After 16 years at the Mandarin Oriental, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is closing in 2027. I saw this…read morewhen I was researching restaurants for our trip to London last month, and immediately went to book a table for a Wednesday date night with Matt B. I put it into our calendar and only realized the day of that I'd never actually completed the reservation. I called the restaurant to see if they had any record of it on their end, and while they didn't, they were able to take us that night, at 8:00 as I'd originally planned. This felt like a stroke of luck. As it turns out, Dinner is huge, and I doubt it's hard to book any night of the week. The space is also less impressive than I expected, given the high-end hotel, the two Michelin stars, and the tasting menu format (though a la carte is also available). It's nice, but I thought it was kind of weird, cavernous and brightly lit, more suited to a hotel breakfast situation than a nationally significant fancy restaurant. The dining room was also quiet and we got a table right next to a busing station. The vibes, as they say, were a little bit off. Everything else, though, was excellent. Service was flawless, warm and professional. We ordered a wine pairing, and it was fun and well conceived, with six wines to go with our meal, four from Europe and two from our home state of California. We opted for the full tasting menu for our Dinner experience, the eight-course Journey Through History, built from historic British dishes, researched by food historians with the help of the British Library. Unique, interesting concept and exceptional execution. Also a ton(ne) of food, especially if you are, for example, still full from a giant lunch at Dishoom. There was a six-course option, which made more sense in retrospect, but my FOMO won out. The first course was a coronation chicken tartlet (c. 1953), a bite-sized tartlet piled with creamy, flavorful curried chicken salad, finished with apricot, raisin, and smoked almond. My husband is vehemently anti-mayo, so I got to eat two, and would gladly have a dozen for a picnic lunch. Then we got brown bread and butter. Course two was hay-smoked salmon (c. 1730), a lovely piece of gently smoked salmon with lemon salad, gentleman's relish, and sorrel. Next came the famous meat fruit (c. 1500), the dish I was most excited about eating at Dinner. This was a playful dish of chicken liver parfait encased in mandarin jelly, presented in the shape of a mandarin orange. The illusion was complete, something right out of Is It Cake? It was also maybe the best chicken liver I've ever had, incredibly lush and delicious, with just enough sweetness and tang from the jelly. The portion was large, the size of a mandarin orange but rich and calorie-dense, served with grilled sourdough. The turbot in cider (c. 1940) was a beautiful piece of fish, moist and flaky, with plated with flamed mussels, smoked onion, and trout roe. It was one of the two dishes not available on the six-course menu, and I'm glad that we got it. The final savory dish was the Hereford beef (c. 1830). an absolutely fantastic piece of steak with mushroom ketchup, smoked onion, and bone marrow, to which we added an order of the triple-cooked potatoes. So good, and so heavy. My stomach started hurting about halfway through this course. The roast peach (c. 1885) was a welcome palate cleanser, light and fruity, an array of sweet peach with chartreuse, jasmine, yogurt, and peach sorbet. Then came the tipsy cake (c. 1858), a house signature and the other addition to the leaner menu. This was a splendid cake, with buttery brioche buns soaked in a Sauternes and brandy cream and served with spit-roasted pineapple. It was also an insane portion, with a full cake in its own little cast-iron for each of us. Neither of us came close to finishing this. Thankfully, the final course was a small farewell bite, Heston's dodger with jam (c. 1960), a shortbread cookie with buttercream and raspberry. We had grand plans of walking around the neighborhood and taking the subway home, but I required a taxi, where I reclined in the back seat and closed my eyes until we got to our hotel, where I promptly lost part of my Dinner. Was it worth it? 100%, no regrets. I'm glad I got to indulge in this wonderful Journey Through History.

Managed to get in without a reservation for lunch. It took a 25 min wait but the staff was very…read morethankful for my patience. Got the meatfruit which is chicken paté with a orange gelee on the outside which is painstaking to do, paired with crusty grilled garlic and rosemary bread. Very good. Wish there was another slice of bread with it. Main course of Hereford beef was tender but I didn't care too much for the sauce. Tasted like a thinner beefier version of the mushroom ketchup. Thrice fried chips was good. Would have preferred tomato ketchup but it was a unique experience especially with the mushroom pieces in the mushroom ketchup. Tipsy cake was boozy with a soaked brioche roll in rum and sugar and vanilla, with grilled pineapple on the side. Lots of tables and I would just get the meatfruit and tipsy cake next time.

