Posted: 12:01 pm, 09/03/2009
London's restaurant prices may have risen 50% in the past 10 years but you can still find excellent food without bankrupting yourself, says our roving chef, as he picks out his top five kitchens in the capital
To be brutally honest, there aren't many restaurants in London that excite me at the moment. There is certainly an amazing diversity, which we rather take for granted; a good pizza or curry in France or Spain is about as common as a food critic that actually mentions the food in the first five paragraphs of a review.
· Club Gascon, 57 West Smithfield, London EC1A; 020 7796 0600
Massively ambitious cooking, very modern but with French roots. Although the flavour combinations here can be hackneyed, their treatment is anything but, often with the same ingredient transformed in numerous ways. So a carrot may be pickled, served as a jelly, mousse, purée or froth - or, as is often the case in Aikens's cooking, all of the above.
Personally, I find some dishes a bit lacking in texture, and I prefer things a bit more understated. However, Aiken has his own particular style, which is in itself a compliment, and it's refreshing to see someone shaking things up in the capital's fine dining scene. Go for the assiette of pork or any of the salad dishes, as these showcase his enthusiastic presentation.
· Tom Aikens, 43 Elystan St, London SW3
tomaikens.co.uk; 020 7584 2003.
