My Top Ten
There are two 'Top 10' lists on this page, the first being my international and all time Top 10, the other being just a Top 10 of London (as this is the wonderful city in which I live). Both of these lists are ever-evolving, though I will say that I would be very surprised if Jordnær or Room4Dessert ever leave my all-time Top 10.
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INTERNATIONAL AND ALL-TIME TOP 10:
In descending order, with 1 being the best:
1. Restaurant Jordnær (Copenhagen) (***)
2. Room4Dessert (Bali)
3. Geranium (Copenhagen) (***)
4. The Fat Duck (Bray, UK) (***)
5. L'Enclume (Cartmel, UK) (***)
6. Albatross Death Cult (Birmingham, UK)
7. DiverXO (Madrid) (***)
8. noma (Copenhagen) (***)
9. Sushi Tetsu (London)
10. LYLA (Edinburgh) (*)
Updates:
My trip to Copenhagen in August 2024 gave me the best dining experience of my life so far in Restaurant Jordnær. Geranium and noma also enter at the upper echelons, knocking Mozaic (Bali), Ikoyi (London) and Lyle's (London) off.
A subsequent trip to Madrid sees DiverXO knock noma down to 5th, and KOL (London) off.
A day trip from London to Bray results in The Fat Duck coming in at 4th, above DiverXO and below Geranium, and knocking The Ritz (London) off the list. Only three left from London now.
Dining at Da Terra in London comes in below The Clove Club, and knocks Hélène Darroze at The Connaught off the list.
Sushi Tetsu is now my favourite restaurant in London, coming in at number 7 on the all-time list and knocking Locavore (Bali) off.
A trip to Edinburgh sees LYLA come in at number 8, a restaurant that punches well above its current one-star rating. This knocks CORE (London) off the list.
A visit to the Lake District sees L'Enclume enter just below The Fat Duck at number 5, knocking Da Terra from the list.
On the way down from the Lake District, I stopped at Birmingham to try Albatross Death Cult. A stellar menu, this comes straight in at number 6, knocking London's The Clove Club from the list.
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LONDON TOP 10:
1. Sushi Tetsu
2. The Clove Club (**)
3. Da Terra (**)
4. CORE by Clare Smyth (***)
5. Helene Darroze at The Connaught (***)
6. The Ritz (**)
7. Plates (*)
8. Cycene (*)
9. KOL (*)
10. Ikoyi (**)
Updates:
January 30th, 2022: BAO Soho makes way at number 10 for Padella, Shoreditch.
July 16th, 2022: St. JOHN enters at No. 8, knocking Padella, Shoreditch off the list.
July 30th, 2022: NOPI enters at Number 7, knocking Pizza Pilgrims off the list.
August 13th, 2022: Ikoyi enters at Number 3, moving everyone else down and knocking Brasserie Zédel off the list.
September 11th 2022: KOL enters at Number 3 (it really is that good), moving everyone else down and knocking St. JOHN from the list.
October 14th 2022: Bancone, an exceptional pasta restaurant, enters at Number 8, knocking Dinner by Heston off the list.
January 3rd 2023: The Ritz restaurant comes in and...I just can't choose between KOL and The Ritz for third. It's a tie. This moves everyone else down and bumps NOPI off the list. It's getting tough now, as NOPI is a restaurant I would definitely return to.
January 27th 2023: The two Michelin-starred A Wong comes in at Number 10, knocking Go Vietnamese from the list.
March 28th 2023: It was a short-lived stay in the Top 10 for A Wong; Helene Darroze at The Connaught comes straight in at number 3, knocking everyone else down and A Wong off the list.
May 13th 2023: Wild Honey St James bumps Bancone off the list at number 10. All of the restaurants now in the Top 10 have at least one Michelin star.
February 29th 2024: It's been a while since a restaurant broke the Top 10, but The French House has done just that, coming in at number 10 and bumping Wild Honey St James off. This could be the best gastropub in London.
April 25th 2024: A short tenure for The French House. Chishuru comes in at Number 9, knocking Kitchen W8 down one and (sadly) The French House off the list.
November 9th 2024: The Ledbury enters at Number 7, knocking Lyle's down to 8, RGR down to 9, Chishuru to 10, and Kitchen W8 (what a great restaurant) off the list.
November 29th 2024: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester enters at Number 9, knocking Restaurant Gordon Ramsay down to 10, and Chishuru off the list.
January 24th 2025: Da Terra swoops in at Number 2. I very much need to return to The Clove Club in order to re-evaluate, as I very almost put Da Terra at number 1; it's neck and neck. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay drops out of the top 10!
March 5th 2025: Sushi Tetsu comes straight in at number 1! It is an amazing omakase experience. This knocks everything else down the list, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester off.
March 21st 2025: Cycene comes in at Number 7, knocking KOL down to number 8 and Lyle's (formerly number 10) off the list.
Honorable mentions:
For pizza, try the Texas VBQ from Yard Sale Pizza for New York style and Crisp pizza at The Chancellor's for modern Neapolitan. They will not disappoint.
For burgers, Honest Burgers.
For Japanese Katsu curry, there is probably no better than CoCo Ichibanya in Soho.
For baked goods, I used to say Ole and Steen, but it really has to be Popham's or The Dusty Knuckle. For donuts, Donutelier by Roladin.
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