London Restaurant Festival 2017: what not to miss

by Great British Chefs 31 July 2017

With exclusive menus, one-off events and a whole host of delicious dishes to eat your way through, this year’s London Restaurant Festival (1–31 October) is set to be the best yet. Take a look at just some of the highlights.

Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

London has firmly secured its position as one of the world’s greatest foodie cities over the past decade or so, with more award-winning restaurants than you can shake a stick at, new Michelin stars being awarded every year and everything from incredible street food to barrier-breaking haute cuisine available across the capital. It’s easy to find a good meal in London at any time of year, but during October – when the London Restaurant Festival takes place – you’ll find more special menus, exclusive foodie events and delicious plates of food on offer than ever before.

Now in its ninth year, the London Restaurant Festival has one aim – to celebrate the city’s extraordinary range of restaurants. From the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy to ever-popular, more casual places, the cuisine on offer covers the entire spectrum of dining out. If you’re looking for great food in the capital this October, check out some of these exclusive dinners, menus and events – they’re sure to be some of this year’s culinary highlights.

Tasting menus with Great British Chefs

As media partner for this year’s festival, we’ve worked closely with some of our most talented chefs to curate four very special evenings throughout October. From the very best in fusion cooking to botanical tasting menus and experimental flavour combinations, these are some of the most exciting events for 2017’s London Restaurant Festival.

Robin Gill

Bermondsey Larder

Flying colours: Adam Simmonds’ The Test Kitchen

by Tom Shingler

Kicking things off is one of London’s most popular upcoming chefs and restaurateurs, Robin Gill. His five-course tasting menu has been specially created to celebrate botanical flavours, perfectly representing his simple approach to British cuisine with a Nordic-inspired twist that made his restaurants The Dairy, The Manor and Paradise Garage so successful. Taking place in the Design Cube in the towering and beautiful Wardian building, it’s set to be a very, very special dinner.

Adam Simmonds is our second chef, inviting diners to his new year-long pop-up The Test Kitchen in Soho to taste his incredible food. The six-course menu is full of innovative flavour combinations, beautiful plates of food and the very best of British produce. Expect an experimental, avant garde dinner that’s full of tasty surprises.

Mind to menu: Peter Gordon’s beef pesto

by Peter Gordon

Chantelle Nicholson

Chef Profile

Chantelle Nicholson is the chef-patron of Tredwells, which she opened with Marcus Wareing, and has quickly become known as one of the best places to eat in the capital. Showcasing the best in seasonal British produce, her four-course menu will prove just how far British food has come in the past decade.

Finally, Peter Gordon will be creating some very special fusion dishes that show off his skill of combining ingredients, flavours and techniques from all over the world to create perfectly balanced, delicious plates of food. The menu will feature ingredients you’d never think of putting together, but under the masterful skill of Peter they sit together beautifully and create taste sensations like nothing else.

For tickets and more information, click here.

Ultimate gastronomic weekends

As well as our own tasting menus, there’s lots more to sink your teeth into during the festival. One that we’re looking particularly forward to is the Ultimate Gastronomic Weekend, which certainly lives up to its name. There’s one with Michel Roux Jr (14–15 October) and one with Atul Kochhar (28–29 October), both of which are set to be unforgettable foodie experiences. Those attending Atul’s weekend will be treated to four glasses of Champagne with three courses across four restaurants (Andaz London, Noble Rot, Yauatcha and Quality Chop House) for lunch on the Saturday and a wine tasting in the evening. On Sunday, kick the day off with breakfast at The Andaz Hotel before heading to Atul’s restaurant Benares for lunch, which will consist of a one-off four-course menu.

For tickets and more information click here.

Restaurant hopping tours

If you just want to spend a day experiencing the best London has to offer, then book yourself onto one of London Restaurant Festival’s restaurant hopping tours. For just £45, you can visit five restaurants in one day and get a little taster of the food they serve. Our top picks are the Broadgate tour, featuring José Pizzaro’s acclaimed tapas bar, and the Devonshire Square tour which stops off at Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Kitchen.

For tickets and more information click here.

Benares

by Sameer Taneja

Vivek Singh

Recipe Collection

Chef hosted events

American Express Cardmembers have got access to some incredible dinners during the festival. Desert Island Dishes sees eleven of London’s top chefs (including Theo Randall, Chris Galvin, Mark Hix, Phil Howard and Francesco Mazzei) cook up a four-course meal for £79. Certainly not to be missed.

For tickets and more information click here.

Finally, those looking to get a bit more hands-on during London Restaurant Festival have the chance to learn from the very best. Steve Groves, the head chef at Roux at Parliament Square, is hosting three cookery classes which see you recreate a three-course seasonal menu under his expert guidance, followed by dinner at the restaurant.

For tickets and more information click here.

Festival menus

It’s not just one-off events that make London Restaurant Festival great. The main attractions are the special festival menus being served at over 250 restaurants across the city every day in October. With something for every palate and budget, you can splurge at one of the many Michelin-starred establishments in the capital or just try something new at the fantastic neighbourhood restaurants that form the backbone of London’s food scene.

The full list will be revealed in September, but last year saw the likes of Hawksmoor, Roast, M Victoria Street and Ametsa with Arzak Instruction getting on board.