| WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2008 |
| High Five - Best Restaurants of 2008 |
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As
the year draws towards its waistline-bulging
mince pie and mulled wine conclusion, what better
time is there to cast a gastronomic eye back
over the restaurant openings of the past twelve
months? So here, then, are our favourite five
new eateries for 2008: |
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Hix
Oyster & Chop House
There's no question that 2008 was Mark
Hix's year and his Smithfield restaurant,
which opened in April, was just one of
the reasons why. With its old wooden floor,
simply tiled walls and cheeky neon Brit
art at the back, the former sausage factory
makes a pleasingly utalitarian dining
room, and the Hix-smoked salmon, beef
flank and oyster pie are what good British
food should be all about.
Hix,
36-37 Greenhill Rents, Cowcross Street,
EC1M 6BN • 020 7017 1930
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Inamo
Offering the opposite of everything that
is currently fashionable, Inamo is unabashed
fun; from the interactive table-top ordering
system to the moderately priced fusion
favourites like baby crispy prawns, black
cod and Vietnamese spring rolls, that
are just as good as those served at some
of the swankier alternatives. A refreshing
change from a restaurant scene that can
sometimes take itself too seriously.
Inamo,
134-136 Wardour Street, W!F 82P • 020
7851 7051
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| Le
Bouchon Breton
With its birdseye view of Spitalfields
Market and former Gavroche chef, Nicolas
Laridan, this contemporary-meets-classic
French brasserie is a great spot for long
weekend lunches. Start with the crab bisque,
have your steak tartare made to order
in front of you and don't leave without
summoning the cheese trolley. You may
also find yourself ordering champagne
- the place tends to have that effect
on you.
Le
Bouchon Breton, 8 Horner Square, Spitalfields
Market E1 6AA • 020 7377 1839
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| Bob
Bob Ricard
You've got to love BBR for its sheer audacity:
the decadent David Collins decor, the
pink-edged china, the toasters on the
tables - it's all a bit Alice In Wonderland.
Go for tea and crumpets or roast halibut
with wild mushrooms and salted caramel
ice cream in the restaurant, or multiple
rhubarb G&Ts and a game of backgammon
in the equally flamboyant bar downstairs.
Bob
Bob Ricard, 1 Upper James Street,
W1F 9DF • 020 3145 1000
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Corrigan's
Mayfair
Repeat after me: substandard bangers and
mash do not a modern British restaurant
make. Corrigan (that's Richard, the guvnor)
has a nack, thank God, for getting it
right.
This elegant hunting-lodge-meets-1920s-supper-club
style room is a swish backdrop for the
hearty dishes that emerge from the kitchen
- crubeens with beetroot and horseradish,
soft boiled duck egg with brown shrimps
and butter poached pheasant - and puts
lesser imitators to shame.
Corrigan's
Mayfair, 28 Upper Grosvenor Street,
W1K 2NG • 020 7499 9943
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SL |
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