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I ate so much Turkish Delight, and drank so much apple tea, I can't even think about the amount of sugar I consumed in a week.... Delicious deliciousness.

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First Floor, on Portobello Road in Notting Hill

These are some pictures from my flat-mate's surprise birthday lunch a couple of weeks ago. By coincidence, I had my birthday there last year as well! It's the perfect spot for gathering a group of friends. The food is excellent, and the staff were so lovely - helped make the surprise a real success. And it's amazing value. Thumbs up all around.

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The lovely Otto Lenghi in Notting Hill, on Ledbury Road just north of Westbourne Grove. I'd recommend going early because it's always packed full of people. You can, of course, get delicious treats to take away, but it's nice to sit and chat around the big table in the back room.

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The Valentine's Day windows at Tom's (cafe/deli) on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill. I haven't eaten there yet, but we popped our heads in for a quick look, and I'll definitely be going back. It was so full of people, and everything looked delicious.

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This is too good not to be shared... It's an email I received from a friend, in response to a request for restaurant ideas in Soho for a work lunch. He's very English and super posh, and I'll let him remain anonymous. These are his suggestions:

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Sometimes, when I'm doing my version of Dorian Gray or Mr Hyde, I might find myself at one of these places in the tenderloin of London:

* Randell & Aubin (Brewer St) - fabulously excessive fish place, but you can't book;

* Zilli - Good Italian food next door;

* Quo Vadis - Luxuriant modern British next to my favourite strip club in Dean Street (not far for me to go after lunch);

* L'Escargot - Sophisticated French cuisine in Greek Street (if that's not an oxymoron);

* Kettners - Genteel British dining in Romilly Street;

* Bertorelli - Great Italian, my Dad used to take us in the sixties.

There we are, just a soupcon of places I frequent (double check on google).

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A couple of recent night-spots I've been to...

Home House is a private members club somewhere near Marylebone. I'd been out to the pub, and then to dinner, with a friend and his friends, and afterwards I thought we were headed towards one of their flats... Wasn't until we were inside and saw ceilings like the one in this dodgy iPhoto, and a large staircase, and a cosy library with a bar in it, and a big room with a dance floor, that I realised. We did a tour, and settled in to one of the lounge-rooms for some red wine. On the way out, popped onto the dance floor for a quick boogie. Fun. A little bit rah-rah. And kind-of surreal.

The Bathhouse is a restaurant/bar/club right next to Liverpool Street station, in a funny little historic building. It used to be a Turkish bathhouse (tiled), but the food isn't Turkish, it's English: I had Shepherd's pie. It's wonderfully quirky; it wasn't until after dinner that it really warmed up and the crowd piled in - it turned into a kind of burlesque, feathers and fur party, with a DJ in a bird-cage. The crowd was a mix of gay, straight, city, East-end hipsters... It was cool. Our fabulous hair-dresser took us, and it was a very funny night. When we asked the waiter what a 'Bakewell tart' was, he helpfully told us, giggling, that it's a tart that's been baked well. Haha.

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Recent foodie finds:

* La Poule au Pot - lovely neighbourhood French restaurant in Belgravia. Totally romantic, and very authentic French cooking.

* Casa Brindisa - fun tapas place in South Kensington. It was started at Borough Markets, and they've now got a place at Sth Ken and another in Soho. Nice and cosy, friendly, and delicious.

* CIBO - local Italian place near Holland Park. Excellent food and very friendly. The couple at the next table told us they'd been going there for 10 years.

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Frozen yoghurt with strawberries and chocolate chips at 11 pm from Snog, at South Kensington.
Delicious deliciousness. Crazy fluoro light.

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I had just about the most perfect Saturday this weekend. It started with a perfect facial at Cowshed in Holland Park. Then I wandered down to Holland Park, for a browse in Daunt Books (irresistible) and had coffee and a croissant. Then I met a friend and we went to Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy (more on that later), a stop at Laduree, and a spot of shopping on Regent Street.

Cowshed is divine. It's such a beautiful space, the staff are lovely, and the facial was relaxing and invigorating. They also do coffees, and salads and sandwiches, so it seems like the perfect place to meet a girlfriend for a bit of pampering and a catch up. Also, at the end of my facial, they didn't give me the hard sell - just a list of the products they'd used. Lovely.

