocktail before or after your meal. www.socialeatinghouse.com
5- Amaya, Mayfair
Another Michelin-starred eatery we love is Amaya – it serves delicious Indian tapas and is well worth a visit. They specialise in grilling using the three traditional Indian styles of Tandoor clay ovens, Sigri coal flames and Tawa searing on a very hot plate. It’s the third London eatery from the team behind the Chutney Mary in Chelsea and the West End venue Veeraswamy. www.amaya.biz
RELATED: Pick up a London pocket travel guide to use while travelling.
6- Pitt Cue, Soho
Fans of BBQ should head to this popular BBQ restaurant which started life as a tiny food truck but became so popular it now holds a prime Soho spot. But be prepared to queue because this tiny restaurant doesn’t take reservations and only has 30 seats in total. Pitt Cue serve mouth-watering pulled pork and their bone marrow mash is divine. Order it if you can. www.pittcue.co.uk
7- The Ivy, West End
8- Nobu, The Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane
www.noburestaurants.com/london
9- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, The Mandarin Oriental
www.mandarinoriental.com/london/fine-dining/dinner-by-heston-blumenthal
10- Duck and Waffle, Heron Tower, East London
Please visit ba.com or better yet book a flight to London this summer for a culinary experience of a lifetime! By the way, summer is the best time to visit London, the day is longer than the night; and the weather is like walking in an air-con enclosed country.
