Sample Incentive: London for Foodies
Everything edible is represented on the menus of more than 6,000 restaurants, pubs, bistros and cafés. Go international in neighbourhoods such as China Town, Brick Lane (Indian), Hoxton and Shoreditch (Vietnamese) or Brixton (Caribbean), but be sure to try one of the many gastropubs which feature fine dining in a pub atmosphere.
Here are three suggested itineraries showing you why London is the tastiest place on earth.
Day One: The City and The Thames
Breakfast at Smiths of Smithfield’s - a London breakfast institution. Chat with the locals while enjoying a proper cooked English breakfast. Afterwards, pass through the colorful wrought-iron gates of Smithfield Market, where London’s discerning chefs shop for meat. Take a tour of the area’s intimate St. Bartholomew’s Church and Exmouth Market.
Have lunch at London’s original gastropub. The Eagle in Clerkenwell is a lively but comfortable space where generous meals are perfectly prepared with only the best locally-sourced ingredients.
After lunch, spend an extraordinary half an hour, 443 feet above the river Thames in a London Eye capsule. To complement the bird’s eye views of the city, sample a selection of fine wines from around the world with experts from London’s top wine-tasting attraction, Vinopolis. Your expert will guide you through the taste sensations and aromas of each wine, providing you with tasting notes - and will answer any questions you may have about the wines.
Dinner at Cocoon Restaurant. Inspired by the food halls of Asia, the menu features a selection of dishes from Southeast Asia, China and Japan, carefully chosen to compliment each other. Dining family-style is encouraged, so everyone can taste the full array of dishes. The restaurant is divided into six dining room cocoons two with new sushi bars and a separate bar-lounge area.
Day Two: West End and Knightsbridge
Breakfast at Sketch on Conduit Street, Mayfair. Sketch is an exceedingly glamorous restaurant loved by celebrities, serious foodies and food critics, most of whom adore the cooking of chef Pierre Gagnaire.
Lunch is at Yauatcha in Soho provides quite possibly the best dim sum you will eat out of Hong Kong. This dazzling £4.2 million venture from ubiquitous restaurateur Alan Yau, combines a ground floor tea shop and downstairs dining room and calls on the same team that made Hakkasan such a huge success.
Head off to Knightsbridge for an afternoon browsing around London’s famous department stores and the food halls of Harrods, Harvey Nichols – and of course historic Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly. Top it all with tea tasting at the Georgian restaurant on the top floor of Harrods.
Enjoy dinner at One-O-One, one of the city’s finest fish restaurants. As a participant in a Cook & Eat evening, you’ll be invited into the kitchen of executive chef Pascal Proyart. For 90 minutes, he will entertain you while demonstrating how to create stunning fish dishes at home. At the end of the session, the sommelier will serve cheese and wine before escorting you into the restaurant for a five-course meal.
Day Three: Notting Hill
Enjoy Breakfast at the famous Electric Brasserie on Portobello Road, Notting Hill. You may wish to start the morning with a Bloody Mary; regulars claim they’re the best London. The attraction here – aside from the food and service - is the open plan room, with a view of the chefs bustling about, preparing meals.
After breakfast, stroll around Portobello Road for antiques and don’t miss the famous Travel Bookshop made famous in the film Notting Hill and opposite, Books for Cooks, a unique book shop which sells only cookbooks and comes complete with a kitchen café in the back.
Lunch is at Notting Grill in Holland Park where diners can share the space with chefs at work. The focus is on the best cuts of meat, grilled with great care and a good deal of flourish. It’s a fun atmosphere and the food is simple and delicious.
Notting Grill is not far from Holland Park which houses leisure facilities, formal gardens and woods. The main attraction on summer evenings is Opera Holland Park, where quality performances are held alfresco.
