MONDAY 5 OCT, 2009

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The London Restaurant Festival
8 – 13 October 2009

New York has celebrated its restaurant scene for years so now that London has more than caught up in the eating–out stakes, we’re glad Fay Maschler and co. have decided it’s time our fair city had a Restaurant Festival of its own.

Apart from all the great deals to be had in many of the capitals finest eateries during the festival there are numerous other fun events going on. Our pick of some of the highlights are as follows:

Everyone’s favourite living–room intellectual Simon Schama kicks things off with a morning of Mouthing Off about the importance of eating out at the inaugural Festival Lecture in Kings Cross – bloody marys and bacon sarnies supplied.

Jeremy Lee will be preparing wild roe deer and Mark Hix will be tearing himself away from his new restaurant Hix Soho to cook up a Game Bird Feast at the Big Roast at Leadenhall Market.

Underground restaurateur Ms Marmite Lover will be going overground at Hub (Festival HQ) in Covent Garden, giving a talk on how she became queen of the pop–up resto scene.

And ‘Grand Master’ Jonny Woo will be hosting the Bistrotheque/Andaz Supersonic Masonique Supper Club. Tickets are officially sold out for this so beg, borrow or steal to be there.

Or, if you fancy some champagne–fuelled restaurant hopping, book yourself on one of the Gourmet Odyssey Routemaster bus tours around the West End’s foodie hot spots.

We will warn you though, places are selling out fast so you’ll have to be quick – OR you could be really clever and enter our competition to win a pair of tickets for the Pall Mall Gourmet Odyssey, taking in Sake No Hana (starter), Hibiscus (main) and Wild Honey (pudding), all in one lunchtime… To enter, tell us why you need a good feed.

INFO
8-13 October 2009
www.visitlondon.com/londonrestaurantfestival

MY LONDON: CHRIS GALVIN

One half of the dynamic brother duo, Chris Galvin is part responsible for luxe-ing up the traditional bistro as we used to know it, including opening the biggest Galvin yet in the city this autumn, no doubt with many more to follow.

Click here to read the full feature…