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Great Scott's is voted coolest place to dine
By Jonathan Prynn, London Lite Last updated at 11:37am on 01.11.07
Stay cool: Scott's was honoured by the Harper's Bazaar & Moet Going Out Guide
Tasty: Dita Von Teese visits Scott's
It was one of London's most fashionable nightspots in the Forties and Fifties.
Now Scott's has reclaimed its crown less than a year after reopening.
The Mayfair venue has topped a list of the capital's coolest restaurants in the Harper's Bazaar & Moet Going Out Guide 2008.
Now owned by Caprice Holdings, which also owns The Ivy and J Sheekey, the restaurant first opened in 1851.
A century later, James Bond author Ian Fleming was a regular, drinking martinis, "shaken, not stirred".
However, Scott's fell out of favour and closed in 2004.
It reopened in December last year after a £5million refurbishment, and the seafood bar now vies with The Ivy as the place to spot famous diners.
Its success seals Mayfair's revival as a London hot spot.
Guide editor Sophie Denning said: "It's where power, glamour and pleasure meet."
Of Scott's, she said: "It looks gorgeous, it exudes confidence, and the simple pleasures of oysters and Dover sole are very London."
Other "cool" restaurants in the guide include The Ivy, The Wolseley in Piccadilly and Locanda Locatelli in Mayfair.
The best places for afternoon tea include Fortnum & Mason and Yauatcha in Soho. For breakfast, top tables include Cecconi's in Mayfair and Clarke's in Notting Hill.
Reader views (2)
I went to Randall and Aubin in Brewer Street, W1F, for a friend's hen party and the food at this seafood restaurant is simply divine. You may have trouble hearing what your fellow diner is saying though as it plays pop music on what seems like full volume but that adds to the colourful atmosphere of the place. I went on a Saturday night and there was a queue to get in, so I guess I am not alone in my high estimation of this restaurant that has bags of character.
- Stella, Wembley
My top tip for a good restaurant in London is Mon Plaisir in Monmouth Street. The service is excellent, the staff are incredibly friendly and the food was superb and brought on time considering we had to eat really quickly to catch a West End show afterwards. It looks amazing on the inside, very authentic and homely.
- Jan, London
