| From Coward at the Ivy to Wilde at the Cadogan, OutUK's Adrian Gillan digests thirty of London's classier eateries to get those gay juices flowing. | |
| If you are what you eat then no wonder us queens fancy some posh nosh now and then, a notch above McDs. Here's a personal but considered overview of thirty London favourites to suit a range of budgets but mainly and shamelessly big bucks. So pace your purse! |
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From the bowels of Soho to the world's finest meals on wheels, here are a few flavours
to suit all discerning queer tastes, although as you'll see I do have a particular
penchant for English and continental fodder. Typical prices are shown below in
The Little Black Book along with all contact details.
SOHO DISHESTo begin at the beginning: Soho. God made Balans on Old Compton Street, the centre of the gay universe, along with its partner over in Earl's Court, and saw that it was good - but not that good, with its so-so food options and preening pumped-up muppets. No longer overbuzzingly cramped with more tables and a sister restaurant down the street.Thankfully he'd already cooked up Steph's around the corner in Dean Street long before, an authentic Soho experience overseen by pink flamingo murals and matriarch 'Steph' knocking back shorts, holding court with the crowds seated at tiny tables, eating inventive if pricey food like spam on toast, served up by happy dishy waiters. A few doors down, Blues also pulls in those gay boys in the know with special deal menus throughout the week and its ambient, simple chic. And nearby, the gay media mafia flocks to the blinding whiteness of the Sugar Club with its exotic blend of queerest cuisine. Meanwhile, devotees to Andrew Edmunds soon learn they must pre-book even for early evening mid-week slots, to enjoy its cosy basement with dripping candles and airs rich in sauce. And French classic Escargot fills a hole on Greek Street with its authentic Gallic fare if you don't mind people's smoke. GARDEN DELIGHTSBeyond Soho and into Covent Garden, Café du Jardin provides a moderately-priced light and airy corner perch for business lunch or romantic soirée. And Joe Allen's snug dark basement is the perfect winter cave to warm away the blues with some simple transatlantic cooking.Mon Plaisir by Seven Dials is a homely French eatery, though the service can be dire. You couldn't say the same of the robustly minimal though pricey style of Palais du Jardin on Long Acre, the top end of which also boasts Zilli Fish Too, for a zingy fun night out coloured by the zany celeb chef. OUT WESTOver to west London now and a rare discovery! Wilde was famously arrested at the Cadogan Hotel off Sloane Square. Treat yourself to this little known time-warp, a museum piece of a setting. Deserted even on a Saturday night, it's great for a quiet but impressive rendezvous, followed by coffee and assorted sweetmeats in the oak-panelled drawing room, almost certainly haunted by our own Oscar.By contrast and barely round the corner, Harvey Nichols 5th Floor restaurant is the perfect place to rest and gorge after a stressful Knightsbridge shopping campaign - impress the waiters with how many Gucci bags you can squeeze under your table. Especially perfect for lunches, it's pure Ab Fab. Moving over High Street Kensington way, Kensington Place is ideal for informal group meals with the boys and the quintessentially English Launceston Place a rare treat for understated one-to-ones. Up in Notting Hill, Damien Hurst-designed Pharmacy is fun first time round, with its pill-box seats, heart-chart menus and toilets featuring used syringes and condoms. But neither food nor service would warrant a swift return, and it's dated already, like some gimmicky but dusty museum installation. Assaggi on the other hand is little more than a room above a pub, but has food and service to die for. DOWN SOUTHSouth of the river? Like the Pharmacy, try the Oxo Tower just the once to say you've been, but - day or night - food and service are at best mediocre. It's a room with a view but little else and as such scarce worth the price - you can get a better view for free from Waterloo Bridge, and bring your own food.Lobster Pot is one of the gayest finds in town. You step in off a grimy Lambeth street to a marine experience and I mean "Hello sailor", full-on Jean-Paul Gautier. With fish swimming around in port-holes and loos echoing to the sound of seagulls, you'll be one of but a dozen guests served up fresh fish, in or out of shell, in this snug culinary cabin - a treat. Or venture down to Balham and enjoy fine-for-romance Chez Bruce off Wandsworth Common, one of the best value all-rounders around. Of an artistic bent? Then try the Royal Festival Hall's People's Palace overlooking the Thames. Once you've got over the naff neo-Maoist name, settle back before or after your concert and enjoy one of the most panoramic views in town, equally mesmerising in dazzling sunshine or after dark. Or check out the Tate Gallery restaurant after an exhibition, sipping some great-value wines, surrounded by Whistler murals. Theatrically inclined? Then the Criterion restaurant is a must, with its glistening mosaic neo-Byzantine interior making it a grand old show-stopper, though service has been known to be jaw-droppingly appalling on occasion. CREAM OF THE CROPHow can one possibly follow all that? Well, savour the best 'til last! Aubergine is undoubtedly a world-class restaurant, unassumingly tucked away down a side road in Fulham; it hits the peaks of the holy culinary trilogy - food, service and ambience. Constantly brilliant.The world-famous Ivy is likewise in a league of it's own on all fronts. Its deco setting has attracted the biggest stars, every night of the week since the days of Coward and Novello, but Joe Bloggs must book six-months or more in advance to get in. Once in, it's a struggle not to spend the meal overhearing Neil Tennant chatting to Stephen Daldry or gawping at Geri Halliwell with that guy off TV. The Dorchester Grill on Park Lane is as English as you can get without being overformal. As is the Agatha Christie-like setting of the oak-panelled Savoy Grill off the Strand with its hushed tones - you can almost hear Arnold Bennett or some such slurping up their soup. Back in Mayfair, the Caprice is a light-weight but enticing modern British brasserie just around the corner from where they put on the Ritz every bit as well now as they doubtless did back in the gay twenties. Don't worry, it's only money. And finally - a restless sort? Then try the poshest ever meals on wheels. Watch the world go by as you consume the finest foods and wines and watch the English countryside rolling past from the plush and unique carriages of the world-famous Orient Express. There are many dining options available on the British Pullman out of London Victoria, both lunch and evening. A perfect birthday for your boy, or why not treat your ma? Perhaps the ultimate gay gastronomic extravagance - completely off the rails!
THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Andrew Edmunds (46 Lexington Street W1; T: 0207 437 5708; £30) | |