Best Fine Dining in Queen's Park

"With its zany prints and neon signs, The Parlour at Sketch feels more appropriate for cocktails than it does brunch, but its menu of breakfast dishes, served until 11am, suggests otherwise. The focus here is on eggs, and you can have yours in six different ways, including scrambled and served with feta cheese and sourdough bread, poached with streaky bacon and Hollandaise sauce or tempura with avocado, asparagus and ‘Sketchup’. There is also a selection of pastries and sweeter dishes, such as waffles, acai bowls and fruit salads."

"Occupying what used to be the headquarters of Christian Dior, Sketch is chic, glamorous and trendy. In the Michelin Guide 2020, it was elevated to the maximum three stars, putting it in an elite group alongside Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. The Lecture Room & Library, at the top of the Grade II listed building, offers haute-cuisine by the extraordinary chef Pierre Gagnaire in a plush setting of studded ivory leather walls, ornate plasterwork ceilings, and rich furnishings in purple and crimson."

"If you've never heard of Sketch, you've never opened Instagram, and if you've never opened Instagram... let us explain Sketch. One of the prettiest places to eat and drink in London, Sketch is an enviable plot that promises everything from afternoon tea flanked by pink velvet interiors, gastro cuisine in a woodland setting, and those (yes, those) egg-shaped toilets."

"It's part of London's vast culinary mythology, and it feels a bit like stepping back in time to Covent Garden's theatrical heyday. J Sheekey offers a cornucopia of the city's freshest seafood in a darkly lit, brass embellished ambience which is perfect for highbrow romancing or laid back business dealings. Start with scallops in a halfshell with garlic and chilli for £17.50, and move on to a grilled Dover sole with bearnaise for £39.50."

"One of London's properly iconic restaurants, Sheeky's have been serving up seafood to Londoners for over 100 years. The setting, tucked in an unassuming passageway linking Charing Cross Road to St Martin's Lane, means it's always been popular with London's theatre folk, popping in here post-performance as well as other A-listers. Here's where you'll find local thespians enjoying the restaurant's classic fish pie and oyster platters."

"If it’s enduring love you’re looking for, J Sheekey’s passion for prime seafood has burned for more than 100 years. The West End restaurant has hosted many a star of nearby stages over the last century, and images of some of those famous faces line the walls. The Champagne bar makes a glamorous spot for two to linger, accompanied by shellfish aplenty and J Sheekey’s famous selection of oysters."

"Heston Blumenthal’s wickedly inventive cooking won over the critics yet again, earning him a second Michelin star rating in 2019. Dining at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will cost well over £100 excluding drinks, but you can opt for a three-course lunch for £45 during the week. Address: 66 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA, United Kingdom"

"With two Michelin stars, sumptuously presented Dinner is a gastronomic tour de force, taking diners on a journey through British culinary history (with inventive modern inflections). Dishes carry historical dates... Sri Lankan in The West End"

"Spin-offs of the original Covent Garden Ivy restaurant seem to be popping up everywhere these days, but the Chelsea branch is one of the earliest – and definitely the prettiest. Head through the flower-bedecked Edwardian façade to find an elegant dining room, which opens onto a glorious garden, complete with its own orangery. The menu offers an extensive selection of brasserie-style dishes, with everything from jackfruit salad to monkfish curry up for grabs."

"Today I’d suggest exploring the London borough of Kensington & Chelsea, with a particular focus on South Kensington. This affluent area of the city is full of museums, galleries, stores, and world-class entertainment venues. Everything on the main itinerary is within walking distance (or a short public transit ride if you prefer)."

"Next on our list of the best desserts in London, it’s The Ivy. Are you looking for decadence?. Then you need to visit The Ivy Chelsea Garden."

"It may be a lesser known spot, but Chinese restaurant Min Jiang – perched on the tenth floor of the Royal Garden Hotel – boasts one of the best views in London. A hidden gem overlooking the picturesque Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang is renowned for its impeccable service, as well as its picture-perfect vista. Go for the house duck: a whole Beijing duck served two ways, the first with homemade pancakes, and the second a dish of your choice – fried rice, with diced or minced duck and a lettuce wrap."

"High up on the 14th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang has one of the best restaurant views in central London. Tables at dusk are the plum booking, to watch the sun set over plates of wood-fired Beijing duck served every which way. Dim sum is the ideal way in, made by a chef who’s been practicing the art for half century."

"Restaurants British Fitzrovia. Surely the grandest and most glamorous of Jason Atherton’s Midas-touch restaurants, this place is a real humdinger and a shoo-in for seduction. The huge lobby bar looks fabulous, but the vast baroque-style dining room, with its ornate plasterwork ceiling and portrait-lined walls, is even more alluring."

"A vast and eclectic assortment of paintings united by gilt frames blanket every inch of wall space around Berners Tavern, perhaps competing for diners' attention with the beautiful..."

"The pandemic has postponed the ‘launch proper’ of new West Dulwich modern Indian restaurant Heritage, but the team behind it are raring to go. So much so that, in this interim period, they’ve launched a takeaway service featuring a range of set dining sharing boxes (£38 – £42 for two). The restaurant comes from executive chef Dayashankar Sharma, who honed his skills in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, Tamarind and Zaika among them."

"Coming from an ex-Tamarind chef, Heritage aims to cook "nostalgic family-taught dishes and unusual foods from lesser-known Indian regions and communities"."

"It's not just the fact that the hot dogs here are paired with an extensive selection of champagnes that makes them fancy (although, clearly, it helps) – it's the array of toppings that really get people swooning. Choose from the likes of the Mac Daddy –slathered with macaroni and cheese – or the BLT, a pimped-out version of the classic with truffle mayo."

"Conveniently located behind the Bubbledogs, the Kitchen Table prepares a new menu every single day. The tasting menu will cost you £125 and dishes change according to the seasons. With seats for only 19, you are in for a fine dining experience for sure."

"Hot dogs are an all-American classic and a junk food favourite. Bubbledogs fuse champagne and sausages to form a sizeable menu. The meat in each dog can be customised — be it pork, beef or a veggie substitute — and there are 11 types to choose from."

"The Centre for Wildlife Gardening in Peckham, south London is an idyllic wildlife haven tucked away in a quiet residential street. There are lots of habitats including four ponds, a chalk bank, wildflower meadow, woodland copse, herb garden and a mini beast hotel. Visit throughout the year for regular family friendly events such as Nature Tots, arts and crafts and storytelling – check out the website for more info."