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Global Traveller
• Confidence is returning to the business travel sector, but companies are not expecting a lightning improvement
• Playing golf is often used in building contacts and professional relationships
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- 1.The Sugar Club
- 2.Clarke's
- 3.Rasa Samudra
- 4.Club Gascon
- 5.The Eagle
- 6.Nobu
- 7.Orrery
- 8.Rules
- 9.Wagamama
- 10.St John
1. The Sugar Club
"Pacific fusion" is the idea behind New Zealander Peter Gordon's restaurant, but really every dish scrambles - with great success - to combine the most exciting tastes from all over the world. Desserts are particularly impressive. The modern wood decor is as stylish as the restaurant's clientele.
- 21 Warwick Street W1
- 020 7437 7776
- (35-50)*
- No disabled facilities
2. Clarke's
A steady favourite since it opened in 1984, the food here is wonderfully fresh, and basically Mediterranean, with roast and baked dishes to the fore. Set menus mean you have to go with the patronne's taste, but she will take you to places you have not been before. The wine list favours California.
- 124 Kensington High Street W8
- 020 7221 9225
- (over 50)*
3. Rasa Samudra
Indian curries are almost a national dish in Britain, but this is quite different from the norm. The cooking is stunning, and first-timers will need talking through the unusual menu, which includes delicious fish dishes.
- 5 Charlotte Street W1
- 020 7637 0222
- (25-35)*
- Disabled, with advance booking
4. Club Gascon
Inspired Gallic cooking means you need to make a reservation weeks in advance. The original idea here is that there are no starter or main courses. Dishes are categorised under half a dozen themed headings, and you put together three or four to make a meal. Each one is a rare combination.
- 57 West Smithfield EC1
- 020 7796 0600
- (35-50)*
5. The Eagle
This converted Victorian pub on the edge of the City was the first of London's "gastropubs". Serving high-quality Mediterranean-style cuisine from an open kitchen, it is informal and always busy. The menu largely comprises substantial mains.
- 159 Farringdon Road EC1
- Tube Farringdon
- No bookings
6. Nobu
You don't have to wear Prada or Gucci here, but you will feel more at home if you do. This is the style gurus' hang-out, where impeccable taste ranges from the oak and maple parquet tables to the fabulous Japanese food. Sushi is served in lacquered bowls, sake is served in bamboo flasks. You don't need to reserve for the sushi bar.
- 9 Old Park Lane W1
- 020 7447 4747
- (over 50)*
7. Orrery
Sir Terence Conran is London's most prominent restaurateur. This intimate restaurant is at the peak of perfection and prices. The short menu changes regularly, and is Modern European with a French bias - including the best fish, beef and game.
- 55 Marylebone High Street W1
- 020 7616 8000
- (over 50)*
8. Rules
London's oldest restaurant (1798), Rules has a wonderful, genuine Belle Epoque atmosphere, and remains a great British institution, not resting on its laurels. It specializes mainly in game - much of it from the northern estates of its owner, John Mayhew.
- 35 Maiden Lane WC2
- 020 7836 5314
- (35-50)*
- No disabled access
9. Wagamama
This basement restaurant is the original of a chain of modern Oriental eating houses, offering fast, efficient service. Inexpensive Japanese dishes are served cafeteria-style, with diners eating side-by-side.
- 4a Streatham Street WC1
- 020 7323 9223
- (under 15)*3
10. St John
A great restaurant near Smithfield meat market, this is in a converted smokehouse. It serves tasty variations of offal, tripe, tongue, heart and other traditional British dishes which 21st-century Londoners find rather daring. Bar-menu snacks are not expensive.
- 26 St John Street EC1
- 020 7251 0848
- (25-35)*
- Difficult access but disabled facilities inside
