Foodie in London looking for that great meal....

[ambra]

I am an American Expat living in a small town in Tuscany on an extended stay in London and in search of GREAT MEALS. We eat very well in Tuscany, but sadly, only Tuscan. And because of that, I've arrived on GB's shores with a great desire to eat a variety of cuisines and ingredients I can't much find where I live.

Sadly, I can't hit any of the big tables with a toddler- a quite rambunctious one at that. So I am looking for some great food in great restaurants where toddlers would be welcome as well as some cheap eats as we've got a lot of meals ahead of us to fill up. We are staying in Chelsea, so some neighbourhood places would be great but we are obviously willing to travel for good eats.

I was wondering specifically, if Tom's Kitchen was worth it, if any of Ramsey's mid level restaurants were good- like Maze and Foxtrot were worth a trip. Also looking for Gastropubs, places for Fish and anything just plain delicious. Just looking for memorable food that isn't Italian!! (Although am looking for a good pizzeria as the husband can't live without it for too long!!)

I have had some decent Dimsum in Mayfair and I've had some excellent Japanese on Fulham, some ok Mexican in Covent Garden. But other than that, I seem to have been going to all the wrong places. I do have to admit though, that I've found most if not all (that I have been to at least) of London's restaurants to be exceptionally and refreshingly child friendly. (Yeah!)

Any and all advice would be so very appreciated. Thank you!

[nickloman]

I believe that Fergus Henderson's two St. John restaurants are happy to entertain children although they suggest lunch would be better than dinner when going to the Smithfield site. This is according to their FAQ on the subject @ http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/faq/

Edited August 12, 2010 by nickloman (log)

[David Dowell]

Ok, it's not a restaurant, but try the Chelsea market on Saturday's located at the Duke of York Square.

A wide variety of great food stands, but we think the best is the Indian. The lady who runs the stand makes all the food, many of the recipes from her mother.

VERY good, I assure you! she is usually sold out by 2 pm, so get there early.

and, very definitely not Tuscan.

cheers

[Culinista]

I have an active toddler myself, and we find the following reliable and practical:

Royal China in Queensway or Royal China Club on Baker Street, particularly for dim sum.

Bruno Loubet, particularly weekend lunches. They have a terrace, decent amounts of room for a stroller, and no tablecloths to yank.

El Faro for tapas--bit of a hike out to Canary Wharf, but the river view may be novel for your child safely behind glass.

Tom's Kitchen is crowded and noisy, but it is informal. I found that quality has slipped significantly since it opened, but it is decent.

You can also try big hotel restaurants, which are used to dealing with young guests and have facilities for them.

[ambra]

Thank you for the suggestions!

BTW, I've seen that market in Duke of York, although I didn't eat anything because I was just getting over a stomach virus. Will definitely have to go back!Thanks for reminding me!

[maher]

avoid foxtrot oscar like anything. my experience there was overpriced middling food with poor service. for my money if you want something along that genre try Hereford Road or the Harwood Arms

the potted crab at Hereford Road is worth the trip alone

[cachan]

For a proper pizza - go to SANTA MARIA on Saint Marys Road in Ealing W5, that's the road running from Ealing Broadway down to South Ealing.

[sped98]

Had Lunch at Pied a Terre yesterday , £29.50 for 5 courses so good value....plus £14 for an a la carte pudding.Enjoyable food but was really peed off having to pay an unbelievable £10 for 2 "small" glasses of fresh orange.

Check out the pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24726943@N06/sets/72157624597463977/detail/

[ambra]

I wanted to report back that we did in fact eat at Tom's Kitchen. It's literally steps from where we are staying and as as we were walking by, it started raining. So on a whim, we popped in and asked if they had a table for us (it was early!)

We landed up having a decent meal. I had sole cooked in lemon parsely butter with capers, raisins and a poached egg. It was quite good. My husband had lamb saddle over Israeli couscous and my son finished off a whole dish of excellent macaroni and cheese. I would say it was very good, not mind blowing. Starters were completely unmemorable, both having crab, both being insipid. We had lemon cheesecake to finish.

Extremely kid friendly though. They gave us a little bag with crayons, coloring pages and even a little game. They also had high chairs and the staff showered my son with attention. It was a nice evening.

Thank you for all the recommendations! Am planning to hit some of those places in the next few weeks!

Edited August 16, 2010 by ambra (log)

[markemorse]

We were just in London for a month and the best eating we did was from a South Indian street vendor in East Ham doing pani puri and bhel...we didn't have any toddlers with us though. I think if you Google East Ham and pani puri you'll get the details.

[rjs1]

Sadly, I can't hit any of the big tables with a toddler- a quite rambunctious one at that. So I am looking for some great food in great restaurants where toddlers would be welcome as well as some cheap eats as we've got a lot of meals ahead of us to fill up. We are staying in Chelsea, so some neighbourhood places would be great but we are obviously willing to travel for good eats.

Took my 6 and 8 year-olds to lunch at The Ledbury (2 Michelin *) last week, and they were made very welcome, taken off our hands for a tour of the kitchen at the end of service and even allowed to make their own baby-chinnos (sp?) and carry them to the table themselves. The little one's allergies were well looked out for as well (which Le Gavroche fell down on last year).

To be fair, the kids tend to rise to the occasion in good restaurants and only be rambunctious once they get home.