Five of the most iconic dishes in London – Knightsbridge edition

Britain’s most quintessential dish, elevated by one of the country’s best-loved chefs and served in the elegant and storied surrounds of Harrods’ Food Hall. Could there be a more iconic British dish than gourmet fish and chips served in a London landmark? Especially when it’s as delicious as Tom Kerridge’s version, made with a perfectly light and crisp batter, freshly caught and ethically sourced British fish and triple-cooked chips that take three whole days to get to the right level of deliciousness. All served with a choice of curry sauce, tartar sauce and pease pudding – and some caviar too, if you’re in the mood!

When pâtissier Cédric Grolet opened his first outpost outside of France at The Berkeley Hotel in 2022, London’s sweet-toothed gourmands flocked to try his trompe l’oeil fruit pastries and layered flower tarts. But one familiar dish has become his most viral creation: the simple croissant. Grolet’s croissant is the pinnacle of viennoiserie: rich, buttery flakes in never-ending swirls. It is best enjoyed, of course, dipped in a coffee before taking one indulgent bite after another. 

An optical illusion that took the culinary world by storm when it appeared on the menu at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal when it opened in 2011, Meat Fruit has stayed a mainstay of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant ever since. Chef Heston wanted to dig through Britain’s gastronomic archive when developing the menu at Dinner, and Meat Fruit is inspired by a recipe that dates back to the 1300s. The dish has a deliciously deceptive simplicity: chicken liver and foie gras surrounded by mandarin jelly that looks like a small orange on the plate. But its trickery of the eye, delicate softness and irresistible richness have made it one of – not just Knightsbridge’s – but London’s most iconic dishes.

When the first Mr Chow restaurant opened in London on Valentine’s Day 1968, it ushered in a revolution in dining that spread across the world. The Beatles came to dine, as did Frank Sinatra, and restaurateur Michael Chow brought in chefs from Beijing to hand-pull noodles in the restaurant to entertain and delight guests. Today, the crowds might be a bit more savvy about Chinese cuisine but it is a testament to their authenticity and place on the culinary landscape that the same traditional Beijing-style noodles remain one of the most popular and delicious dishes on Mr Chow’s menu. 

Fish and seafood have always been focal points on the menu at Aldo Zilli’s restaurants, and its most exquisite expression can be found in the chef’s signature spaghetti lobster. This dish is the one to order at Lucarelli, on the Fifth Floor of Harvey Nichols, a perfect combination of the freshest, plumpest lobster along with garlic, chilli, parsley and tomato sauce. It’s the perfect plate of pasta: an ode to sophistication, simplicity and the power of fine ingredients from the mind of one of Italy’s greatest chefs.

Jane Fulcher is contributing editor of drinkspiration website The Mixer