London's Skylon

Named after the famous grasshopper - like sculpture that adorned the South bank in the 70s Skylon restaurant at the Royal festival hall, does justice to its famous namesake.
This place is as close to perfection as can be - there is a gorgeous view on the Thames, impeccable service and great opening hours (till 1am). The menu was simple and innovative. The tartare of trout was succulent and refreshing. The venison carpaccio went surprisingly well with beetroot and hazelnut. Poached ox cheeks with aromatic consomme were soft and well seasoned while the coffee and cardamon infused rack of lamb produced bags of flavour! All the food was very tastefully presented, especially the deserts, my panettone with custard heart and kirsch ice cream was as fun to eat as it was to look at. Skylon is not the cheapest place in the world but if you want a guaranteed good time, you should try it.

Seen the Zeen?

I first heard of Zeen on the legendary Masterchef show. The contestants had to do their apprenticeship there. Located on Drummond street amongst numerous Indian restaurants Zeen really proves that there's more to Indian food that Sainsbury's curry. Zeen food looked great on television, but I was not prepared for the design or the space itself - very modern and casual. Perhaps it is not a place for a romantic meal but rather a great business lunch venue or a casual friends' meeting place.
I must say it is definitely the best Indian cuisine I have tried so far in London. We had spicy jumbo prawns , rich lamb pattice, marinated chicken bits and fragrant duck.. just for starters. Everything was perfectly seasoned and had just the right amount of hotness - the kind that makes you weep and be thankful for the bottomless glass of water that the staff helpfully feel up at regular intervals. For mains we went for the Zeen platter and the whole cooked pomfret which is a type of ocean fish with a very unique, particular flavor. It is hard to describe Indian cuisine, I will suffice to say that it was flavoursome and we ate everything! There is a vegetarian menu as well as a meat one. Zeen has definitely lived up to it's reputation.