Christmas dinner – for many it’s the most anticipated and self-indulgent meal of the year and making it as delicious as possible is essential.
But let’s face it, it’s hard work to do properly, and wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else do the hard work for you?
We have shortlisted the top seven London restaurants where you can enjoy a sumptuous Christmas Day feast on 25 December, whether you favour the traditional or something a bit different.
So make your decision and book early for a guaranteed stress-free Christmas Day, when all you need to think about is who will be your plus-one and what fabulous outfit you will be wearing.
Elena’s L’Etoile, 30 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NG
Make like a celebrity with a visit to this buzzy French restaurant situated in the heart of Soho. While you soak up the Bohemian glamour, get started on home-cured beetroot gravlax before a main of fillet of beef Wellington served with roasted new potatoes, vegetable bundle and red wine. Then satisfy your chocolate cravings with the Valrhona chocolate ganache, dulce de leche, hazelnut cookie and hazlenut foam.
Kanaloa, 18 Lime Office Court, Hill House, Shoe Lane, London EC4A 3BQ
If endless festive buffets in the run-up to Christmas have left your taste buds hankering after something a bit more unusual then this stylish Tropical-Island-themed restaurant and bar near Chancery Lane will provide the kick you desire.
They are experts in the cocktail master class, so let flamboyant staff indulge you with a three-course meal or pick from a lavish buffet selection.
Start with seared fillet of beef sashimi with pea shoots followed by sesame and chili noodles with shitake mushrooms before feasting your senses with the avocado, palm heart and lime soft taco with coriander and edible flowers. And if you are craving just one tiny taste of tradition you can round off with traditional Christmas pudding and brandy sauce. Eclectic and delicious.
www.kanaloaclub.com
The Curtains Up, 28a Comeragh Road, W14 9HR
If simple yet superb food served up in striking upmarket gastro pub surroundings gets your senses stirring then book a table at The Curtains Up in Barons Court. Incorporating The Barons Court Theatre within its premises, the venue enjoys fantastic reviews for its food and atmosphere.
Begin your meal with confit duck and foie gras terrine with puy lentil vinaigrette and grape chutney, before sampling balloutine of local free-range turkey with all the trimmings. Vegetarians might opt for the tempting pithivier artichoke and goats cheese with winter truffle dressing. The wonderfully festive sounding warm rice pudding with mulled winter fruits finishes things off nicely.
www.geronimo-inns.co.uk/thecurtainsup
Tayyabs, 83 – 89 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1JE
We raved about this one in our Brits will spend £1.2bn online on Christmas Day, as more people shop online than watch the Queen and we believe it’s so good that it deserves another mention this year. Fantastically modest prices belie the cooking skill and expertise evident in every dish.
Try sizzling off-the-grill lamb chops to start before enjoying Tayyabs speciality slow cooked Karahi fish marinated and infused with coriander, garlic, ginger and masala. Save room for pista pista kulfi ice-cream with malai pista and mango flavours. Wash it all down with the plonk of your choice – this restaurant allows you to bring your own wine.
The Dorchester, Park Lane, London W1K
What better time to pull out all the stops than Christmas Day, and what better way to do it than with lunch at the triple Michelin star and 3 AA Rosette awarded Alain Ducasserestaurant at The Dorchester? Seriously indulgent dishes include Dorset crab and simmered foie gras in duck consommé with chestnut pasta and black truffle.
The seriously impressive surroundings designed by Patrick Juin will keep you feeling very special as you round off your indulgent menu with traditional Yule log.
www.alainducasse-dorchester.com
The Blueprint Café, 1st Floor, Design Museum, 28 Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD
If you’re looking for perfectly-cooked ingredients for your Christmas lunch in a hot South London venue then look no further than the stunning Blueprint Café housed high above the Design Museum on Shad Thames.
Feast on seasonal produce including braised oxtail ravioli while taking in the floor to ceiling windows, which offer an unbeatable panoramic view of the city over Tower Bridge. Your four course lunch is completed with a wedge of stilton.
Gilgamesh Restaurant Bar & Lounge, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH
Critically-acclaimed food served in cool urban Islington is what’s on offer at the famous pan-Asian Gilgamesh Restaurant in Camden’s stables market. The glamorous restaurant-come-bar-come-nightclub is offering a set menu on Christmas Day.
Sample the crispy squid with adjud sauce to start followed by the hoba Chilean seabass. Continue your people-watching with the cooling green tea brulee with sorbet.
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