Michel Roux Junior’s Le Gavroche – London’s original temple of haute cuisine, est. 1967 – for the first time in the history of the Harden’s survey is crowned London’s top restaurant. In survey contributions from over 9,000 restaurant-goers, the Mayfair destination was the one most often nominated for ‘Best Meal of the Year’. Roux becomes only the seventh chef in the survey’s 23-year history – after Pierre Koffmann, Joel Antunes, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Brett Graham and Heston Blumenthal – to preside over the leading restaurant.
The ‘Best Meal’ Top Ten saw two impressive debut appearances by recently-opened restaurants – Dabbous (7th) and Medlar (9th). It also witnessed the final disappearance from the Top 10 list of Gordon Ramsay, whose 12-year run (from 1997 to 2008) as chef of the ‘Best Meal of the Year’ restaurant may well never be equalled.
Favourite
For the ninth consecutive year, ‘London’s Favourite Restaurant’, as reckoned by the number of survey nominations as such, is Chez Bruce, the popularity of which continues to transcend its relatively obscure Wandsworth location.
Restaurants People Talk About
As usual, the restaurant attracting the greatest volume of commentary is Theatreland fish legend, J Sheekey. There were four restaurants of recent vintage which succeeded in entering the ‘Restaurants People Talk About’ Top 40 – Dabbous (27th), plus three Gallic brasseries, Brasserie Zédel (5th), Balthazar (31st) and Colbert (36th).
Most Disappointing Cooking/Most Overpriced Restaurants
The fact that three of the four debutants on the survey’s Top 40 ‘Most Mentioned’ are Gallic brasseries would seem to reflect enthusiasm for the concept, so it’s surprising that all three of them have also made immediate appearances on another even more selective list – the ‘Most Disappointing Cooking’ Top 10. This list includes Balthazar (a particularly (un)impressive début at 2nd), and two Corbin & King productions – Brasserie Zédel (4th) and Colbert (5th).
As last year, Oxo Tower Restaurant managed not only to secure more nominations than any other establishment for ‘Most Disappointing Cooking’, but also as London’s ‘Most Overpriced Restaurant’, continuing its impressive run of (under-)performance.
For such a small establishment, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay managed almost as impressive a double-whammy, being 3rd most-nominated for ‘Most Disappointing Cooking’ and 2nd most-nominated for ‘Most Overpriced Restaurant’. The new London outpost of another much Michelin-lauded chef, Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, has made an instant début on the ‘Most Disappointing Cooking’ Top Ten, in 10th position.
Other top nominations, in brief
Best for Business – The Wolseley
Best for Romance – Clos Maggiore
Best for Breakfast – 1st The Wolseley, 2nd The Delaunay (both Corbin & King productions)
Best Bar/Pub Food – The Anchor & Hope
Full lists are set out in the Appendix (below).
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Openings and closings
The new edition of Harden’s London Restaurants, published 7 November, notes a rate of openings in the past 12 months (125) very much in line with the general buoyant range of recent years, if a little down on the previous year. However, the number of restaurant closings, at 56, was the lowest recorded since 2000, so the number of net openings (69) was only a fraction shy of the all-time net opening figure of 75, recorded in 2006.
The guide notes that the impression of robustness conveyed by the near-record net opening figure is reinforced by the continuing very high quality of many openings.
Action moves to all quarters as London becomes a city of many ‘nodes’
Apart from the very high quality of many recent openings, the guide notes that a striking recent feature of recent times is that – as large developments spring up all around London’s historical centre, and the city develops many economic centres, in the manner of Tokyo or Shanghai – the quality restaurant scene is becoming much more geographically extensive and diffuse than ever before.
For example, each year Editors Richard and Peter Harden choose their top ten most significant openings of the year. Last year, no fewer than seven of the top ten were in W1. This year, there was only one W1 representative, with top openings identified at all points of the compass. This, the guide suggests, is emblematic of a future in which exciting developments can come from any direction – geographical or stylistic.
Prices
The average price of dinner for one (including half a bottle of wine, coffee and service) is now £47.68. Prices have risen by 3.5% in the past 12 months, a whisker ahead of the rise in consumer prices more generally.
For more information and to order Harden’s London Restaurant Guide
Appendix
Survey rankings by number of reporter nominations (last year’s ranking in brackets)
Top gastronomic experience
1 Le Gavroche (3)
2 The Ledbury (2)
3 Dinner (1)
4 Chez Bruce (5)
5 Pollen Street Social (6)
6 Marcus Wareing (4)
7 Dabbous*
8 The Square (7)
9 Medlar*
10 Pied à Terre(8)
Favourite
1 Chez Bruce (1)
2 Le Gavroche (5)
3 The Wolseley (6)
4 Le Caprice (7)
5 J Sheekey (3)
6 The Delaunay (-)
7 Trinity (9)
8 The Ledbury (-)
9 Pollen Street Social (4)
10 The River Café (10)
Best for business
1 The Wolseley (1)
2 The Square (2)
3 The Delaunay (7)
4 Galvin La Chapelle (5)
5 The Don (3)
6 Bleeding Heart (4)
7 L’Anima (8)
8 Scott’s (9)
9 1 Lombard Street (-)
10 Savoy Grill (-)
Best for romance
1 Clos Maggiore (1)
2 La Poule au Pot (2)
3 Andrew Edmunds (3)
4 Bleeding Heart (4)
5 Le Gavroche (7)
6 Galvin at Windows (5)
7 Chez Bruce (6)
8 The Ritz Restaurant (-)
9 Le Caprice (8)
10 Café du Marché (-)
Best breakfast/brunch
1 The Wolseley (1)
2 The Delaunay (-)
3= Roast (2)
3= Cecconi’s (4)
5 Riding House Café (-)
6 Granger & Co (-)
7 The Modern Pantry (-)
8 Duck & Waffle*
9 Smiths (Ground Floor) (3)
10 Dean Street Townhouse (-)
Best bar/pub food
1 The Anchor & Hope (1)
2 Bull & Last (3)
3 Harwood Arms (2)
4 The Thomas Cubitt (8)
5 The Anglesea Arms (7)
6 Grazing Goat*
7 Canton Arms (4)
8 The Gun (6)
9 The Orange (5)
10 The Ladbroke Arms (-)
Most disappointing cooking
1 Oxo Tower (Rest’) (1)
2 Balthazar*
3 Gordon Ramsay (5)
4 Brasserie Zédel*
5 Colbert*
6 Dinner (-)
7 The Wolseley (7)
8 The Ivy (3)
9 Alain Ducasse (-)
10 Ametsa with Arzak Instruction*
Most overpriced restaurant
1 Oxo Tower (Rest’) (1)
2 Gordon Ramsay (3)
3 The River Café (5)
4 Dinner (-)
5 Alain Ducasse (7)
6 Cut (-)
7 Marcus Wareing (4)
8 Le Gavroche (8)
9 The Ivy (-)
10 Pollen Street Social (-)