Named after Princess Margaret, who, when she got married, became Margaret Armstrong-Jones, they used to come here for dinner a lot. You wouldn’t know it from the name but Maggie Jones is so so French in appearance anyway, and if you’ve read many of my reviews you may have picked up that I have [...]

Bumpkin is a relaxed restaurant attracting two types of clientele, both predominantly women: 1. Notting Hill locals who if they don’t begin life as one breed (privileged) end up one breed when they get married, give up their jobs and move to Notting Hill. You will see them in pairs excitedly leaning towards each other [...]

When anyone asks me a good place to eat out in west London, without exception I will suggest Osteria Basilico. The reasons are threefold: 1. the food is Italian, delicious, varied and well priced; 2. the upstairs has the great advantage that in summer they open the huge windows giving the impression of al fresco [...]

So it’s been said that it’s a contender for the loveliest gastro pub in London, however gastro pub? It’s nothing of the sort, it doesn’t resemble a pub in any way. It is lovely though, with worn wooden tables and mismatched regency chairs, quirky odd antiquities under twinkly lights creating a genuinely fake vintage environment, [...]

In an old Soho townhouse, a throwback to Dickensian London, is Parisian café meets English country house. For years I walked past it not even knowing it was here. Andrew Edmunds is without question my favourite restaurant in London. It’s elegant with an intimate and romantic atmosphere with small tables and rustic old church pews [...]

The Cow is another of Tom Conran’s (son of Terence) wonderful establishments. A fairly long standing pub and restaurant of the highest degree, the modern European food here is extremely good and plentiful with a great relaxed atmosphere. With walls lined with framed old illustrations from the Spectator, it’s small, crowded and filled with [...]

I love a good French restaurant and La Bouchée is certainly that. Small, dark and narrow with well worn floor boards, the menu briskly written on blackboards and tiny tables doused in candle light, it’s the perfect romantic setting. The food is typical French bistro leaning towards the rustic side of French cuisine but just [...]

Have you ever ordered something so delicious from a restaurant that you refuse to ever try anything else on the menu when you come back? This would apply to the Gascon Mess at Comptoir Gascon. It’s their own take on Eton Mess but instead of strawberries with the meringue and cream, they add Armagnac-soaked [...]

Tucked away on Portland Place and surrounded by overpriced “my rich husband is paying for it I’ve never had a job as daddy supported me before I got married”-type shops, Julie’s is relaxed and romantic with white table cloths, old church pews and stained glass windows. It has an old wooden bar, a bright conservatory [...]

For no good reason Clapham is a wasteland for anywhere good to go. It’s where people who studied at places like Newcastle and Durham move to before they leave London again after a couple of years or so to go back to wherever they came from, or to move to Australia able now to say [...]