Michelin Stars: Top 10 Best Michelin Rated Restaurants

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Restaurants

Michelin Stars: Top 10 Restaurants In London. After Fluid London, the Michelin Guide is hailed as the most prestigious restaurant guide in the world. What started as a guide to restaurants to have a reliable bite to eat whilst having your car tyres changed, hence the Michelin backing, has evolved into something that makes and breaks careers. The Michelin inspectors, who work within a web of secrecy of which MI6 would be proud, have London boasting 62 Michelin stars in 2010. With so many stars to choose from, which restaurants are most deserving of a visit?

Tags: Restaurants

Gordon Ramsay Restaurant
Chelsea / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: French

Gordon Ramsay has been nigh on impossible to avoid in the media over the past few years, but the 3 starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsey is a reminder of why he rose to fame. This intimate Chelsea dining room provides classic French cuisine, that is some of the finest in London - the jaw-dropping amuse bouche is reason enough to go. Set in a simple but welcoming venue, it's the food that dazzles the eyes and taste buds. The wine list is encyclopaedic; the champagne list alone notches up 60+ entries.

Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
Knightsbridge / Restaurant / Hotel / Cuisine: French

Having lost custody of the Pétrus name in the break up with Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing has taken London by storm. The two starred restaurant, with its mauve setting straddling sinister and opulent, offers the finest Gallic cuisine. I had the trotters, which were out of this world (it almost seems wrong for feet to taste so divine). The service is slick, food mind-blowing and the atmosphere stunning. I'd recommend booking the chef's table to watch the magic take place right before your eyes.

Arbutus
Soho / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: European

Arbutus has made a swift but lasting impression on London, quickly picking up a Michelin star. Sat in the heart of Soho, this restaurant provides a generous array of modern European cuisine. Often credited with being the cheapest Michelin recognised option in London - it is a mystery how the pre/post theatre menu brought me such pleasure whilst only making the smallest of indentations on my consistently slim wallet. This unassuming restaurant is especially liked for its excellent wine list.

Benares by Atul Kochhar
Mayfair / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: Indian

Atul Kochar's Indian restaurant in Mayfair has held a star since 2007. Black walls & stunning lighting create a mesmerizing space. The cocktails I started with were an indication of things was to come, combining East & West with surprising results. I found the food exquisite, delicately infused with strong Eastern flavours. The vibrant sauces & marinades draw amazement, interacting beautifully on outlandish plates & slates. Benares is somewhere to experience a memorable, sexy taste of the East.

La Trompette
Chiswick & Brentford / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: French

This discreet Chiswick restaurant, sister to Chez Bruce, has long been little known. The décor is understated but welcoming and, unlike many Michelin restaurants, the staff were genuinely friendly. The French fare is balanced, showing off the excellent produce. The rabbit ravioli was sublime; velvety on the outside with a rich flavoured centre. With excellent food, refreshing atmosphere and fabulous service; it should not hide in its brother's shadow.

Tamarind
Mayfair / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: Indian

Holding onto its Michelin star for a third consecutive year, Tamarind has been voted by fellow restauranteurs in - Hotel & Restaurant Magazine's 2003 Awards - as 'Indian Restaurant of the Year'. Featuring an eclectic array of dishes centred around the native tandoor ovens in which breads, meats, game, fish and shellfish are cooked in the North West Indian style, Tamarind continues to explore the sub-continent.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
West End / Restaurant / Cuisine: French

Located next door to The Ivy in Covent Garden, L'Atelier de Robuchon is situated in a three story building consisting of a ground floor restaurant L'Atelier, first floor restaurant called La Cuisine and on the top floor Le Salon Bar. Dining at La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon is like eating in the kitchen of an old friend; albeit a friend with impeccable taste. Here, seating is traditional with well-spaced tables allowing patrons to observe their food being prepared in the open-plan kitchen with its wood-fired oven. The emphasis is on uncomplicated food presented beautifully.

Hibiscus by Claude Bosi
Mayfair / Restaurant / Cuisine: French

A stone's throw from Oxford Circus in Mayfair, this two Michelin starred restaurant offers French cuisine with a twist - providing a modern take on classics, often using hints from the Orient. The experimental and novel cooking does not simply try to tick the 'wacky' box. Nowhere else could I have dined on Marsala, strawberry and celery salad before moving onto a dessert of new season asparagus tart with buttermilk sorbet. Hibiscus doesn't follow the status quo, and with delectable results.

St John Bar & Restaurant
City of London / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: Modern British

One of the only Michelin starred restaurants in East London, this smoke house conversion sits round the corner from Smithfield Market. St. John has often been credited as the driving force in a revival of classic British food, under the mantra 'nose to tail eating'. I found the signature dish of roast bone marrow and parsley salad amazing, living up to all the hype, especially when accompanied by their awesome bread. This is the place to go for any meat lover, who isn't afraid to try new things.

Le Gavroche by Michel Roux jr
Mayfair / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: French

Le Gavroche has continued to set the standards of cooking and service by which other places are judged - it was the first UK restaurant to be awarded one, two then three Michelin Stars, and was the first Michelin rated restaurant to offer a set-price lunch. Le Gavroche maintains the very highest of standards. The restaurant can feed sixty people at once, with the largest table seating 10 people, and there is a sense of unremitting concentration and effortless attention to the needs of the clients, who are immediately made to feel at home by the award winning maitre'd, Silvano Giraldin and his team.

Harwood Arms
Chelsea / Bar / Restaurant / Cuisine: Gastro

Awarded its first Michelin star in 2010, this Fulham pub and restaurant has set itself apart from the rest of the 'gastropub' movement. Offering a seasonal British menu, specialising in game and the freshest of fish, the Harwood Arms has earned itself a place in the hearts of many (mine included). Whether dining on snails braised in stout or nibbling on a venison scotched egg from the bar menu, this is great food in a relaxed atmosphere. So much more than a pub, but without the pretension.