England

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in England, independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

The Balcon at the Sofitel St.James

The Balcon at the Sofitel St.James

The Balcon at the Sofitel St. James is that rare beast, a French restaurant in a French hotel which has turned its back on its upbringing and decided to go native. What used to be Le Balcon, a rather stuffy eatery on London’s posh Pall Mall with rather heavy French dishes, has been reborn as THE Balcon under the helm of a talented Antipodean chef.

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Island Grill

Island Grill. Experience a New York grill on an island.

Having one of the finest locations in London is a pretty big feather to have in your cap when you’re a restaurant, after all it’s ridiculously exciting when you can boast you are literally opposite London’s Hyde Park on the famous Bayswater Road. The Island Grill has another pretty big feather to play too, it’s the main dining outlet within the Lancaster London, formerly the Royal Lancaster, one of the capital’s iconic clutch of famous hotels dating back to the sixties.

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Hunter 486 Restaurant

As I walk in, Gary Durrant, Head Chef of Hunter 486 restaurant, is standing in front of the stone oven of his open plan kitchen, tucked away at one end of the small but perfectly formed restaurant. This is clearly an eatery where “tucked away” is an art form, as it is itself tucked away in the boutique Arch London Hotel, which in turn is tucked away in a quiet corner of Great Cumberland Place behind London’s Marble Arch.

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28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen

28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen. A restaurant that adores wine.

It seems 28-50 is not, as I first thought, the address of this Maddox Street restaurant. No, much more interesting than that. 28-50 is the geographical coordinates for the World’s most perfect wine growing latitude and if you are serious about wine then 28-50 Wine Workshop and Kitchen is a pretty good name to have I reckon.

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Rhubarb at Fenchurch at Sky Garden Sized44

Fenchurch at Sky Garden. Discover excellent dining and Sky high views

Just as well Fenchurch at Sky Garden is in the so-called walkie talkie building on London’s Fenchurch Street as security needed walkie talkies to manage the flow of people waiting to get up to the 35th floo

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terry Marsh reviews Angel's Restaurant and finds it a very special place indeed.

Angel’s Restaurant. A very special place indeed.

Special wine is for special occasions; and the same is true of dining out. So, it was with no small measure of joy that on the proverbial dark and stormy night, in search of epicurean delight that didn’t require an advance visit to the bank for a mortgage, my curious finger flipped its way through the Michelin Red Guide to alight on Ribchester and Angel’s Restaurant, not far from my Lancashire home.

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