The London Restaurant Awards have returned after an absence of two years and for the first time, they included an award for the top 10 restaurants outside London. There were some surprises and for the first time in years, no Gordon Ramsey restaurant received an award. For us at TrustedPlaces, there was the added bonus that our members had been to a lot of the winners and you’ve enjoyed them too. We’ve gone there because you’ve recommended them.

The awards were judged by some of the UK’s most well-known critics: Charles Campion (Evening Standard), Giles Coren (The Times), Terry Durack (The Independent), Tracey Macleod (The Independent on Sunday), Fay Maschler (Evening Standard), Matthew Norman (The Guardian) and Jay Rayner (The Observer). But, what did you think?

New restaurant of the year: Le Cafe Anglais

Hugo thought that the “food [was] excellent. Not a huge choice of main courses: which are simple roast (done on a spit apparently) and fish dishes. However, the fun comes with a great selection of tasty hors d’oeuvres, starters and vegetables (yes that’s right yummy vegetables!).”

British restaurant of the year: Great Queen Street

chrisp thought it was great stuff: “Everything smelt incredible, of fresh ingredients and rustic French flavours; every time a waiter rushed past with another serving you could almost see other diner’s nostrils flaring. Calm and sophisticated this restaurant is not, but for sheer exhilarating pleasure and market fresh food at very reasonable prices (the bill came to £38 each, including more than enough wine), you can certainly do no better in this part of town.”

Indian restaurant of the year: Tayyabs

This is one of the TrustedPlaces favourites. 12 reviews with an average of 4.6/5. t0m thought that “This place is pretty unique. Although off the beaten track, they were queuing out the door on a Monday evening. We had made a reservation and, although we were 45 minutes early, were ushered immediately to a table, skipping the queue. Excellent service.”

French restaurant of the year: Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

Freddie5540 thought that Galvin’s bistro is “fantastic value for money! I have had the pleasure of dining in this slick restaurant four times. Each time precise cooking has pleased and excited me. It has a bustling dining room with tables often quite close to each other creating a warm atmosphere.”

Italian restaurant of the year: Theo Randall at the InterContinental

DavidMuir thought that it offered divine cooking in a diabolical location: “Theo Randall and his team cook some of the best Italian food you will ever find… Randall’s cooking is simple and delicious. His lemon tart made from Sicilian lemons will never be forgotten.”

Iberian restaurant of the year : Barrafina

bellaphon thought that “this place has to be one of the highlights for me this year. The food, service and ambience were all pretty much faultless. The catches of the day from the wet fish counter and the Jamon de Jabugo are well worth the expense and repeat visits.”

What about the Top 10 restaurants outside London. You had some opinions on these too. The list included The Waterside Inn, which brodule thought was relaxed first class dining. “Genuinely welcoming service without being over egged and of course a pleasant attractive dining room.”

Over to you! what did you think of the awards? Did you agree? Have a gripe? Leave a comment, let us know. Have you been to one of the winning restaurants and not added your review yet? We’re waiting to read them - add your review!

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