I get asked “Where’s the best place for … in London? ” quite a lot. My opinion changes fairly regularly, but I’ll try and keep an up to date list and an explanation here:

Steak – Hawksmoor
Three locations in London, amazing beef, superb chips and starters so good you want to order them all. Save room for dessert.

Burgers – MeatMARKET
Simple, cheap and using great ingredients. Believe the hype.

Authentic Chinese – Hunan
“Where’s the menu?” There isn’t one. Sit back and let the chef stun you with plate after plate of tiny Asian wonders. Be warned – the crispy duck is not forgotten and when it appears towards the end of the meal you’ll want space to do it justice!

Modern Chinese – A. Wong
I really love this place – you owe it to yourself to do their tasting menu, it’s fantastic value and shows a whole new side to asian cooking.

Beer – The Cask
They have a beer selection which would outweighs most restaurants wine lists. It’s all delicious. They serve pretty awesome food as well.

Cupcakes – Peggy Porschen
Light, airy and sophisticated. Yum.

Sliced Cake – Peggy Porschen
I have a love affair with their fruit cake. I don’t care who knows it.

Brownies – Outside Tart
These are man brownies. Big slabs of delicious rich chocolate with tempting ingredients like bourbon and bacon. Nom.

Butcher – The Ginger Pig
These friendly guys, located near the entrance of Borough market, produce some of the finest meat available. Raised on their own farms in Yorkshire, they firmly believe that happy animals taste better. And they are so right – try their steaks and weep at how good the fat is.

Barbecue – Pitt Cue Co.
Incredibly popular and rightly so – this is proper ‘cue and a meat lovers paradise. Bring an appetite.

Lobster – The Big Easy
I have to admit. The lure of £15 lobster, chips, salad and frozen margarita is pretty darn strong. The staff are friendly, the starters excellent and desserts pretty decadent. It’s getting harder to find a table though – you’ve been warned!

Sunday Lunch – The Orange
A lovely little pub near Sloane Square. It serves great food in a relaxed and upmarket environment. It’s seasonal, it’s sophisticated, but you can still order a beer and spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with your mates. Magic.

Bread – The Flour Station
I adore their Borough Brown. Insanely good bread, I could munch an entire loaf single handedly!

Macaron – Pierre Herme
I’ve tested both Laduree and Pierre Herme side-by-side. There is absolutely no contest. Herme are better made with more filling and smarter flavours.