10. sæti

The Dairy

The Dairy in Clapham. Here’s what we thought:

The look and feel is of a wine bar – and you could happily go here to get your nose into a lovely drop, too, but it’s the food which really gets the pulse racing. The ex-Manoir aux Quat’Saisons husband-and-wife team collect their own honey, do their own smoking and curing, and apply technical skill and passion to every dribble-worthy dish.

The Dairy. 15 The Pavement, SW4 0HY. 7622 4165. ) Clapham Common. Meal for two with wine and service: around £70.

9. sæti

LYLES!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Lyle’s in Shoreditch, which has made it in at number nine!

If supper clubs appeal because of the array of surprise dishes, but you don’t much fancy sitting with strangers or having your dinner made by someone who’s an accountant during the day, then visit this airy Shoreditch joint. You don’t get a choice, but you do get seven courses, and can expect each one (cooked by James Lowe, formerly one of the Young Turks chef’s collective) to be delicious. If you’re affected by chronic ‘menu indecision’, this is for you.Lyle’s, The Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ. 3011 5911. Shoreditch High St Overground. Meal for two with wine and service: around £100.

Star dish: The menu changes constantly, but puds are terrific – so pace yourself.

8. sæti

GYMKHANA!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Gymkhana in Piccadilly, which has made it in at number eight!

It might sound like an equestrian gathering, but this Gymkhana is inspired by the colonial Indian usage of the word for a gentleman’s club. The good news is, you don’t have to be a member, and there’s no dress code (though don’t bother if your style’s a bit riff or raff). Inside, the décor harks back to the British Raj (vintage cricketing snaps, dark wood panelling, retro ceiling fans), but make no mistake: the exquisite Indian cooking is bang up to date. Star dish: Suckling pig vindaloo.

42 Albemarle St, W1S 4JH. 020 3011 5900. Green Park. Meal for two with wine and service: around £100.

7. sæti

PALOMAR!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Palomar in Leicester Square, which has made it in at number seven!

The Old Testament says: ‘Love thy neighbour.’ Sit at the counter of this buzzy Soho spot and you won’t get much choice. Not only are you squeezed in, but this is a gregarious crowd, here for the sunshine food of ‘modern Jerusalem’, drawn from the Levant (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt) plus southern Spain. There are more comfortable seats at the back, too, but that would be missing the point – and the chance to make new friends.

Star dish: ‘Jerusalem-style’ creamy polenta with asparagus, mushroom ragout, parmesan shavings and truffle oil.

34 Rupert St, W1D 6DN. 020 7439 8777. Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus. Meal for two wth wine and service: around £80.

6. sæti

BARNYARD!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Barnyardon Goodge St, which has made it in at number six!

As dirty little sisters go, they don’t get much dirtier than Barnyard (and we mean that in a good way). This no-bookings sibling to Dabbous has an intentionally rough-and-ready vibe: barn wood, oil barrels as seats and plaid-clad staff you’d definitely fancy a roll in the hay with. As for the transatlantic menu of small plates, how does sausage roll with piccalilli, or popcorn ice cream with smoked fudge sauce sound? It’s perfect for an impromptu bite with chums: the four-person booths are thigh-slappingly fine.

Star dish: Crispy chicken wings with smoked paprika, garlic and lemon.

18 Charlotte St, W1T 2LY. 7580 3842. Goodge St. Meal for two with wine and service: around £40.

5. sæti

BERNERS TAVERN!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look at Berners Tavern in Fitzrovia, which has made it in at number five!

The word ‘tavern’ conveys an image of a humble inn providing sustenance to weary travellers. But this Jason Atherton joint isn’t humble at all. It is a high-ceilinged, awe-inspiring, ritzy, glitzy destination. The menu reads like a tour round the British Isles – Isle of Wight heirloom tomato, Cornish turbot, Orkney langoustines – and every dish is an exercise in perfection.

Star dish: ‘Egg, ham & peas’ – a breadcrumbed duck egg with crisp Cumbrian ham and puréed peas.

10 Berners St, W1T 3NP. 7908 7979. Oxford Circus. Meal for two with wine and service: around £140.

4. sæti

Mynd: © Jamie Lau

ARTUSI!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Artusi in Peckham, which has made it in at number four!

There are neighbourhood Italian restaurants (the kind where the staff pinch your cheeks even though you’re 30), and there’s Artusi. It has a pared-back look: all the better to showcase the exceptional ingredients and simple but perfectly executed Italian cooking. Peckham is one of the most exciting areas in London for art and music; even if all you know about it is that some chap in a three-wheeled van used to sell dodgy gear there, Artusi puts it firmly on the culinary map too.

Star dish: The menu’s ever-shifting, but the pasta is always spectacular.

161 Bellenden Rd, SE15 4DH. 3302 8200. Peckham Rye Overground. Meal for two with wine and service: around £70.

3. sæti

Social Eating House!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look Social Eating House at Oxford Circus, which has made it in at number three!

Part of Jason Atherton’s mini-empire (which also includes Berners Tavern, see p22), it’s the most affordable – and most British – of the lot. But it’s no less brilliant than the others. The menu is full of trademark twists (such as traditional British dishes taken to new heights – try the smoked duck ham, white duck egg and chips). A discreet and sexy space to hide away in for a very long time.

Star dish When in season, the ‘CLT’ (a no-bread crab, lettuce and tomato ‘sandwich’).

58-59 Poland St, W1F 7NR. 7993 3251. ) Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Rd. Meal for two with wine and service: around £80.

2. sæti

Ember Yard!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look at Ember Yard in Soho, which has made it in at number two!

Imagine the same style of classy little dishes – part-Spanish, part-Italian – that you’ll see on menus all over London, but cooked over smoky charcoal. That’s basically Ember Yard, although that description hardly does it justice. This newbie from the top team that also gave us Dehesa in Soho and Opera Tavern in Covent Garden is arguably their best yet. Factor in the room’s inviting warm woods, strong wine list and terrific service, and it’s no wonder it’s so hard to get a table (tip: try the basement).

Star dish: Steamed and chargrilled octopus with peperonata and mojo verde.

60-61 Berwick St, W1F 8SU. 7439 8057. ) Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Rd. Meal for two with wine and service: around £75.

1. sæti

Chiltern Firehouse!

Continuing with our totally terrific top ten countdown towards London’s best restaurant, take a look at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, which has been crowned as number one!

They should have called it Chiltern Celebhouse. From the Hollywood stars to home-grown talent, everyone who’s anyone has been. If the paparazzi are waiting outside to see who Harry Styles is going for dinner with, it’s usually an indication that the rest of us are better off elsewhere, but Chiltern Firehouse is hot whether you’re A-list or on no list. It’s an attractive room, with sweet service plus an excellent transatlantic menu from talented chef Nuno Mendes, dispensed from the best-looking open kitchen in London. The brigade of chefs practise a cooking technique that’s innovative without going overboard, such as monkfish cooked in a sealed pan with charcoal and pine. On any criteria you can think of, it’s one of the most enjoyable restaurant experiences that we’ve had anywhere in the world. There is a catch – it’s almost easier to get a dinner date with Brad and Angelina than to snag a same-month table here. But persist: find out when the next tranche of reservations are released, book in advance, circle the date in the calendar and pass the days eating at the less busy breakfast and lunch servings.

Star dish: Crabmeat-filled slider ‘doughnuts’.

1 Chiltern St, W1U 7PA. 7073 7676. ) Bond St or Baker St. Meal for two with wine and service: around £160.

Myndir: Time out London

/Sverrir