London fine dining

[robyn]

should we create a new link called restaurant fashion?

with all this talk about "pants" turtle-necks," and "button-ups" I'm feeling a hell of a lot of sympathy for you cloying, you must feel like your seven years old again with your mum dressing you.

(was seven too old for my mum to be dressing me, if yes change to five!)

Why don't we realise that as long as you look decent enough to walk down the street, then that is decent enough to wear to any restaurant. I'm a manager of a fine dining restaurant in London, and the one rule is if you feel good then you look good. You are giving your money to the restaurant remeber, so if they cannot accept what you are wearing then it is their problem.

Your message was kind of general - so I'm not sure what your standards are. I hate to get reasonably dressed for dinner and wind up eating next to people in jeans - even if the jeans cost $300. If a fancy restaurant's dress code is simply "no shoes - no shirt - no service" - well - it will save me a lot of time and space packing when I travel. Robyn

[Suzi Edwards]

A button up shirt without a jacket and tie just doesn't work.  You'll look like the technology geek that you are - especially if the shirt has short sleeves  .

there's nothing like a blanket generalisation is there?

[robyn]

there's nothing like a blanket generalisation is there?

Nope . Guess I've been picking out my husband's clothes for too long . Robyn

[Gavin Convery]

Blazers? Sports Jackets....snigger. Hey, I'm 42 but that's no reason to dress like your dad. I find a simple black velvet Jasper Conran suit with casual shirt for the winter and black linen Woodhouse suit for the summer usually covers all bases....

[robyn]

Blazers? Sports Jackets....snigger. Hey, I'm 42 but that's no reason to dress like your dad. I find a simple black velvet Jasper Conran suit with casual shirt for the winter and black linen Woodhouse suit for the summer usually covers all bases....

Perhaps you can carry off the black velvet without looking like you're trying to dress like your son . My husband couldn't - he'd look ridiculous. I like linen too - but here in Florida - it dissolves into one big wrinkle after 5 minutes outside in the summer. We went shopping a few weeks ago and my husband bought a lightweight black wool suit for London in May. Works for him (he looks really good in it). He also bought a tweedy jacket which will probably be too warm for London in May. But he's always wanted one - and - at 70% off - the price was hard to resist. Robyn

[Gavin Convery]

Just a bit tongue-in-cheek that post...but as I fortunately still maintain my figure despite egullet membership and keep my balding pate suitably cropped I can just about carry it off....plus I only have daughters so no competition from a son

[robyn]

Just a bit tongue-in-cheek that post...but as I fortunately still maintain my figure despite egullet membership and keep my balding pate suitably cropped I can just about carry it off....plus I only have daughters so no competition from a son 

My husband is reasonably trim and has all his hair (he has great hair genes ) - but - when you're almost 60 - I'm afraid black velvet doesn't cut it. When my husband was 42 - he was still wearing those skinny Italian suits. When he tries on the few remaining in the closet - even though he hasn't gained weight - he complains that he can't move his arms. He tries to move his arms - and looks like a character out of South Park (I don't know if you have that in the UK - it's a cartoon with foul-mouthed little children characters - picture a child in a snowsuit trying to move his arms - but I'm not sure you have snowsuits in the UK either).

Anyway - here's to men (and women) maintaining their figures (you can't change your hair genes - but we can all control our figures). Robyn

[Scott]

Not being funny, but why is it that it appears to me, to only be Americans who are concerned by the dress code of everyone else around them.

is it a cultural thing, I would never presume to pass comment on the satorial standards of my fellow diners. none of my damned business me thinks.

[jackal10]

Tweed jacket would be perfect in London in May. It doesn't really get warm until late June.

As Flanders and Swann say

"April brings the sweet spring showers,

On and on for hours and hours.

Farmers fear unkindly May

Frost by night and hail by day.

June just rains and never stops

Thirty days and spoils the crops."

Edited April 10, 2004 by jackal10 (log)

[Jonathan Day]

Or as I was repeatedly told during my 2 years living in Edinburgh:

"Ne'er cast a clout till May is out"

(i.e., don't stop wearing your coat until the beginning of June).

[robyn]

Not being funny, but why is it that it appears to me, to only be Americans who are concerned by the dress code of everyone else around them.

is it a cultural thing, I would never presume to pass comment on the satorial standards of my fellow diners. none of my damned business me thinks.

The simple answer is that it's really a bummer crossing the Atlantic for a business trip or vacation - and finding out that you've brought all the wrong clothes (either in terms of dressy/not dressy or wrong for the weather). Robyn

[robyn]

Tweed jacket would be perfect in London in May. It doesn't really get warm until late June.

