London: Food Reviews

After spending almost two months (and still ongoing) in London working at a new client, we decided to blog about the food experiences we've had thus far.  Keep an eye out for the accommodation reviews as well.


Being quite consumed with deadlines, a tasty, healthy and hearty meal is always welcomed to end the day.  There's nothing more that peeves us off than poor quality meals served at restaurants, other than poor quality meals charged at exorbitant prices.  The United Kingdom is well known for it's diverse culinary synergy, other than the Royal family, Gordon Ramsey, Heston Blumenthal, to name a few of course.  Being in the United Kingdom thus far has been great, albeit the cold dreary weather at times... the warmth and friendliness of the people we have encountered and the country itself is fantastic.

Before we continue rambling on about the country itself (which we will share in another blog post), let us proceed with our reviews in the meantime, mates :-)

You will note that our reviews are predominantly (at this stage) based on restaurants in Central London.  This is purely due to the fact that our newest assignment is a client based in the London Business area.

Pizza Express - 5 Fenchurch Place, Fenchurch Street 

The name on assumption would suggest 'fast food chain restaurant' however do not be led astray as we were pleasantly surprised with our pizza.  Thin crust, tasty and reasonable.  We were further pleased to note that the calories were made visible to customers which was a great perk for the health conscious individual.

The pizza's are great as a sit in or quick take away close to the Hilton Double Tree hotel, should you wish to try something new other than room service.

Our overall rating is a 4.0 out of 5 for taste, location and value for money.

The Vintry - Abchurch Yard, Off Abchurch Lane

We attended a business pre-Christmas drinks get together with colleagues and were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful atmosphere and good wine.  A great place to have business lunches as the meals are of good quality, both tasty and a good variety on offer.  We especially appreciated that the layout was spacious which made it easy to host a business lunches with clients and colleagues.

Our overall rating is a 4.0 out of 5 for location, atmosphere and service.

Needo Grill -  87 New Road, London

We came to hear of Needo Grill via a colleague during a business trip to London who insisted on it being one of the best Indian grills in and around London.  As there were a few of us from the office who attended the business supper, we were able to order a variety of Needo's dishes mentioned on their menu.  Our meals arrived on time and were absolutely delicious.  We especially enjoyed the slow cooked lamb, sizzling lamb chops and the chicken curry.

Needo's allow  the 'bring your own booze' option where you can purchase beverages at one of the many local mini markets nearby.  We will definately be frequently this restaurant more often during our business trips to London.

Our overall rating is a 5.0 out of 5 for excellent food, attentive staff at incredibly good value.

Leon -  88 Cannon Street, London

Upon passing Leon daily during our business trip, we noticed that they were continually bustling with customers.  As curiosity bit, we decided to pop in for the lunch options.  We tried the vegetarian meal and the chicken meal on offer as well as the ginger and lime beverage.  All were deliciously flavorful with the biggest perk being a healthy prepared meal.  It's really great to see more healthier food options around for the busy businessman than the convenient fast food unhealthy options that one usually see's when on trips in new cities.  We will definitely be frequenting Leon more often in the future.

Our overall rating is a 4.0 out of 5 for healthy food, friendly atmosphere and service.

Cafe Rouge - St Pauls, Unit 5 Condor House

After a rather stressful and busy day at the client, we popped in quite late at Cafe Rouge-St Pauls for supper.  Albeit the time of arrival, the staff were very accommodating and friendly. We had the duck leg which we found tender and tasty whilst colleagues enjoyed the steaks. The wine selection was a good selection and offered variety.

Our overall rating is a 4.0 out of 5 for tasty food, friendly atmosphere and service. 

Anokha Indian Bar and Restaurant - 4 Creechurch Lane

We dined at Anokha on a weekday where we expected it to be quite quiet however it remained busy through the evening.  We tried the paneer, lassi, chicken tandoor and lamb which were all delicately spiced and full of flavor.  Unfortunately the portion sizes were rather small in ratio to the price however well worth it as we could not fault the meal, atmosphere or the excellent service.  We will definitely return on our next business trip.

Our overall rating is a 5.0 out of 5 for excellent food, friendly atmosphere and service.