Short & Sweet: Darjeerling Express

Style: Indian (Bengali)

Budget: Mid-range 

Venue and atmosphere: Just looking around you can tell that this is going to be a different kind of Indian restaurant. Garish colours, white tablecloths and religious iconography are replaced with modest tones, wooden furniture and tasteful black and white photographs. The dining room, which opens onto the top balcony of Kingly Court, is light and airy, the summery feeling amplified by splashes of colour from the blue tiled sections of the floor and pot plants, which are dotted around at different levels.

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Short & Sweet: Frenchie

Style: Modern French with a focus on seasonal produce.

Budget: Expensive, though the lunch menu is quite reasonable (£26 for 2 courses, £29 for 3 courses) and taken straight from the a la carte menu.

Venue and atmosphere: Classy and elegant like the food. Ask for a seat at the back of the restaurant near the windows.

Service: A bit too eager and then not eager enough; trying to hurry us at the beginning, but then nowhere to be found when we actually wanted something and not disguising the fact that they found us a pain. Admittedly, we were being quite demanding, but we also ordered everything on the menu (really) so… be nice to us. 

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Short & Sweet: Westerns Laundry

Style: Modern European

Budget: Mid-range.

Venue and atmosphere: All the usual minimalist features (exposed brick, bulbs and concrete floor), softened by loads of natural light, beautiful flower arrangements and a stylish bar overlooking the open kitchen.

Service: Casual and friendly, but efficient. Good knowledge of the menu and wine list, which translates into great recommendations. (This is crucial with a menu like this, as you’ll want to order everything.)

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Short & Sweet: Brawn

Style: Modern European

Budget: Mid-range, though if, like me, you try every wine by the glass and almost every item on the menu, it soon adds up…

Venue and atmosphere: Cosy neighbourhood wine bar and restaurant.

Service: Casual, friendly and knowledgeable. Often Australian. It can sometimes be hard to get their attention when they are busy, but otherwise on point.

Food: Most of their produce is sourced from Natoora, which imports the most flavourful varieties of fruit and vegetables from Europe and the UK, along with some other top of the range products like charcuterie, cheese and Lolin anchovies.

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Short & Sweet: Ellory

Style: Modern European

Budget: Depends how greedy you are. Around £100/head if you want to do it properly, i.e. all the dishes you want, a nice bottle and some aperitifs and digestives. Good value for money at this level.

Venue and atmosphere: Michelin-starred restaurant without the ponce or hefty price tag. Converted warehouse space with minimalist design that somehow manages to feel warm and unpretentious. 

Service: Manages to strike that perfect balance between friendly and efficient, casual and knowledgeable. Ask questions – they are very willing to help and you will be expertly guided towards good decisions. 

Food: The dishes at Ellory appear deceptively simple, but there is clearly a lot of thought behind the combinations, which both surprise and delight.

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