A few months ago, my housemate and I started a challenge - a challenge to find the best and most unique spots to eat around London. To make it more fun, we decided to roll through the alphabet from A - Z, taking it in turns to pick a country that begins with each letter. The goal - to find culturally interesting places to dine in London, with great food, service, and entertainment. Here's what we've come up with so far... A - AustriaTiroler Hut (closest tube: Queensway) - visit for a truly Austrian experience. From yodelling, to schnitzel, to schnapps, to cowbells, to apple strudel...this place had it all! Highly recommend! Food: *** Experience: ***** Price: £££ B – Belgium Belgo (closest tube: Covent Garden) - another great find! Moules Frites, schnapps, Belgium beer, and waffles! Food: *** Experience: ** Price: ££ C – China Yauatcha Soho (closest tube: Leicester Square) - yum cha on another level! Being Australian, yum cha is something we take pretty seriously. This place didn't disappoint. If you're craving pork buns, dumplings, and sticky rice, all mixed with amazing cocktails - then make sure you get yourself here! The prices aren't cheap but the quality is worth it. Food: ***** Experience: ** Price: ££££ D - Denmark We definitely cheated and knocked this letter off while we were in Copenhagen...but that still counts, right?! Top foods to try: smørrebrød, herring, and Danish hot dog. Try Union Kitchen for an amazing breakfast, and Fusion Køkken for the cheapest (but most amazing) breakfast in town! E - EritreaAdulis (closest tube: Oval). By far, the most unique experience yet! Must tries are the honey wine, and the mixed sharing platters for two - we got a range of spicy minced meat and lentils, served with a bread called injera. It's hard to describe, but picture a mix of crumpet and lemony crepe, with a sticky texture...interesting! The place itself is worth a visit just for it's decor. Overall a very traditional, unique experience, with excellent service and no cutlery! Food: **** Experience: *** Price: £££ F - FranceLe Sacre Coeur (closest tube: Angel). Come here for the most traditional French food in London. French waiters will serve you and help to make the experience authentic. Must tries are the escargots, boeuf bourguignon, and coq-au-vin. Very reasonably priced. Food: ***** Experience: ** Price: £ G - GermanySearching for the most mouthwatering, satisfyingly awesome currywurst in London? Then look no more! Head straight to Herman Ze German, with 3 handy locations to pick from (Soho, Fitzrovia and Charing Cross). A truly authentic experience that threw me right back to the streets of Berlin. Best parts? Food, great service, beer, Fritz-Kola and ordering your meal with a whiteboard and marker...loved it! Food: **** Experience: * Price: £ H - HungaryThe Rosemary (closest overground: New Cross Gate). Located only about 10 minutes east of London Bridge, this cute restaurant is well worth a visit. Whilst the place was relatively quiet for a Saturday night, the live music made the atmosphere perfect and the authentic Hungarian Riesling went down a treat. Must tries are the beef stew with homemade dumplings (heavy on garlic so make sure you take mints!), and the Hungarian wine. Also, the meatballs came highly recommended by a Hungarian friend, but were unfortunately sold out when we visited! I guess that just means we'll have to go back, doesn't it?! Food: *** Experience: * Price: ££ I - IndiaCraving an authentic Indian curry and want to steer away from the overpriced and more touristy Brick Lane? Why don't you give Masala Zone a try in convenient locations throughout the city. The staff at the Soho restaurant are really helpful, and will happily make recommendations for you. There are plenty of authentic dishes to try, each offering its' own flavour explosion. Be sure to try the Thali - a platter comprising of small dishes including a curry of your choice, rice, dahl, vegetables and papadum. Great atmosphere, delicious food, and friendly staff! Food: ***** Experience: *** Price: ££ J - Japan Quality sushi is one thing I've really missed since moving to London. In Australia, we classify sushi as a fast food - there are takeaway stores on almost every street corner. Cheap, fresh, and healthy - it's basically the perfect choice for lunch. Having tried the chain Japanese restaurants here and not been at all impressed, I was somewhat skeptical about this Japanese dining experience... ...but wow, wow WOW! Tokyo Metro (closest tube: Clapham South), nestled