bigchreesh

1. Terra Restaurant (near Goodge Street) - cheap, cheerful, has a very high London Eating score http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3769.htm 2. The Royal Oak (East London) for Sunday lunch http://www.london-eating.co.uk/34063.htm 3. Busaba Eathai (chain - near Goodge Street, Soho, Marylebone) Simple, cheap Thai food 4. Buen Ayre (Hackney) Great steaks 5. The Gun (Docklands) Good gastro 6. L'Absinthe (Primrose Hill) Authentic French 7. Arbutus and Wild Honey (Mayfair and Soho) Sister Restaurants - both modern British, both one starred, good value, interesting food. 8. Great Queen Street (Covent Garden) and Anchor & Hope (Southwark) Modern British - the former is my fave in London, the latter is the gastropub equivalent where you can't book. 9. The obvious Michelins, The Square, The Greenhouse, Royal Hospital Road, Hakkasan, Rasoi, Foliage, The Connaught (well soon to be Michelin), Le Gavroche, Petrus, Pied a Terre, The Capital etc etc

Maze Grill does. It's quite pricey though.

I'd recommend: 1. Buen Ayre. It's in Broadway Market in Hackney, so off the beaten track for most (nearest Tube, Bethnal Green, nearest rail, London Fields). It's a little Argenintian joint, a favourite of the Argentinian ambassador and absolutely wonderful. Near-Hawksmoor quality for a fraction of the price. You can quite comfortably eat to your heart's content for £30 per head. 2. Hix Chop House and Maze Grill need to be put down here as new openings that have been praised for their steaks. Both quite expensive though. Maze Grill has an US broiler that Jason Atherton brought over the pond after seeing how our American cousins made their steaks charred on the outside but soft and pink inside.