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Wagamama founder at top of food chain
By Katharine Barney, Evening Standard 16.01.08
Top: Hakkasan
Star rated: Billy Zane and Kelly Brook leave Soho's Busaba Eathai
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The former owner of Wagamama has been crowned gastronomic king of London.
Two of Alan Yau's dining rooms - Hakkasan and its sister restaurant Busaba Eathai - rank first and second in a new guide to the best places to eat in the capital.
A third Yau venue, Sake no hana, was also named among the top 20 restaurants by Time Out magazine.
However, the comprehensive list snubs big names such as The Ivy, while Maze was the only one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants to make the top 20. The Wolseley just scraped into the Top 50.
Guy Dimond, Time Out food editor, explained the list was aimed at people wanting excellent food without the need to book months in advance or pay a huge bill at the end of their meal.
So while some stalwarts such as Chez Bruce are included, others have made way for less familiar recommendations such as Sushi Hiro, a small Japanese restaurant in Ealing, and Tobia, an Ethiopian restaurant above a community centre in Finchley.
Other international cuisines represented include Moroccan, Pakistani, Mozambican and Georgian. For those seeking a more traditional English menu, the guide suggests the National Dining Rooms in the National Gallery.
Mr Dimond said The Wolseley was one of several restaurants that had been marked down because of the size of their bills.
"The most common question I get asked after 'Why aren't you fat?' is 'Can you recommend a really good restaurant?', so I've made it easy for people," he said.
"You will notice that The Ivy is missing, although it is a good restaurant if you don't mind waiting months to get a table. Most of us prefer to be a little more spontaneous than that.
"Gordon Ramsay's restaurants also serve good food, but again it takes a long time to get a table and the prices are beyond what most people can afford.
"Alan Yau's restaurants are well priced, although you could spend a lot of money at Hakkasan if you went silly with the cocktails.
"But you will struggle to spend £15 on dim sum at lunchtime and can happily eat for £25 in the evening."
• The full guide will appear in Time Out's food issue out on 22 January.
20 OF THE BEST
Hakkasan
Hanway Place, W1
Chinese bar and restaurant with dim sum.
Busaba Eathai
Store Street, WC1
Canteen-style, specialising in quick Thai food.
Hereford Road
Hereford Road, W2
Serving seasonal and hearty British food.
Barrafina
Frith Street, W1
Spanish tapas cuisine. Can be queues.
Amaya
Motcomb Street, SW1
Indian with focus on tawa or tandoor dishes.
Rasa
Stoke Newington Church Street, N16
Vegetarian south Indian restaurant.
Fish Club
St John's Hill, SW11
Customers choose fish before it is cooked.
St John
St John Street, EC1
Famed for "nose-to-tail" eating ethos.
Zuma
Raphael Street, SW7
Modern Japanese food.
Ottolenghi
Upper Street, N1
Bakery and restaurant with vegetarian focus.
Mandalay
Edgware Road, W2
Blend of Indian, Thai and Chinese.
Hummus Bros
Wardour Street, W1
Mediterranean fast food.
Bentley's Oyster Bar
Swallow Street, W1
Specialising in Irish oysters.
Arbutus
Frith Street, W1
Squid and mackerel burger is a favourite.
The Gun
Coldharbour, E14
Modern European dishes.
Nahm
Halkin Street, SW1
Top-range Thai food.
Hibiscus
Maddox Street, W1
Recently moved from Ludlow to Mayfair with rave reviews.
Sake no hana
St James's Street, SW1
Japanese with a sake-based menu.
Maze
Grosvenor Square, W1
Often considered the pick of the Gordon Ramsay group.
Patogh
Crawford Place, W1
Small café and kebab house.
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Reader views (1)
Having worked at the Bournemouth branch of wagamama last year I can understand that it is a most affordable place to eat, serving fairly healthy food if you avoid the chicken katsu curry. The sauce has a very high sugar and salt content.
The most disapointing thing is the fact that they don't recycle the glass(all of the drinks are served in bottles) and when several staff complained. the management said it was too expensive to get a private contractor to take it away. With over 50 restaurants in the UK and a huge profit margin on each dish sold, is this too much to ask?
- Martyn Rose, Bournemouth Dorset