into the leafy streets of the beautiful Clapham South, exceeded all of my expectations. The sushi and sashimi were melt-in-your-mouth fresh, and the ramen (whilst a challenge for any lady to eat gracefully - admit it ladies) was worth the occasional slurp that escaped. An absolute winner - an appealing menu, very reasonably priced and fresh, clean food - a restaurant fit for all you foodies out there. Food: ***** Experience: ** Price: ££ K - KoreaLooking for casual and cheap dining, but with authentic and high quality food? Look no further! With two easy locations around the city (Soho and Charlotte Street), Bibimbap (closest tube: Oxford Circus) is the place to be for traditional Korean food. Make sure you try the dish that is the namesake of the resturant - a hot stone bowl filled with healthy magic (mixed greens, bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, and a fried egg and meat of your choice). We both went for the chicken teryaki bibimbap. Yum! Word of warning, the food is extremely delicious but incredibly hot, so do take your time savouring the flavours as you chow down or be prepared for some seriously burnt tastebuds! Maybe you wouldn't come here for the service or atmopsphere, but you should definitely think about a visit for the food and the very "classy" decorations!! Food: *** Experience: * Price: £ L - LebanonAl Waha (closest tube: Bayswater) is an absolute haven for Lebanese cuisine. Al Waha, which means oasis in Lebanese, certainly lives up to it's namesake. From the cosy decor, to the choice of traditional dishes with high quality meals presented, this place is a small slice of heaven nestled within the leafy streets of West London. Whilst we wanted to try everything off the menu, we had to limit ourselves to a few favourites. Essential to order are the hummous with Lebanese bread (who can resist hummous), and one of the daily lamb specials (Thursday, I beleive), which was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Our other favourite was the bowl of unpeeled, uncut, but delcious looking vegetables that was the centrepeice of our table. Were we meant to eat those? I'm still not sure - but I'll definitely be back to find out (and to tick off the next 75 things I want to try from the menu!) Food: ***** Experience: * Price: £ M - MexicoBecause, when is Mexican NOT a good idea?! I know when you think of Mexican cuisine in this country, you'll most likely think of a chain store (aka Wahaka) or a burrito at 3am from a hole in the wall, but this is not where I'm going with this one. Cantina Laredo is a fine dining restaurant in Covent Garden which offers all the favourite Mexican dishes reworked to exceptionally high standards. We opted for the £30 weekend brunch menu, which consisted of four courses that sent our tastebuds to heaven and back. Whilst we had great difficulty in picking our dishes, the free-flowing Margaritas made this task a little easier. Over the weekend, add an extra £20 to enjoy your culinary experience with two hours of unlimited boozy fun as well. Arriba! Check out the menu here: http://www.cantinalaredo.co.uk/menus#free-flowing-weekend-brunch-menu Here's what we went with: First course: guac with tortilla chips, freshly prepared right at our table Second course: chicken quesadillas and crispy chicken tacos Third course: the most delicious tiger prawn tacos for me, whilst Aiden opted for the pork belly tacos And finally, the real deal - dessert: Churros was a no-brainer for me, whilst Aiden couldn't resist the apple pie with bubbling caramel around the sides Couldn't fault the food if I tried. Food: ***** Experience: * Price: £££ N - NepalGurkhas Diner (closest tube: Balham) is where it's at for high quality Nepalese food at a price that won't break the bank. Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the staff with smiles and warm welcomes. When we arrived around 6:30pm, the restaurant was near empty, but by the time we finished and left, every table was taken and conversations were buzzing. The menu offers an excellent range of dishes, with lamb being a headliner in many dishes. The food was not only delicious, but tasted clean and fresh. We opted for the Tareko Farshi for entrée - deep fried courgette with a mango sauce. Perfect! For mains, we chose a beautifully seasoned, melt in your mouth Sherpa Lamb Chulli - cooked over charcoal and presented still sizzling to our table. We also had the Khasar Chicken Curry, tender chicken pieces cooked in a mild coconut curry. Rice and roti bread were