I love supporting local independent restaurants and so, I was really excited to spot the sign for…read moreThe Canopy Restaurant as I drove through Epsom recently. It's nice to see a new place open despite the adverse economic climate For those with long enough memories, The Canopy occupies the site of the old Roosters fast food joint near the back entrance to the Ashley Centre. It closed amidst a sea of rumours and the site has been derelict for a few years. My salsa friend Hilary and I booked to try The Canopy before we went dancing on Friday. They have given the space a good facelift - it brought a smile to my face to see a chandelier in the old Roosters space! The overall ambiance in the evening is quite intimate The menu immediately caught my eye - very cleverly written to have a broad appeal, cater to different markets but still retain a wow factor. They offer a nice lunch menu (sandwiches, create your own omelette, etc), a great value afternoon tea (unique for Epsom) as well as dinner, which has more grown-up dishes and some dishes with pizzazz like steaks being offered on volcanic hot rock, which is cooked at your table It was quite busy on Friday evening and we checked with our server that they would be able to serve us 3 courses before we had to leave for salsa. This demand for speed may have led to the kitchen making 1 or 2 tiny errors, like the mash for one of our main courses being a bit lumpy though the other mash was fine We shared a starter - spinach roulade with roasted red pepper cream, and saffron dressing. The plate was well dressed but we probably needed more of the punchy dressing to accompany the roulade which lacked a little flavour on its own For main course, Hilary had the pan seared fillet of sea bass with Italian potatoes, vine tomatoes and caper-berry sauce - she enjoys fish and pronounced herself very satisfied with it and proved it with a clean plate I had the lamb's liver served on a bed of creamed potatoes topped with smoked bacon and onion gravy. This was a good combination of flavours - rich liver, salty bacon and sweet onion gravy. Presentation-wise, perhaps the liver could have done with searing on a griddle to develop those heavy scorch lines, which impart umami flavour but it tasted just fine The star turn of the evening though was an outstanding sticky toffee pudding with a rich toffee sauce. Our server was very sharp to straightaway notice that the vanilla ice cream was missing from our dish and this was duly delivered. The sticky toffee pudding was heavenly - light, moist and unctuous. Top marks! This is their third week after opening and as the bugs are ironed out, I trust they'll go from strength to strength. I wish them every success and I hope this will be a lovely addition to the dining scene of Epsom for many years to come

Quick glance: + novel (gimmicky?) way to cook steak…read more+ choice of 3 men's fragrances in the loos + wheelchair accessible - don't bring children if you plan to have steak! - small inconsistencies Full review: Four of us came here for dinner on a Thursday night and were seated at the small round table by the bar. For starter, I had the special of the day which was chicken liver salad with bacon. The presentation was a bit on the brown side - brown leaves, brown-ish bacon, and of course the brown-ish liver, but it tasted good. Some of the other starters were more colourful and very tasty, including the prawns (which had a good punch from the chilli) and crab cakes (also a nice kick from the mango and chilli mayo) from the a la carte menu. For main, all four of us ordered steak - two sirloin and two fillet steak. The steak comes on "volcanic rock" slabs which are in turn placed on wooden platters along with the sides, which were a tight squeeze on the small round table for four but we just about managed. The rocks are red hot and used to cook the steak to your liking as you eat. It's novel but a little gimmicky, and although the steaks were of good quality, the price tag was a bit on the high side considering you had to cook the steak yourself. Note: do not order this dish if you are with small children or accident-prone, as the rocks stay hot throughout the entire meal. There was a small oversight: my portion of steak didn't come with carrots, whilst my three companions had them. But these things happen and it's not the end of the world. The restaurant is cosy and there is one toilet that is wheelchair accessible and stocked with three men's fragrances (no idea why). Overall, the ingredients were fresh and food of good quality. The steak dish is novel and a good conversation topic.

I've enjoyed Butlers Wharf Chop House for many years and look forward to dining here whenever I am…read morein London. The food and service are excellent and I always have a view of the Tower Bridge. Highly recommended!!

The view and the service was amazing and elements of the meal met our expectations. The steaks fell…read moreshort however. Our first experience at a London steakhouse and perhaps we are spoiled by the quality of beef in the US. the other dishes were good and the restaurant was beautiful so a return trip is warranted but I think I may order the fish special next time.

Hedone has an amazing resume: top 100 best restaurant in the world, 1 Star Michelin, great yelp…read morereviews. All checked out! But my experience was a little underwhelming - there were misses, some of the dishes' presentation was a bit messy but did pick up and finished strong in the main courses. It is a small restaurant with less than 30 seats and the best seats would be the 4 bar seats overlooking the kitchen. Overall good experience but expected more.

We ordered the carte blanche menu which cost 135 quid per person. It has a wonderful beginning, the…read morestarter finger foods were absolutely amazing. The oyster with apple foam, asparagus and the scallops are delicious so I was excited about the coming dishes. I will never know that I don't eat sweetbread and rare pigeons cuz I don't know it will appear on the table. We tried really hard to be polite to eat the food, we really tried. It's a fancy idea to have a surprise menu, but if you apply something "strange" on the table, yoI better let people know it. I always think that Chinese people eat everything, but I was wrong. I will remember to tell the restaurant that I don't eat sweetbread and rare poultry when I go to a French restaurant next time. Despite the pigeon and sweetbread, all the seafoods are fresh and sweet. And the service is great.

