giveaway: win a meal for 2 at london restaurant festival’s amex 10-10-10 event!
This Monday marked the start of the annual London Restaurant Festival – a celebration of the capital’s diverse array of restaurants from casual neighbourhood eateries to posh Michelin-starred establishments. Running from 4-18 October, diners can experience London’s culinary landscape through special festival menus (at hundreds of participating venues), gourmet restaurant crawls, food truck feasting and other exciting events. Last year I ate at Pierre Koffmann’s rooftop pop-up at Selfridges, specially organised to coincide with LRF.
For the blog’s FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY I have teamed up with American Express® to offer one lucky reader the chance to win 2 tickets to the exclusive Amex 10-10-10 on Sunday 10th October. All new to the London Restaurant Festival this year, the event brings over 10 eminent chefs from different ends of the UK to join 10 of their equally celebrated London compatriates at their restaurants, to cook a unique collaborative menu for one day only.
This rare opportunity to try the cooking of acclaimed chefs like Alain Roux, Raymond Blanc, Sat Bains, Simon Rogan and Shaun Hill (without having to travel across the country) is usually open to American Express cardmembers only, but you can win a 3-course lunch for two at Rivington Grill where Tim Hughes & Simon Wadhamon will be teaming up with Shaun Hill (The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny) on Sunday 10th October*.
Just leave a comment below and telling me which restaurant you feel all visitors to London should not leave without trying, by 5pm on Thursday 7th October. I will pick a name at random and post it up on the blog. GOOD LUCK!
Read more about Amex 10-10-10 and other LRF happenings at the London Restaurant Festival website.
<< This competition is now closed. 36 was the number generated by Random.org which makes Katie our winner. Congrats Katie and hope you have a lovely lunch this Sunday! >>
* Terms & Conditions:
– The prize includes a lunch for two at the Rivington Grill on the 10th October
– Cost of meal is capped at £200 for two people inclusive of drinks
– Accommodation and travel are NOT included
– The prize is non-refundable and non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.
– Standard publication Terms and Conditions apply
gourmet traveller 
Lamberts in Balham. Stunningly good food combined with excellent, personal service and prices one can live with at this level.
Souk Medina, next to the Ivy…
Fresh mint tea, baklava, lamb that melts in your mouth. All in a setting that looks like a roughly hewn Aladdin’s cave, strewn with candles and the scent of shisha smoke. The cuisine in heaven is definitely Moroccan.
Sam’s Brasserie in Chiswick would be my reccomendation. Great food, service and excellent value for Money.
500 in Archway is the best Italian restaurant this side of the Alps.
sakana-tei! fab japanese restaurant tucked away off regent street – realy great value for money lunch menu.
Archipelago near Warren Street for a totally unique dining experience. Exotic food and incredible decor!
Gordon Ramsay at Claridges – despite the loss of its Michelin star, the food and service is amazing, and the setting is quintessentially English. A must experience for any visitor to London!
Has to be The Cinnamon Club! Beautiful, opulent and completely flavourful food.
The Providors on Marylebone High Street http://www.theprovidores.co.uk
My favourite meal there has to be breakfast, and the coffee is definitely worth lining up for at 10am on a Saturday!
Song Que for incredible pho and papaya salad.
Roast at London Bridge…. good seasonal British food.
Everyone on the planet should get along to breakfast at the Wolseley; service, setting and value are truly unbeatable
Never leave London without trying the weekday set menu at Trinity – and a bargain at 20 quid!
Fifteen! Fantastic food cooked and served with genuine care and interest. There’s a well trodden path to their door for a reason!
I recommend getting amongst the underground pop up restaurants in London – Delicious food, great vibes and BYO wine – Great way to meet awesome people too!
It would depend a lot on where they’re visiting from. For example, friends visiting from the States have really enjoyed visiting Indian and Chinese restaurants. But I’d not necessarily suggest those options for visitors from Asian nations.
I’d have to say my favourite Bob Bob Ricard which provides a fantastically indulgent environment, great quality food and a typically British eccentric welcome.
Eccentricity is such a quintessential British trait that I’d want any visiting friends to experience it!
The Cinnamon Club! delicious food.
hmm well does the Breakfast Club in Hoxton count? Brilliant breakfast the best ever and fun atmosphere and breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Following an amazing meal last night I have to say Market in Camden
Ottolenghi! The salads rock my world everytime and the assortment of baked treats is to die for! Notting hill is my fave, but it’s easier to dine in as the Islington branch.
Cinnamon Kitchen – in a little oasis away from busy streets. Stylish, modern indian cuisine with fantastic cocktails.
Do underground restaurants count? In which case i’m going to nominate Shacklewell Nights – http://shacklewellnights.com/ they just started out but have histories in previous supper clubs as well as working in restaurants around LDN. Exquisite!
The Ledbury is faultless, a fantastic experience with amazing food, exceptional service and world-class food.
I think you’ve got to go with St John. It combines quintessential Britishness with astonishing simplicity and flavour.
Patara serves great modern thai dishes.
marylebone golden hinde for fish and chips.
Bull and Last, Highgate. Unpretentious surroundings, quality service and servings. London Britishness.
Le trois Garcons for over tha top glamour and great food!
Rules, especially during the grouse season.
The pulse of London dining has to be found at Andrew Edmunds. Tucked away in Soho, it’s hearty, delicious, cosy, unstuffy and relaxing but still a real treat every time.
As London has so many unique restaurants and diverse cuisines, a visitor to London should not miss one of the great Modern British restaurants – Arbutus is Soho, amazing food, great philosophy and not over priced!
Has to be the grand eccentricity of Bob Bob Ricard. Nothing else like it, anywhere. At the other end of the price range, Tayyabs should always get a mention for the frenetic bustle, energy and sheer enjoyment of great cheap food.
Rosa’s in Soho. Thai food twisted to the Western palette and, by gum, they got it right. Their aubergine dish is practically the best rendition of the vegetable I’ve ever had (beaten only by a time when I ate it in a temple in India, where an Indian monk cooked it by shoving it directly into a fire). Clean plates all around.
Little Georgia in Bethnal Green makes wiked Blini’s!!
Launceston Place, where the 20 pound a head for 3 course set lunch is such a bargain for the experience it is jaw-dropping.
Portobello Dock Kitchen.
Amazing unpretentious food and always different, they don’t throw you out, who knew portobello had a dock and you’re not actually in notting hill
J Sheekey for amazing British food, relaxed atmosphere and fantastic service, always. The weekend set menu is incredible value, as are the oysters at the bar. Oh, and for the fantastic b&w photographs.
Galvin at windows, stunning views and food-disproving the theory that anywhere with a great view has crap food
It’s got to be the Ledbury hasn’t it? Faultless food and relaxed but professional service make it for me, the best restaurant in London. And it only gets better!
It has to be Inamo in Soho (http://www.inamo-restaurant.com/).
It’s a unique dining experience that is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The innovative experience begins when you realise your table is an interactive screen where by touching it and clicking, your menu options are projected in front of you and you can order at the touch of a button.
On top of this, you can personalise the table with desired themes, play games and even order your taxi home at the end of the night! Now for the most important part…the food, which was truly outstanding Pan Asian cuisine. The Berkshire Pork Neck with confit of apple, and a spicy chocolate sauce was exceptional. A beautiful experience.
Semplice, Mayfair. Unassuming, low profile top rated Italian. A hidden gem amongst all the higher profile names in its peer group. Tartuffo dishes are a must as the season approaches.