1) The Fat Duck, Berkshire

Regarded by many culinary aficionados as the most famous restaurant in the world, the Fat Duck in Bray has attracted the highest accolades – Best Restaurant in Britain (Good Food Guide 2008), three Michelin stars and five AA rosettes to name a few.  But it is for chef proprietor Heston Blumenthal’s mad culinary alchemy that the restaurant remains a site of gastronomic pilgrimage for anyone with an interest in food.

2) The Kitchin, Edinburgh

Edinburgh-born Tom Kitchin, who has spent more than a decade working alongside people of the calibre of Pierre Koffman and Alain Ducasse, racked up a Michelin star just months after opening his eponymous doors in 2006; the youngest chef ever to receive one. 

The accolades have been pouring in since: Scottish Restaurant of the Year, three AA rosettes, a Catey for best newcomer and a high position in the Good Food Guide top 40 restaurants in the UK.  An unpretentious menu marries fresh seasonal quality Scottish produce with classical French techniques.  The reason this venue lives up to its buzz is that its ambitions aren’t haute cuisine, but rather freshness and flavour authenticity,’ says the Wall Street Journal.

3) The Oak Room, Buckinghamshire

The Oak Room was ranked 19th best restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2009 and holds four AA Rosettes.  The food is elaborate, as you would expect from a dining room that has its own helipad.  A multi-course taster menu includes sautéed Scottish langoustine, confit foie gras with black fig purée and fig compote, poached fillet of brill and slow-cooked loin of lamb with braised tongue and couscous.

4) Le Champignon Sauvage, Gloucestershire

David Everitt-Matthias’ many awards reflect the esteem in which he is held as a chef. Recognised as one of Britain’s leading craftsmen, he is always in the kitchen and has never missed a service.  He is also known for his tireless experimentation with anything from the most humble to the most expensive ingredients, and an “ability for making dishes taste more of themselves than the original ingredient”.

His food is a cross between the ‘terroir’ and modern French with original touches.  The menu changes seasonally.  Current favourites include seared scallops with cauliflower puree, cumin veloute and ras el hanout caramel, and chocolate delice with salted caramel and melted barley ice cream to complete the dish.

5) Scotts, London

The epitome of Bond-esque glamour in the 1960s, this legendary Mayfair veteran has entered a glorious new golden age following a three million pound revamp.  “A great revival of a wonderful institution, just like its sibling J Sheekey,” applauds Hardens.  The Martin Brudnizki interior harks back to the ostentatious glamour of the restaurant’s past.  An oak-panelled dining room is furnished in burgundy-leather; the floor shimmers with a chartreuse-green marble mosaic; the bar is topped in onyx.  The setting works its magic, but sublime fish is what really lures the A-list crowds, feasting on the delights of raw bivalves and classy renditions of the classics.

 

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