This was a nice find after taking one of the Bus tours to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath which drops…read moreoff nearby Glouster Street Underground station. I had looked at their menu on the bus and saw they had Lamb cutlets....after a few pies, I wanted Lamb. I was not sure what form the Lamb would come in, I'm used to Lamb rib chops, the things that are part of a Rack of Lamb....pretty sure thats what these little beauties were. They were cooked perfect Pink and were delicious....along with the wine reduction sauce it just made my and my friends night. That and the perfectly poured Guinness. I'd go back.

Ham and cheese panini was good size and the fries were fresh and crispy. Guinness was perfect…read more Staff was helpful and friendly. Convenient to my hotel.

The service here is honestly incredible. The staff nailed the timing of the food and the drinks, so…read morethe whole meal just flowed perfectly. The dining room is on the smaller side, which makes the whole dinner feel really cozy and intimate. You can tell they put a ton of care into every single plate because the presentation was great and everything tasted awesome, we did the Carte Blanche menu. We did the wine pairing, and while the wine itself was good, we had a few different people serving us who seemed to have different levels of knowledge about the bottles. I love hearing the background on what I'm drinking, so that part fell a bit short for me. To wrap up the night, they offered to call us a cab, which was a huge help and saved us a logistical headache.

This is not just any restaurant. This is a 3-star Michelin restaurant. And not just any 3-star…read moreMichelin restaurant, this is Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant, one of the most prolific, famous, and iconic restaurateurs in the world. Therefore, I feel justified for having higher expectations and a more critical mindset going into this experience. Don't let the 3-star Yelp review discourage you. There's a lot going for this place. There's a reason why it's so highly acclaimed. They wrote us handwritten cards upon arrival joining in my graduation celebration and my sister finding a job. Many dishes were innovative, bold, and risky, and the executed them well. A singular tomato. A broth. A ravioli. Nothing to hide behind. The setting was extremely intimate, classy, and made for a special evening. The whole night I felt spoiled. That being said, I now present my list of grievances: - My dad (what we think) was allergic to the vanilla-scented air freshener. Sniffling the entire night. - Many dishes were unmemorable or basic. Some too salty. Or too gray. Or too rich. Hit or miss I'd say. Nothing to set it apart. I was let down in this aspect. - Some dishes were just difficult to eat. The last dessert, meant to be eaten with your hands, featured a lemonade jelly and a chocolate toffee. The jelly left your hands all sticky and the chocolate melted immediately. - Service basically stopped once we concluded our last course. We were left waiting for the check for 15-20 minutes. We needed water after the desserts being very sweet. - Stingy on the bread (me being nit-picky). Only one small loaf of bread is included to be shared between the four of us. Extra loaves available for extra cost. Oh, and sparkling water cost extra too. - Take a picture of the menu! They don't let you take home a copy of the menu, which is something I typically look forward to with these dining experiences. Call me a "donut", "donkey", or an "idiot sandwich", but there are a lot of restaurants that only have one Michelin star (or even none!) that deserve much more attention. And in a place like London, you best bet that there are better options out there.

We showed up on Sunday without a reservation hoping to enjoy a Sunday Roast in London. A great big…read moreshout out to Quba for finding us a table and treating us to a wonderful dining experience. The food was delicious and the service is impeccable! Can't leave this review without further acknowledgment to the manager Harry. This restaurant understands the importance of service and creating an excellent experience!

The food was very well prepared and the Fish n Chips were huge! (See picture) the Sweet Old…read moreFashioned was very good. The Atmosphere was nice, quiet and cozy!!! The service was good but we had to wait a long time to get out the attention of the staff to get our check. Now we were all about the laidback and chill environment but a little jet lag makes an old fashioned go down easy ....so relaxed - all you want to do, is put on PJs and enjoy the chilly evening. Food = 4.5 stars Atmosphere = 4.5 stars Service = 3.5 stars I am sure they are great on other days...just not on our Monday.

My parents and I stopped in at Gallery Mess for a quick, light bite to eat before heading to the…read morethe theatre. It's a lovely place for lunch. Both the interior and the outside terrace are breath-taking spaces. The setting and ambiance are very nice and it would be even more lovely on a warm summer day. We didn't have a reservation, but were able to get a table. The service was excellent. None of us were terribly hungry. My Mom ordered the Truffle french fries, I had a delicious Rocket and Parmesan salad, my Dad had a bowl of soup and we all shared the British cheese plate that came with seasonal British and Irish cheeses, balsamic Roscoff onion petals, chutney and artisan bread. The cheese plate was delicious, and the amount of food overall was perfect. They offered a nice selection of wine by the glass and I had a lovely Rose from Provence. We were disappointed the gallery was not open, but were pleasantly surprised by a wonderful experience and meal at Gallery Mess. I would highly recommend the cafe/restaurant and would go back the next time I am in Chelsea.

Visitors from Los Angeles. VERY MEDIOCRE FOOD…read more Food was not as described and portions were meagre. We asked for bread..took 10 minutes and came after we had finished(despite asking 3 times..and the next door table getting it 10 seconds after they asked for it). Location was nice..but would not recommend...