London United Kingdom

London, the UK's bustling capital, is a melting pot of cultures offering diverse cuisine from fish and chips to Indian curries. Renowned for its historic landmarks and vibrant arts scene.

St. James' Court, A Taj

St. James' Court, A Taj

54 Buckingham Gate, London United Kingdom, United Kingdom, SW1E 6AF

Hotels • Coffee • Breakfast • Vegetarian


"A couple of months ago, I got a most-exciting tweet from Sunny In London informing me that I had won a competition she ran in conjunction with Zomato. And the prize? A 24 Karat Gold Afternoon Tea at the luxurious St James Court Taj Hotel. And so after years of believing I’d eventually win a competition – I did! The staff gave proactive, helpful suggestions and showed a professionalism and courtesy that impressed me. 24 Karat class was apparent throughout the afternoon both metaphorically with this service and literally, with elegant gold leaf sprinkled with sophistication across the delicacies served. It was hard selecting a tea from their vast array of white, black and green teas, as all sounded tempting in the soggy December air. Between us, we ordered an aromatic, spiced Indian Chai and a sneak peek inside revealed a busy teapot harbouring star anise, orange peel and cloves amongst other things. My mango green tea held a light and fragrant note that floated across the table and evoked memories of fresh mangoes my sister and I ate by the dozen on childhood holidays in India. Ordinarily at this stage, one discusses the sandwiches but what I loved at this tea was this supreme plate of savoury magic was so much more than that. Aside from the Chorizo, black mustard and Comte sandwich on display, we were also treated to a homemade beetroot bread and minted cucumber pinwheel, egg mayonaise with golden quail’s egg, smoked salmon with caviar on rye bread and a mixed vegetable tartlet. I must admit I preferred this to the conventional sandwich platter, a little fresher and less dense on the post-Christmas belly. (NB, the savoury menu we were served seems to have been updated as compared to the website menu at the time of writing this post so check with the restaurant if you have any queries . Shortly before embarking upon our sweet treats, they re-affirmed just how classy an afternoon tea this would be with a refreshing marinated plum, thyme and rosemary compote palate cleanser. And then the moment of truth arrived (let’s be honest, when you say the word afternoon tea, it’s really the cakes and scones that spring to mind! . The desserts were nothing short of beautiful, oozing elegance and decadence. An array of mini scones at the base (raisin, plain and chocolate chip , which were irresistibly soft and moist to perfection. I’d have liked them ever so slightly warmer but I’m not sure whether this was because they were brought out lukewarm or whether they were nicely warm and I just spent too long taking photographs! Either is quite feasible! The desserts included a white chocolate dome with popping candy, a strawberry tart, champagne jelly with raspberry foam and a white chocolate lollipop and last but not least, a mini opera cake, which was more akin to an artistic masterpiece than a dessert. With over a decade of afternoon teas in London under my belt, I am wary of turning into that overly critical Londoner, no longer capable of being wowed by this quintessentially British experience that I have always loved so much. But when you come across a place that masters taste, presentation, customer service, and quality as well as Kona at St James Court, you can breathe a sigh of relief that it still retains the same magic as it did the very first time."

Polpo

Polpo

81 Duke Of York Sq, London United Kingdom, United Kingdom, SW3 4LY

Vegan • Italian • European • Vegetarian


"of restaurants in the region duke of york, polpo is the cheapest price for a lunch snack. since it was drizzling, we sat in the interiors where the service was excellent. tap water immediately and very attentive. also finished tapas dishes were quickly removed from the table. the interior is tiny compared to the large terrace where I can not speak for how service is. we shared half a liter house red for 14.50 it was light, pleasant and summery. eating started coming pretty fast. first came the bruschetta of wide bon, minze and ricotta. ricotta was quite strongly salted and wide bons were double peeled - a beautiful love to detail. a reason why this dish was so delicious was because the brot had been drowned in good olive oil. order this because it is delicious, and not because it is looking for a light, low calorie dish. my companion likes the gnocchi with duck and black olive ruffle. for me, the tomato sauce was something about sweet, which told me more about sicily than venice. but it was delicious with olives and a lot of pulled duck meat. beautiful texture on the gnocchi. I loved the frito misto. very thin tempura as a battery that did not taste fat. prawns were served in the head but peeled. there was also calamari and courgette. I asked for additional lemon wedges that appeared quickly. we're coming back. perhaps not the Chelsea branch where we are randomly rare (we went to an exhibition in the Saatchi gallery), but in any case it will try soho."

