Black Salt in East Sheen is the younger sister of Dastaan and generally cooks the recipes of the mothership. There was a superb new dish tonight in the form of stone bass tikka, while classic dishes like the pepper prawns and kale bhajias were as good as ever. The Ritz is a restaurant that I am constantly drawn back to. It really is the complete package, with its grand 1906 dining room, superb classical cooking based on high-quality ingredients, and slick service to match. A new dish of crab is pictured, and tasted as good as it looks. There is no better restaurant in London ..read more

[[image2]] San Sebastian (Donostia to the locals) is a charming coastal city in the heart of the Basque country. It is 102km (63 miles) from Bilbao airport if you want to fly in, an hour or so by car using the motorway linking Bilbao and San Sebastian. From the UK you can fly directly to Bilbao from Heathrow via Iberian Airlines (there is no direct British Airways flight), or from Stansted using Easyjet. San Sebastian is blessed with a glorious natural setting, with a crescent shaped harbour, a pier separating two extensive sandy beaches, framed by spectacular cliffs at either end. The archite ..read more

Hannah (pictured) is a kaiseki restaurant, a rarity in London, located on the South Bank. This is an odd spot for a serious restaurant, but the food is plenty serious. This was the best kaiseki-style food that I have eaten in London, and compares well with many such meals that I have eaten in Japan. There is a fine sake list to go with the food. Josephine Bouchon is a London take on the bouchons of Lyon, and it does a very fine job of it. Hearty dishes like sweetbreads with morels and salad Lyonnaise are the order of the day here. The food is excellent, the only drawbacks being the tiny tables ..read more

64 Goodge Street is related to the Quality Chop House, and serves bistro-style food with excellent gougeres and a hearty main course of rabbit that I enjoyed. Crepes Suzette was an example of the kind of dessert on offer.  Service was very switched on and the wine list had slightly lower than usual markups. Toba is an Indonesian restaurant from a chef who used to run a food stall in Camden Market. I would highly recommend the beef rendang, which was very good indeed. Other dishes such as the chicken satay were not in that league though they were perfectly pleasant. The restaurant was very ..read more

  At present there are 109 three Michelin star restaurants in the world, and I have now been to 102 of these with my visit this week to La Vie (pictured) in Osnabruck. La Vie cooks elaborate modern food, though the various techniques and tools chefs use these days are very much in the background, so there is no sense of molecular gastronomy in the dining room. Unlike some modern chefs Thomas Bühner is obsessive about ingredients, and has established a kitchen garden near the restaurant that can supply most of the vegetables and flowers used in the kitchen. Another nice bonus in a three st ..read more

Taillevent in Paris is one of the icons of French cuisine, running since 1946. After once having three Michelin stars, it had a relatively rough culinary patch for a time but has now been restored to two Michelin star status with a new chef. The meal we had was excellent, reflecting the quite classical style of food that characterises the restaurant. A scallop souffle was particularly impressive, as was a fine turbot dish and a whole black truffle baked in pastry.  Bebe Bob is a restaurant in the Bob Bob Ricard stable, serving only roast chicken as a main course. The starters and desserts ..read more

Cho Asia is a Putney restaurant serving food with a mix of Thai, Chinese and Indian influences. The head chef is Indian and has a serious pedigree, and to be honest it seemed very odd for him to be knocking out Thai green curry and Chinese noodles when he is capable of producing superb Indian food, as he did at his previous billeting. Jin Da Thai is a Hammersmith Thai eatery that serves authentic and good value Thai food with service that ranges from chaotic (on my last visit) to marginally grumpy (this visit). It is a simple local place and the dishes that we tried were very pleasant. We also ..read more

Over the last few days I travelled from the west of Ireland to the east, keen to see some of the pretty Irish countryside. There are certainly some lovely spots, through the weather during the trip gave ample evidence as to why the countryside is so lush and verdant. We began at Ballynahinch, which nestles near the west coast in a lovely riverside setting (pictured). The natural setting is gorgeous, and quite a way from the nearest town. The hotel itself was pleasant if a little in need of renovation in places, but the restaurant did not match the setting. There were some good local ingredient ..read more

  Sessions Arts Club (pictured) is set in a historic former courthouse in Clerkenwell and has a striking dining room with very high ceilings, lots of natural light and a rotating art exhibition. It also has a new chef as of a few weeks ago and delivered an enjoyable meal of sharing plates at a recent lunch. A silky truffle risotto was the highlight of the food, but the room is arguably the star.  North Sea is a long-established fish restaurant between Euston and Russell Square. There is a wider menu on offer than a regular chippie, but I enjoyed the classic haddock and chip ..read more

Casse Croute is a very Gallic affair, a Bermondsey restaurant serving rustic French food with an all-French wine list. Savoury dishes were hearty and well made, though desserts were a bit of a let-down at this meal. Service was entertainingly French in a gruff kind of way. Chishuru serves West African cuisine, and delivered a very enjoyable meal with interesting dishes and a touch of spice. The restaurant recently won a Michelin star, and along with Ikoyi and Akoko has raised the profile of this cuisine in the capital, at least to those who crave Michelin recognition ..read more