Soho Breakfast Club

Good place for breakfast: Soho Breakfast Club, on D'Arblay street (just off Berwick Street)

Sweet Things

The most heavenly macaroons! The flavours are quite surprising; bite into a raspberry one and what you actually get is a subtle and delicate mix of rosewater, raspberry and lycee. Delicious.

Everyone always talks about Laduree, but equally stunning is this place: Pierre Herme. There was a queue around the block at the Saint Germain store, but the colourful little delights were worth the wait.

Simple and Stunning

(image via squaremeal)

This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in London so far. I've been twice now, because the food is stunning and it's just an all-round enjoyable experience. Beautiful, delicate flavours, lovely ambience, charming staff, and a great place for an intimate dinner and a good chat. It's on Blenheim Street, just off Oxford Street near Bond Street, and is Michelin-starred.

The reviews (see the website) are pretty stellar as well.

Ristorante Semplice

Electric

I went to the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill for the first time on the weekend. We had dinner and drinks in the brasserie, and saw the September Issue afterwards. The Electric is fantastic. As my friend said, once you've been there you'll never want to see a movie anywhere else. Booking is essential. It's in a beautiful room, with comfy leather couches, and you can order cheese and wine, nibbles etc. There are also 2-person lounges at the very back of the cinema, for snuggling.

The movie was great too. I think Grace Coddington is fabulous - she's such a natural which is exceptional given that fashion can tend to be a little contrived, and she's a romantic, which shows in her styling (loved the 20s shoot, and shook my head madly when certain images were cut). There were some very amusing moments in the film (Andre Leon Talley, head to toe in Louis Vuitton, playing tennis... hilarious).

Country Cooking

I've been wanting to try this place for ages, and finally went last night for dinner. It's huge! There are four floors, with different styles of dining on each level. We were on the ground floor, six of us around a lovely big wood table. They pride themselves on seasonal cooking, and it was delicious. I had a steak and pepper pie - yum. It's cosy and cool at the same time.

Bumpkin, Notting Hill

Coco Momo

Cafe/bar on Marylebone High Street. They have delicious non-alcoholic cocktails. I had fresh raspberry and strawberry, with lemon juice and soda, and crushed ice. Delicious. My salad was also divine: buffalo mozzarella, with pesto, broadbeans, mint, lettuce and roasted tomatoes.

Coco Momo

Delicieux

So French, so chic.

Delicious (rich!) flavours, lovely atmosphere. Insanely delicious Gascon Mess for dessert.

I love that the menu listed things like "piggy treats," "juicy greens" and "curly leaves." It has a food-store as well.

Comptoir Gascon, on Charterhouse Street next to Smithfields.

Local Sushi

Delicious, un-pretentious, good local sushi.

In Whitecross street, near Old street, East London.

We had the amazing tuna tataki, and something called a dragon roll (inside out) with eel. I was very hesitant about ordering eel, but it was excellent!

Pham Sushi

East London Tapas

This place is cool. I just went for a drink, on a Monday night, but I'll definitely go back to eat. The food at the next table looked great, and it's got a nice vibe. It's near Old Street.

PINCHITOtapas

Luciano with Luciano

Last friday night I went for dinner in Picadilly, at the Marco Pierre White restaurant, Luciano.

I loved it. The dining room is spacious but not impersonal, and there are gorgeous, slightly risque, photographs on the walls. It's all very slick, high-end, and cool.

The food was stunning - I had fish, which was the best I've had since I've been in London. Beautiful flavours, light, fresh, delicious!

Luciano

Crazy Bear

One of the things I love about London is going to places which you would never find on your own. A girlfriend at work has been giving me lots of great tips for little hidden gems. This one, which is in a side-street beside Tottenham Court Road, is quite fun. In the bar, there are booths/nooks padded with red leather which are quite fun to sit in. In the restaurant, you sit side-by-side rather than opposite each other, which I also quite like. It's very dark, and I've never seen such a huge menu, but it was fun. Excellent cocktails. Oh, and the food was good, but a little on the pricey side.

Crazy Bear, Fitzrovia