As Flanders and Swann say

"April brings the sweet spring showers,

On and on for hours and hours.

Farmers fear unkindly May

Frost by night and hail by day.

June just rains and never stops

Thirty days and spoils the crops."

I've been to London several times - but always in the fall - never in May. It is hard for me to believe that a tweed jacket will work in late May - since it's almost 90 F here in Florida every day that time of year - but I'll take your word for it.

By the way - your poem - and your weather description - make it sound like it's great weather for flowers (assuming the rain isn't excessive). Makes me smile - because the main reason we're going this May is to attend the Chelsea Flower Show (something I've wanted to see for years). Robyn

[brokentelephone]

I've been living in London for a few months now and am looking for some suggestions on where to go for energetic yet fine dining restaurants. I've already gone to Hakkasan, Cocoon, Yautacha, Amaya, Benares, Chutney Marys, Veeraswami, and am looking for a few places with the same sort of 'vibe.'

Any suggestions? I like places with lively bars attached like Coccon/Hakkasan...!

Thanks.

[Andy Lynes]

I think Roka would be right up your street - great food, "hip" design and the Shochu Lounge downstairs.

[Jon Tseng]

Sketch, Nobu and Nobu-alikes (Zuma, Sumosan, etc etc) one assumes...

[Matthew Grant]

I think Roka would be right up your street - great food, "hip" design and the Shochu Lounge downstairs.

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I was in Shochu the other week, nice vibe, cool tunes (they have a DJ) and decent drinks.

[GastroChick]

I don't know whether it is still hip but Sketch was fun a couple of years ago. After midnight the dining room changes into more of a dj bar/club. My main advice would be not to go on the weekend as it will be infiltrated with out of towners.

Other recommendations

Lounge Lover

Bistrotheque

Rivington Bar and Grill

Medcalf

Great Eastern Dining Rooms

[Andy Lynes]

infiltrated with out of towners. 

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I can't stand it when those provincial scum "infiltrate" restaurants meant for Londoners,

Andy from Brighton

[GastroChick]

Don't you have restaurants of your own to go to?

[Matthew Grant]

In the early days Sketch was achingly cool especially when the plates were cleared and the banquettes turned into day beds and waif like models got up and danced on the tables to cool sounds and the white walls were the backdrop to video art and Mourad Mazouz walked around chatting to everybody like he was there best friend.....

In fact, it was so cool then that I don't believe it can possibly be that cool now, coolness tends to have a short lifespan

[GastroChick]

You're right, those were the days....

However the Kemia bar another of Mourad's establishments (underneath Momo's) was still hip when I visited a year ago.

[joesan]

I was in Sketch the other day - entertaining some "out of town" friends from Italy who are involved in the fashion world. They loved it. It is still pretty cool but nowhere near as cool as last year (obviously). Having said that it is still a lot cooler than most of the other place mentioned upthread with the exception of Bistroteque.

BTW the food was pretty good - I had to have two helpings of a reconstructed potato thing - basically a potato mash in a raviolo skin underneath some ubiquitous (but truly delicious) foam.

Also I think it is pretty good value considering the setting. Unfortunately they've changed the decor quite a bit and it all looks a bit "punky" now. Brilliant DJ - go.

[Andy Lynes]

Don't you have restaurants of your own to go to?

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Oh, I don't go to those - they've been infiltrated by Londoners.

[Bapi]

There is only one person to answer this question......

.....circeplum

Edited March 13, 2006 by Bapi (log)

[circeplum]

There is only one person to answer this question......

.....circeplum

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ok - i've bitten!

recently, i've loved marco pierre white's new luciano. v. buzzy bar and good - not excessively priced - italian food. lightyears ahead of his frankies chain. and richard corrigan's bentleys is vibey in a not too blondes-with-no-sleeves way; i rated both downstairs oyster bar and upstairs 'fayn dayning'.

or you can eat at the new cuckoo club - food is far better than you'd expect - without being a member.

maze - whatever you think about ramsay, atherton can really, really cook - definitely amongst the best in town. and the ramsay name draws the slebs.

also jun tanaka at pearl. seriously underrated and def high end. the bar does some first class cocktails and is rather severely beautiful.

and the trois garcons/loungelover lot have opened a new joint in town annex 3. not what you'd call fine dining (although it sort of thinks it is) but most certainly hip in a more towny way than their other outlets.

otherwise there's the wallet-hammering blue bar/petrus or foliage/mandarin bar combos...

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