no brainers to accompany our main. I was keen to try a traditional dessert, so opted for the Laddu - a sweet blend of chopped nuts and coconut rolled into a ball dusted with cinnamon. The taste was interesting and reminded me of nougat. However, it was as cold as ice-cream, but not soft to break apart like ice-cream (muscles are required!). All in all, the service was great, the food sent my taste buds to heaven and back, and how can you go wrong with a 3 course meal and bottle of wine for £25 a head. Winner! Food: **** Experience: ** Price: £ OOman is the only country beginning with the letter O in the world. There are currently no Omani restaurants in London, and our budgets couldn't stretch to take us on a getaway to the country itself. P - PeruTucked away within the bustling streets of Soho, Ceviche is one of London's hidden gems. As soon as we entered the narrow little restaurant and closed the door, we felt instantly transported to Lima. Buzzing with atmosphere, every single table was filled. Conversations in Spanish were flowing around us, a telltale sign that we were dining at a local's favourite. Whilst we hadn't booked a table in advance, the staff were accommodating and promised to find us the best seats if we were happy to wait 15 minutes. So, we waited patiently at the bar, sipping our Pisco sours perhaps a little too fast. The restaurant itself is tiny - just a narrow walkway by the bar, and a small room jam-packed with teeny tables. The spaces between each table is minimal, so you'd think intimate conversations would be a no-no. However, the restaurant is filled with a constant buzz of conversations, so your secrets stay safe within its walls. The staff are phenomenal, throwing recommendations for the best dishes at us, and always making sure our pisco sours were topped up. An absolute classic Peruvian dish to try would be something from the ceviche bar. Dishes comprise of raw fish marinated in citrus juice. We opted for the Don Ceviche, which was incredibly flavoursome and the sea bass was melt-in-your-mouth awesome. I'm not usually one to enjoy the texture of raw fish, but this went down so smoothly, I would go back for more! As our lovely waitress recommended her favourite dish, we had no regrets whilst devouring the Anticucho de Corazón- tender beef fillet marinated in a chilli-lime sauce. 10/10! We also ordered the Squid Barbacoa, and the Yucas - a fried, potato-like vegetable called cassava. The dishes are tapas style, so expect small and expect to share! The quality is exceptional - the food was fresh, slightly spicy, beautifully presented, and very tasty. Most of the dishes are gluten free, so that was another winner for me. Overall, I would give Ceviche a 10/10 for excellent service, fresh and unique dishes, and a buzzing atmosphere. As described on their website, they aim to deliver some "chicha" (I love this word!) to everyone who visits - a healthy dose of cheekiness and playfulness. We'll be back for more, Ceviche! Food: ***** Experience: *** Price: £££ Getting there: tube to Piccadilly Circus. The restaurant is about a 5 minute walk from there, located on Firth Street. Top tip: book in advance! R - RussiaYou know you've hit a winner when you're the only English speaking diners in a restaurant. Surrounded by the buzz of Russian conversation, and seated in a room that felt like baba's (aka Grandma's) sitting room, Mari Vanna instantly transported us to the depths of a St. Petersburg winter.
Albeit very expensive, the food itself was traditional, simple, and hearty. We sampled the Pierogi (Russian dumplings) and the beef stroganoff, washed down with a shot of vodka each (cranberry flavoured for me, chili flavoured for Liz). For these two dishes, with a small plate of gherkins, our bill came to a whopping £70. The experience (and price!) was made all the more acceptable by the restaurant's elaborate decor. It's full of purposeful clutter - plates, Babushka dolls, trinkets, and family images. Stunning chandeliers lighting each of the rooms. Make sure you visit the bathroom with your camera to capture the intricate detail of the tiling lining the walls. See the photos below - which don't even really do the place the justice it deserves! All in all, an expensive but authentic experience. Worth a visit - just make sure that it's on pay day! Food: *** Experience: ** Price: £££££ Getting there: closest tube: Knightsbridge Top tip: share meals and don't over-order to cut down on costs
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