Tops Pizza

Tops Pizza

74 Fulham Place Rd, London United Kingdom

Full • Pizza • British • Catering


"If you love having a local cafe to frequent, maybe so much it starts to feel like a second living room, then Labi is your place. After spending some time in a city, I always manage to find a favorite spot to grab a coffee and meet friends or do some work. Labi has definitely become that spot for my latest location in West London. I've consistently found myself walking far past the well-known coffee chains to find a seat in this quirky little cafe and deli. Mismatched antique style tables, chairs, and sofas invite you to sit down and stay awhile. The music selection is always interesting, but whether it's Norah Jones or the Pulp Fiction soundtrack it always seems to feel right. The staff is exceptionally friendly and largely international, happy to give great recommendations or make cheerful small talk while you wait for your coffee. The food is all organic and made fresh daily including salads, sandwiches, and lasagnas. They also have a breakfast and lunch menu for a more restaurant-style dining experience. Brownies, cookies, tarts, cakes, pies, and various patisseries are well presented and practically irresistible (and I usually don't resist! . Labi uses a nice espresso of high quality to create delicious coffee beverages, but the chai tea latte is one of the best I've had and has become my regular choice. There is also a wide selection of tea leaves to choose from to brew by the pot or cup. It is the fusion of a casual cafe setting with the option for more traditional restaurant dining that makes Labi so unique. You can sit down with a coffee while doing some work for a couple hours, or stop by for a fun lunch with friends and feel entirely at place doing both. Anything goes, and, whatever it is, it goes well!"

Nando's

Nando's

366 Bethnal Green Road, London United Kingdom

Full • Pizza • Casual • Chicken


"A British friend of mine recommended this place to me so I thought I'd try it out. I had been living off of frozen pizza and cereal for a week, since London is so damn expensive, so I thought this would be a treat. THE EXPERIENCE: Walking in, the layout is a little confusing, at least to me as a foreigner. It looks like you order when you walk in and then take it to your table. Except when I went to order I was stopped short by a waiter/host who then took me to my table and gave me a menu. I sat down, figured out what I wanted then asked if I was support to order through a waiter and they said I had to go to the front. So I unwillingly left my personal things at my table (out of sight) to go order my food at the front. When I got there the cashier asked me for my table number. There was a number on my table? I had no idea. So I had to walk back to my table and find it. Table 3. I walk back to the cashier, customers behind me hate me at this point. I then pay and get a receipt (my meal was £7.65 for a 1/4 chicken and two sides) and sit back down. I wait maybe 10 minutes, nothing crazy and my chicken, peri chips (seasoned french fires) and cole slaw comes out. It all looks delicious. But wait I have no silverware or condiments or napkins. Did the waiter forget? I look around and realize it's all at a bar in the center of the room. I have to leave my stuff, and my food again. I grab a fork, knife, napkins, my garlic sauce (recommended by my friend) and ketchup and head back to my table. There are waiters everywhere but I'm not sure what there job is exactly, other than to bring the food out. They don't set tables or anything else. THE FOOD: The chicken was good I guess, it's grilled, definitely needs garlic sauce even though I ordered (medium spiceyness level). It's nothing to be over the moon about, slightly better than KFC. The coleslaw was good, lots of mayo but crunchy and fresh. The chips (french fries) were thick cut but seasoned nicely, needed ketchup though. CONCLUSION: Once I finished my meal I flagged down a waitress and asked if we bus our own tables or if they do it. Since I'd done everything else, I wasn't sure. She smiled and said she would do it (didn't really answer my question though). She probably thinks I'm a high maintenance American. In all honesty, I don't mind the self service type of restaurants but they should explain the process if it's your first time there. Most places like Soup Plantation will walk you through it a bit. Food was good, nothing crazy, or too delicious. The price was expensive for me, but reasonable. I suppose a meal like that would cost around $10-$12 in the US, here it was closer to $15. Would I go again? Yes...? I think so, but not often."