Afternoon tea, Cafes, London, Paris, Restaurants

A Very Foodie 2010…

January 3, 2011 by

2010 has been a thoroughly foodie year for Chérie City and over the past year, I’ve unearthed some incredible discoveries –  in fact, I’ve never eaten so well!

A mixture of new openings and long-time institutions, here are the top new finds of the year.  If you’re feeling tempted, click to read Chérie City’s review…

10 favourite restaurants in London:

Cafe Luc – Marylebone’s neighbourhood Belgian bistro that outshines the rest!

Empress of India – Victoria Park gastro pub with seriously good seasonal dishes.

The Fish Place – Michelin-standard seasonal dishes…and not just fish!

Fox & Anchor – Mighty, hearty pub food with gourmet touches served up in the snug.

Camino Puerto Del Canario – Authentic Spanish produce and the best tapas I’ve ever tasted!

Belle Vue – Scrumptious Sunday Roast with well-seasoned meat and huge portions.

Mestizo – Traditional Mexican mole dishes with a huge selection of tequila.

Old Queen’s Head – Perfect Sunday Lunch with homemade Yorkshires and duck fat roast potatoes.

Dishoom – A Bombay Cafe in London with atmosphere and delectable dishes.

Moti Mahal – Grand Trunk road cuisine at its best with exceptional service.

Delectable cakes and afternoon tea:

Winter Tea at The Goring – The quintessential afternoon tea at London’s oldest family-run hotel.

Cox Cookies and Cakes – Cheeky fashion cupcakes from Soho’s suitably camp cupcake store.

De-Light Afternoon Tea at The Met Bar – Low-fat concept, haute cakes!

Ruinart Afternoon Tea at Miller Harris – The most refined and understated afternoon tea in Mayfair.

The Bridge, Shoreditch – The cakes aren’t the best in London, but it’s worth it for the weird and wonderful decor.

Albion at The Boundary – Forget the queue, grab a latte and slice of Victoria Sponge and take-out, cheaper too!

New Paris hangouts…

Hotel du Nord – Intimate, bobo and full of character with great food and nutty waiters.

Pink Flamingo – Punk rock pizza joints in Paris’ hip neighbourhoods – try the chicken tagine pizza!

Chez L’Ami Jean – Baskets of charcuterie, taster menus and chef Stéphane Jégo yelling from the kitchen.

Le Comptoir – 6 months wait for a table, but they Yves Camdeborde also does a cracking breakfast!

Le Chateaubriand – The place to see and be seen and the heart of the neo-bistro revolution – food with feeling!

Hotel Amour – André’s hotel lives up to the reputation with a buzzing atmosphere and pretty decent food.

La Tete Dans Les Olives – Tiny olive shop and dining table run by former slack rope walker, Cédric Casanova.

Rino – Quietly pushing the boundaries with a Nordic influence – a new favourite of Le Fooding.

New openings for 2011:

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – modern British dishes with a bit of ‘Heston’ alchemy at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, opening January.

Pollen Street Social – Ex-Maze chef Jason Atherton’s first informal restaurant with a separate all-day tapas bar and dessert bar.

The Gilbert Scott – Marcus Wareing opens a British bistro at the spectacular St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in February.

Spice Market – NYC chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opens Asian street food restaurant at the W Hotel on Valentine’s Day.

Chérie Wish List for 2011: Les Deux Salons / Tierra Brindisa / Koffmann’s / Bistro Bruno Loubert / Hotel Thoumieux / Chez Jeanette / La Cantine du Troquet.

Have you visited any of these restaurants?  Which places are you dying to try out in the New Year?

1 comment

1 Comment

  • Reply Krista January 10, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    Bruno Loubet has been on my ‘to do’ list since before it opened and I still have not got round to going … let’s go check it out at some point xx

  • Leave a Reply