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London is rightly famed for its multicultural make-up and nowhere is this better celebrated than in capital's food. Time Out and BBC on-line food writer and critic, Sejal Sukhadwala, picks five of its best world restaurants Click to view Top 5 London World Restaurants.
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Best Trendy East European (Baltic) |
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 I know what you’re thinking: "East European" and "trendy" in the same sentence? But isn’t East European fare all cabbages and dumplings? No, no, and thrice no. Located in a converted coachhouse on the corner of The Cut and Blackfriars Road, this stunning restaurant and bar has a modernist look. |
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| The Baltic is owned by Jan Woroniecki who also owns the well-regarded Chez Kristof and Wodka. There’s a handsome entrance with intimate alcoves, pastel-hued banquettes and a beautiful amber wall. |
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 This leads to the small Amber Bar, which overlooks a dining room with dark concrete floors, bright white walls, exposed brickwork, wooden beams, high trussed ceilings, and a vaulted glass roof. The centrepiece is a chandelier made from East European amber that’s the stuff of legend.
So what’s the food like? A mixture of classic and contemporary dishes, mainly from Poland and Russia, but also from Ukraine, Moldavia, Siberia and Scandinavia. |
Blinis and Caviar |
| In the main restaurant, starters include blinis with various toppings, such as caviar, as well as traditional fare like krupnik (bacon and barley soup). Mains range from leczo (spiced beef, sausage and paprika goulash), to roast saddle of wild boar with roast potatoes and cranberries. The rich, indulgent desserts (portions here are generous, so you might not need them) include nalesniki (crepes filled with sweet cheese, almonds, and raisins) and the very popular vodka cherry ice cream with chocolate sauce. |
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 The bar also serves interesting snacks, such as kachapuri - classic Georgian cheese bread served with pickled vegetables. It’s the sort of hearty, wintry fare that your mum would have cooked for you when you were a student - except that when you were a student, you probably wouldn’t have picnicked under a gorgeous amber chandelier. Well, not much anyway. |
The Vodka Collection |
| Students - and, in fact, serious vodka connoisseurs - would be interested in knowing that the bar serves around 35 varieties of vodkas in 50ml shots (£2.50-£2.75). There are several flavoured varieties, including golden aniseed and rowanberry, plus ones infused in-house in flavours like caramel, dill, and spiced orange. |
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| Little wonder Baltic attracts a clued-up media crowd, City workers, and actors from the nearby Old Vic, such as Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow. And if it’s good enough for Gwynnie, it’s good enough for the rest of us. |
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Baltic, 74 Blackfriars Rd, SE1 8HA. Tel: 020 7928 1111. www.balticrestaurant.co.uk.
Southwark Tube. Open daily 6pm-11.15pm. 3-course dinner for two with wine and service: around £80.
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