Double Room with TV and Garden Hot Tub

Story is a restaurant that continues to evolve rather than merely reinvent itself and its latest chapter saw the addition of a second storey which hosts a handsome private dining room. In the bright, open main restaurant, Tom Sellers’ talented kitchen team serve a surprise set menu, where luxurious ingredients – from langoustines to turbot – make up dishes that are as succulent as they are visually arresting; you can also expect updated versions of his signature constructions. The charming service team ensure the atmosphere is always warm and welcoming.

Launched by the team behind Fallow, this vast restaurant can house up to 500 diners in the heart of Canary Wharf, all while being run with impressive slickness. Guests are spread across several dining rooms, some with counter seating, plus a lovely wrap-around terrace that boasts commanding views of South Dock. The wide-ranging menu offers something for everyone, including playful takes on British classics like maitake Cornish pasty or market fish served with parsley liquor, that's reminiscent of an East End pie and mash.

Amidst the gleaming buildings of Canary Wharf, this Turkish restaurant aims to bring a taste of Istanbul to London. Sitting on the ground floor of a glass-fronted apartment block, it’s a strikingly attractive restaurant with moody lighting, tiled tables and a focal bar counter that makes a great place to sit if you’re in for a quick lunch; if you’re celebrating in a group, then the booths are perfect. Start by ordering the sesame caraway pide and one of the dips, and make sure you finish with the delightfully sweet, chewy baklava topped with pistachio.

In the middle of an ersatz-industrial space sits a horseshoe-shaped counter with 18 seats, allowing diners to see ‘behind’ the scenes. Every seat has a view of the chefs in action and it is they who serve the dishes and explain their construction and make-up with palpable pride. The surprise seasonal menu consists of around 10 contrasting and creative courses. The focus is on seafood and dishes could include brill with black pudding, Orkney scallops with smoked kipper cream, and delicious Sicilian red prawns. As everyone is served together, it’s important to arrive on time.

Go for the house martini as you enjoy an array of snacks like crispy buttermilk chicken and crab dumpling that precede the start of The Clove Club's multi-course set menu. The roll-call of prime British ingredients includes Orkney scallops, Wiltshire trout, Torbay prawns, Herdwick lamb and Middle White pork – all starring in seasonally pertinent dishes where their natural flavours are allowed to shine through. The historic surroundings of Shoreditch Town Hall provide the perfect backdrop, with the open-plan kitchen adding a little more theatre to proceedings.

Ring the bell and you’re welcomed into an operation unlike any other – the name may be old English for ‘kitchen’, but this is very much a restaurant of the moment. You start with a drink and the first course in the bar, then it’s upstairs for a snack in the kitchen before being seated in the intimate dining room with its bespoke crockery and pottery. It’s easy to see why the chef, who is a keen forager, talks so proudly of his ingredients, whether that’s the Shetland cod or the Highland wagyu. He and his team deliver and explain in detail their delicate, balanced and innovative dishes.

There’s a refreshing lack of formality at Trivet, both in the look of the room and in the style of the service, but that’s not to say this isn’t a very professionally run operation. The chefs in the open kitchen craft imaginative, fuss-free dishes using prime seasonal ingredients, where the combinations are balanced and flavours assured. Try dishes like ‘Pigeon and persimmon’ or the imaginatively titled ‘Turkish breakfast’ dessert, and you’ll see a kitchen full of imagination and ability. Wine plays an integral role, with personable service and a thoughtfully curated list championing lesser-kn