Meanwhile back on more familiar ground, Hakkasan remains a

‰ rm favourite among Square Meal readers. After all these years it

still has "a great buzz" and "reliably excellent food", so much so

that many hail it "the best Chinese restaurant in London". As for the

high prices? "Not cheap, but undoubtedly worth

it" is the general consensus, proving that

there's value at all price levels.

And ‰ nally, Corbin © King's The

Wolseley is proving

to be enduringly

popular, not least

for its "exceptional"

breakfast. "It's one of those

restaurants to which I return

three or four times a year", comments one

regular. Another puts it more creatively:

"The Wolseley is rather like Pippa

Middleton's bottom - it's come to

epitomise London and be one

of its biggest attractions".

Marcus Wareing's relaunched

restaurant

MARCUS at The

Berkeley has been well received, with one

devotee capturing the general mood: "unbeatable

cooking and impeccable service". Praise that will

stand the chef in good stead when he dishes it out as a

judge on MasterChef: The Professionals later this year.

Soho's hippest new hangout has to be Israeli fusion

restaurant The Palomar, hot o« the plane from

Jerusalem. "It blew me away", comments one reader,

the "¬ avours were exciting", says another. One early visitor's

prediction of "long queues" is already happening as word spreads.

Russell Norman recently launched his fourth

Polpo restaurant in Notting Hill, and the formula

is still proving to be a winner. "Great-tasting

food at a reasonable price in an unpretentious

easy-come easy-go atmosphere", says one

reviewer who speaks for many.

"Best of the modern Japanese

places in town and an absolute

trendsetter"

London Gourmet, Zuma

"Three courses of

brilliantly executed little mouthfuls

of wonderment"

Nigel S, Lyle's

Spotted

squaremeal.co.uk | 25

David Beckham scoring a table at the busy new Notting

Hill branch of Polpo with daughter Harper

Hollywood couple Sean Penn and Charlize

Theron enjoying the high life at Oblix

Hugh Grant and Jeremy Paxman eating at Fischer's,

though sadly not at the same table

Katy Perry making ‰ reworks at The Wolseley

Noel Gallagher enjoying both cigarettes and alcohol,

along with sushi, on the Sushisamba terrace

Jimmy Carr having a laugh at Zuma

Chiltern Firehouse getting the royal seal of approval

from Prince Andrew and a host of celebrity royalty

Jet-setter Rihanna tucking into Asian food at Novikov

Kelly and Sharon Osbourne enjoying the wild side at Fera

Jennifer Saunders ‰ nding the food at Kurobuta

absolutely fabulous, by the looks of things

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