The Palomar Restaurant | London

Yes! I managed to get a reservation by trying the waitlist and it worked. Currently this place is bloody popular and I now understand why the waitlist was the only option to get a table asap. Love this place. It’s small and cozy with blue leather boots, dark wooden tables, floors and panelled walls and mosaic details. There is a counter / bar where they do life cooking and the music is turned up. This makes you want to order an Espresso Martini after dinner instead of Fresh Mint Tea. The food they serve is modern day Jerusalem and is out of this world. We basically asked the nice guy serving us if he could recommend some dishes and followed all his advice without regret. Unfortunately we had so much of the delicious polenta that we really had no space left for dessert. Regrettably, because they looked great.  I just love this kitchen with their interesting combination of flavours and spices. My personal favorites were: Kubaneh, fattoush salad, beetroot carpaccio (see below), Polenta Jerusalem Style (with truffle OMG). Wish I could go back every week. 34 Rupert Street, London  | +4420 7439 8777 | Tube: Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square | £££ | Website

Snaps + Rye | London

Again in my hood. BUT my hood is so good that you have to forgive me. This tiny little Danish place has the best Smørrebrød in London and when I am in town I get the one with salmon at least twice a week… It is freakin’ divine. They serve great Latte’s in stylish mugs and the place is also great for a quick lunch by yourself. In the evenings they have a weekly changing menu which is original and fresh. The interior is simple, clean and fresh and perhaps not a place to pick for a romantic night out. I really like all the people that work in this place. They are amazingly kind and interested and thus I am a happy, content, returning customer of Snaps and Rye. 93 Golborne Road, Notting Hill | +4420 8964 3004 | Tube: Ladbroke Grove / Westbourne Park | ££ | Website

Pearl & Groove | London

Pretty cakes, girls and deco is what you get in this lovely little shop in my street! Just opened about a month ago and I am addicted. These cakes are so ridiculously good that I would travel miles and miles to come and get them. On top of this, they are beautifully presented almost like a piece of art. For £47 you can have a pre ordered box of 12 cakes and if you buy a single one they are £3,95. Not cheap but they are worth it! Do check them out please!  341 Portobello Road, London, W10 5SA | Mon – Fri, 9.30am – 6pm, Sat, 10-6pm & Sun, 11-5pm | £££ | Website

Sexy Fish | London

A new trendy Asian seafood restaurant in Mayfair that I checked out last night. Love the name of this restaurant so I made my reservation 1 month ago already to save a spot for a Friday night. The place feels very glamorous and on all the walls are sexy fish to admire made by Damien Hirst, Frank Gehry and Michael Roberts. Apparently the bar holds one of the world’s biggest Japanese whisky collections that I did not try but other cocktails are quite spectacular as well (especially how they are presented!)
My date noted that place has quite a high ‘voetbalvrouwen gehalte‘ which I guess was quite true. Sorry for the none Dutch amongst you. However, if  you have something to celebrate and would like to celebrate in style, I guess this is a great place to go. The crispy duck salad is not as good as the one at Hakkasan but still very good and the Sesame Seed Sea Brass is to die for.  Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square W1J 6BR | Tube: Green Park | Website | open noon to 2am | ££££ | +442037642000

Bodyism | London

I am obsessed! You know, we live in a time where people are conscious about their body and living and eating healthy. Body awareness is just something people are interested in nowadays. At least I am. I am not trying to overdo the whole health thing but I try to use my common sense and like to try places that are focused on being healthy. Bodyism is such a place and does it in a great way thanks to its founder James Duigan (best known for working with Elle Macpherson.. rephrase THE BODY haha).
This little cafe has a few stools and tables for sitting down and a studio in the back where you can probably get one of the best work-outs in London (haven’t tried and tested…) All food in their cafe is organic, gluten-free and they only use refined sugars. The clean and lean coffee is probably the best alternative to normal cappuccino I have ever tasted.. I actually liked it MUCH better then my daily take-away skinny latte from Starbucks. Bit expensive though. The shop/cafe looks gorgeous. Very LA. It’s all plants, healthy food, design lamps, stools, yoga pants and books. I like it! 222 – 224 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2RH | Tube: Notting Hill Gate | £££ | Website

West Thirty Six | London

Golborne Road…. The place to be in 2015 if you ask me! New trendy original places are popping up like daffodils in spring! The roof terrace of this four story bar / restaurant overlooks the railway tracks and for some reason I think this gives an edgy feel to the place being on the dodgy end of Golborne Road. The place looks fantastic. Very stylish cosy interior and a perfect meeting place for a drink with friends or grab some food. I do think the food is too expensive but I would still go back for the whole experience, their amazing cocktails, roof terrace with heaters and stylish decor. Loved the Lobster! They also have spaces available for private dinner parties apparently…36 Golborne Rd, London | +4420 3752 0530 | Tube: Westbourne Park or Ladbroke Grove | Website | £££

North Audley Cantine (N.A.C) London

Completely excited about this relatively new restaurant in Mayfair. Just a few steps away from Roka Mayfair actually (very different food, atmosphere and price range though!) This is a great French Bistro restaurant to go to for lunch during business hours but it looks so good that I think it will probably also be really nice in the evenings or for drinks in the afternoon. The interior style is contemporary and industrial with very cool light fixtures and it looks light and fresh during the day. I Loved their tableware so much that I now have the same tableware at home and I also found their salads original and fresh.
In their basement they have a very cool looking cocktail bar. 41 North Audley Street, London | Tube: Bond Street | +4420 7493 3443 | ££ |Website

Roka Mayfair | London

Oh my what is this restaurant good… Heavenly…The best. I am in love. I had trouble getting a reservation here so I would recommend making a reservation a few weeks before especially if you want to go in the weekend.
I also recommend you try the Premium tasting menu.. Expensive but the best, and it allows you to try things you may not select yourself. I basically could not speak a few times because I was just trying to figure out how to express myself about the divine food that entered my mouth haha…
Okay so; the restaurant is located in Mayfair (there is another Roka in Marlybone – see Guusje’s post), has a contemporary Japanese Robatayaki cuisine (award-winning) and has room for about 80 people in the main dining area, a few high tables with stools for 2 guests and seats around their Robatayaki grill. They also have a few tables outside on the pavement. The grill is in the center of the restaurant and the whole place has a warm contemporary feel to it. I wish I could eat here everyday! 30 North Audley Street, Mayfair, London | +4420 7305 5644 | ££££ | Tube; Marble Arch or Bond Street | Website | Map

Sawyer & Gray

By accident I ended up in this completely amazing little bar in Islington (walking distance from Highbury and Islington station) I had a reservation in Le Coq next door and went to wait for our table to be ready in this charming place. So cute. It is the place you want to take your friends from out of town to, to show them how cute, cool, funky and creative London is as a city! Their kitchen is too small to start a ‘real’ restaurant so they are only open on Fridays and Saturdays for tapas etc. The rest of the week just breakfast and lunch.  290 Saint Paul’s Road, Islington, London | Tube; Highbury & Islington | £££ | Website

The Brown Cow | London

For some reason this amazing pub never made it onto OLBB. Probably because I went here before OLBB was founded and did unfortunately never come back until recently (because there was a lot to check out in between and I do not come in Fulham that often…) So well, just the kind of place that I love. It is an easy place. You’ll have a great ale at the bar while waiting for your brown wooden table with candles. The food is traditional pub food with some real good game dishes (the food is actually fantastic!). The interior is cozy but spacious. They have quite some tables and the pub is also open for brunch! 676 Fulham Road, London | +4420 7384 9559 | Tube; Parsons Green | £££ | Map | Website