Bushey Heath Restaurant Guide

“Confidently spiced, really excellent Mexican dishes” washed down with “brilliant cocktails” have won high acclaim from aficionados of Latino cuisine for Adriana Cavita’s lively Fitzrovia yearling, which – according to the FT’s Tim Hayward – “redefines the city’s Mexican food scene”. Not all our reporters are quite as sure though, a typical report being: “pretty good, but it needed something more to give it the wow factor”. It doesn’t help that the menu can strike first-timers as “incomprehensible”; and on some occasions staff can be “inarticulate” in explaining it.

This vintage Kensington haunt – named after the pseudonym used by the late Princess Margaret when wining and dining as a commoner – delights its guests with its gorgeous and romantic, rustic decor. Never a foodie fave rave: expect the kind of “delicious” 1970s brasserie-style comfort food which will not distract from a “lovely family meal”, or more intimate tête-à-tête.

Apadana Restaurant is a 5 Star Award-winning chic restaurant that uses family-kept recipes to craft authentic, sumptuous Iranian classic dishes in the heart of London's trendy Kensington high street.Indulge your senses in our family kept recipes passed on for generation...

“The wine list is pricey, even by Marylebone High Street standards” at this Tudorbethan pub, with leaded windows and inset stained glass. That’s to be expected, as it’s backed by Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos – part of the family who own the legendary Château Margaux – and you really have to be a lover of wine (some famous names are available by the glass using the Coravin system) to get the most out of the place, which has extensive listings – amongst other areas – of bottlings from Bordeaux and Burgundy: for example, there is a ‘Château Margaux Experience’: a ‘degustation’ of 50ml glass of 4 vintages for £95. Viewed purely as a place to get fed? “We liked it, the food is lovely, but there are options offering better value”.

This “absolute gem of a neighbourhood restaurant” sits on a side street off Chiswick’s bustling main drag, and – like its cousin Chez Bruce – has earned a London-wide reputation over the years thanks to its “fine modern British dining”, “well-drilled service with a smile” and “comprehensive list of fine wines”. There’s been some “changing of the guard in the kitchen” in the last 12 months with Greg Wellman, formerly of The Glasshouse, Kew, taking over at the stoves. But whereas some fans say “it hasn’t undermined what remains a very strong offering”, others are less certain and ratings are not what they were: “I’m still the ‘fan from E18’ who schleps across town to go here, and remain a supporter, but it seems to have lost some of that elusive lustre that previously made it so special”.

Jesse Dunford Wood’s quirky former pub in Kensal Rise “never disappoints”. It’s open for “lovely meals all day long” (from 10am), delivering a versatile set of dishes from “an ever-changing seasonal menu” made “with fresh ingredients and imaginative preparation”. “Sunday lunch for both vegetarians and meat-lovers is a particular highlight”.

2023 Review: Limited but good all-round feedback on this family-run Punjabi stalwart, which has long been a feature of the restaurant strip just to the south of Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo (and which sometimes only serves a restricted menu in the early evening during events there). It also has a branch in Ealing (not listed).

Welcome To The Melody Restaurant At St. Paul's Hotel The Melody Restaurant Takes Its Name From One Of Britains’ Most Beloved Films.  The Melody Restaurant Was Originally The Site Of St Paul’s School, Which Was The Chosen Location For ...

“Relaxed and busy”, Michael Lim’s Notting Hill venue is “always a treat”, with “great Singaporean and other Asian dishes”. It has notched up 26 years, first in All Saints Road and more recently in smart new premises on Ladbroke Road. A second branch opened in Seymour Place, Marylebone, in June 2023. Top Tip – “fantastic in the summer with the roof open”.

Cheneston's, named after the early spelling of Kensington, embodies refined fine dining with a touch of British culinary heritage. Discover a symphony of comfort and creativity orchestrated by Executive Chef Daniel Putz, crafting signature dishes infused with inspiration fro...

This “well-run spot” with outdoor seating attached to a hotel on Marylebone Lane makes a “very useful venue for lunch when in the vicinity”, with an offering that “seems to have something for everyone”. “It’s nothing exceptional in one sense, but a menu of properly prepared classics is the sort of thing that sounds easy but needs to be done well… and it is”.

With its colourful murals, dark-wood features and plush leather seating, the “lovely” dining room of this Art Deco hotel near Selfridges faithfully recreates a rather Manhattan-esque style. The menu is likewise praised by some reporters for its “superb American fare” (although its mix of grills with caviar, oysters and more generic locally sourced dishes – such as Dover sole – equally fit the image of typical British clubland venues). No longer run by Corbin & King as once it was, it is “still consistent but now quite expensive”.

Nowadays owned by Jesse Dunford Wood, this “beauty of a local restaurant” is a “gem worth travelling to Holland Park for” – “with a warm welcome, efficient staff and a regularly changing menu”. It’s notably “small and cosy”, which most reporters “love”.

“If you love wine… heaven!” – a “huge list (almost 2,000 bins)”, “some with no mark-up from merchant prices” and including 110 available by the glass (hence the name), is the big attraction at this plush Cavendish Square venue from a famous Parisian operation. It “finally seems to have found its footing as a real restaurant, not just somewhere that serves food as an afterthought to the wine list – there’s some very good cooking here”.

Restaurateur Markos Tsimikalis closed his Shoreditch restaurant, Hungry Donkey, to open this brightly decorated Greek venue in Holland Park in late 2022. Our initial feedback is very upbeat all-round and – in April 2023 – The Independent’s Kate Ng was likewise positive, including about the signature Cretan-style cheesecake made with sheep and goat’s milk (“certainly up there with the greats”).

Near the main entrance to Westfield, this Indian venue will celebrate its fifth year in 2024, but is easily lost amongst the glossy anonymity of the surrounding units. It’s the London outpost of a 45-year-old chain that’s 15-strong in India itself. Although it doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, reports are consistently upbeat: “good value, freshly cooked dishes, lovely ambience”.

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“Terrific ingredients, cleverly but unfussily combined” has long been the hallmark of Sally Clarke’s “impeccably run restaurant” in Notting Hill, which has been at the cutting edge of promoting seasonal, Californian-inspired cuisine since 1984. “It’s on the pricey side, but quality remains superb”; the setting is “romantic”; and the service, from a loyal and seemingly well-looked-after contingent of staff is “excellent, all overseen by Sally herself”. The “marvellous” wine list has an “unusual emphasis on North American wines” and some “reasonably priced alternatives to famous names”. Top Tip – “the good-value daily lunch set menu is a fantastic way to try this restaurant out”.