Tasting menus are sort of like a marathon, only your mouth (and, then, your digestive system) does most of the work. A procession of plates steadily slide on to your table, each one a morsel of flavor. If you want to experience a delightful tasting menu, London has a plethora of options.
Not everyone loves a prix-fixe restaurant where you don’t get much choice, but tasting menus can be a fun way to spend an evening. The only decision you have to make is which chair you want to sit on. After that, you can sit back and let everyone take care of you.
London is one of the great cities in the world for fine dining. And, if you’re looking for an extravagant evening that involves a tasting menu, you’ve come to the right place. We have selected the eight best tasting menu restaurants in London.
London is a huge city, so make sure to check where to stay in London depending on the plans you have and, why not, the restaurants you choose for your itinerary.
A. Wong
The “A. Wong” in question is chef Andrew Wong, who runs this Michelin two-star spot near Victoria Station. The restaurant does an admirable job serving up toothsome Chinese fare in a fine dining setting.
Specifically, Wong is fascinated with Chinese border areas. There are 14 international borders in China, and he tries to give diners a taste of all of them during a three-hour multi-course dinner.
At A. Wong, you’re destined to get a unique taste of China.
The Clove Club
Isaac McHale is the top toque at this perpetually hot Shoreditch restaurant. The Clove Club spins the globe, serving up a six – and eight – course tasting menu (plus one just for vegetarians) that references several points across the globe.
The menus at this Michelin two-star spot change with the season but expected dishes like crispy pork jowl paired with cox’s apple “in stages of decay,” and raw scallops with hazelnut, clementine and black truffles, are recurring.
Core by Clare Smyth
Located in twee Notting Hill, Core by Clare Smyth is a fine dining establishment that emphasizes sustainable cooking and eating, often serving the whole animal and fish in some form or another.
Clare Smyth is the only female chef in Great Britain to have three Michelin stars. Core offers two different tasting menus – a compendium of classic Clare Smyth dishes, and a seasonal menu – along with a la carte options.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Super chef Heston Blumenthal is on the top of his game at Michelin two-star Dinner. In addition to a la carte options, diners can opt for the five-course tasting menu that includes exquisite dishes.
In Dinner, you can try dishes like hay-smoked salmon, octopus in a smoked-sea broth, and/or something called “meat fruit.”
Blumenthal sometimes reaches back centuries into English culinary history for inspiration, so you never know what you’re going to get here. It’s definitely a tasting menu London can be felt in.
Ikoyi
Serving up elevated fare inspired by sub-Saharan West African cuisines, Ikoyi offers a unique dining experience in London.
The chef, Jeremy Chan, uses techniques learned from his time working with legendary chefs René Redzepi, and Heston Blumenthal, to creatively concoct West African dishes on a haute level.
The tasting menu is a blind one, meaning you’re not going to know what you’re getting until the plate is slid in front of you.
Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay
In the year 1890, Georges Auguste Escoffier worked at the Savoy Hotel. He even created the peach Melba, when opera singer Nellie Melba was staying at the hotel.
In honor to Escoffier, Chef Gordon Ramsay has created Restaurant 1890 in the Savoy. At this intimate 26-seat fine dining spot, you can indulge in a nine-course tasting menu of French classics.
Sollip
Bomee Ki and Woongchul Park are the brains and talent behind Sollip, the Korean word for “pine needles.”
The Southwark restaurant balances Korean and European flavor profiles, fusing a mix between the two. Expect dishes like pork caponata, a daikon tarte tatin, and barbecued wagyu with Jerusalem artichoke. Lunch is a four-course menu and dinner is a six-course menu.
Trishna
London is certainly not short on Indian eateries. When it comes to Indian fine dining, point yourself to Trishna without any doubt. This Marylebone spot focuses on the cuisine of western India, particularly Goa, Kerala, and Karnataka.
The Michelin-starred restaurant has three tasting menus: one for vegans, one for vegetarians, and its five-course Taste of Trishna menu, which is heavy on the seafood.
Afterwards, why don’t you check some places in London that are off the beaten path, including the largest Hindu temple outside of India.
