London Restaurant Festival: A month of food celebrations begins today

This month, London Restaurant Festival (LRF) in partnership with American Express returns for the 11^th year with a line-up of exclusive culinary events and chef-hosted dinners. Top chefs from around the world will descend on the capital to celebrate, cook, create and converse, welcoming 50,000 people into over 400 restaurants throughout the month.

Introducing their One Night Only events, LRF will delve into the breadth of the city’s dining scene, from landmark locations to cultural evenings and transportive menus. On 21^st October, Thai Airways will fly in chef Prin (formerly of Michelin-starred Nahm in Bangkok) for a High Flyers dinner at the top of the Gherkin. Overlooking London’s skyline, Prin will cook alongside acclaimed London Thai restaurants Som Saa and Farang, exploring the intricacies of regional Thai cooking.

Brindisa and Estrella Galicia will host London’s Longest Lunch with an indulgent six-course Spanish feast along the Thames. Starting in Brindisa London Bridge diners will then be whisked down the Thames via Clipper to Battersea Power Station where they’ll enjoy the second half of their lunch at Brindisa Battersea. In addition, there will also be a special night with a celebrated Author at the newly opened Robin Gill restaurant, Darby’s in Embassy Gardens.

Top Ten Cuisines will return with yet another star-studded line-up including Michelin-starred Anne Sophie Pic, Andrew Wong, Richard Corrigan, Moshiko Gamlieli from Jerusalem, Mark Hix, Theo Randall and Nieves Barragán Mohacho.

For this year’s Ultimate Gastronomic Weekends guests can enjoy luxurious stays at some of London’s top hotels including Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, and Andaz London Liverpool Street. Each hotel will play host to a packed weekend of chef-led events and dining experiences – with lunches hosted by Michel Roux Jr and Monica Galetti.

Restaurant-Hopping Tours, an LRF stalwart, will see diners discover some of London’s most exciting food neighbourhoods. From Battersea Power Station to Regent Street and St James in the heart of the capital, and the city’s latest dining and architectural hot spot, Bloomberg Arcade. Guests will enjoy a course at five restaurants within the area with accompanying drinks from the likes of Rémy Martin and Martin Miller’s Gin, Calvet wine and beers from Estrella Galicia. Another mainstay of the festival, the Tasting Menus will see cult favourites Palomar and Barrafina join the table, in addition to newcomers and critic favourite, Kin + Deum, newly opened Wild Honey and Jack Stein in Barnes.

For the very first time, LRF has partnered with OpenTable to revamp their Festival Menus. Bringing the best dining experiences to London, OpenTable and LRF will handpick 250 of London’s top restaurants to offer guests access to the city’s most sought-after dining experiences for the whole of October.

The menus are set around  six themes, including: London Legends, featuring the city’s established stars at restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill Mayfair and Simon Rogan’s Roganic. Amazing Spaces spotlights much-loved restaurants with beautiful surroundings, such as The Cinnamon Club in the Old Westminster Library and the grandeur of Holborn Dining Room. Talk of the Town will offer guests the chance to dine in some of London’s most newsworthy restaurants including Frog by Adam Handling, the legendary Otto’s, and recent opening Farzi. Meanwhile, London with a View will take diners from the heights of Helix at The Gherkin and the Shard’s Ting Restaurant at the Shangri-La, down to the banks of the River Thames at The Waterway.

“We’re thrilled that London Restaurant Festival continues to offer world-renowned dining experiences – it’s a real testament to the fact London is unquestionably one of the world’s leading culinary destinations. We have encapsulated this by distilling the very best of London into one month and our new One Night Only events are really a pinnacle of how inventive London’s restaurant industry has become,” says LRF founder Simon Davis.

In addition to LRF’s sell-out line-up of events there will also be a number of exclusive preview events to celebrate the Open Restaurants Jerusalem festival in November, which showcases the city’s most exciting restaurants with open kitchens, private tours and food talks. LRF will host Tasting Menus at top London restaurants The Palomar and Scully, whilst Lello Favuzzi of Mortimer House will welcome Israeli chef Moshiko Gamlieli for one night only and a five course tasting menu.

The editorial unit