Omar Shah has quietly built one of the most interesting restaurant empires on a single stretch of road in London, and Belly is his boldest chapter yet. Anchor your order around the Tempura Cod Pandesal and the Scallops Bicol Express, which arrive swimming in coconut cream. Make sure to wash it down with the smoky Tita's Spiked Atchara. The Michelin inspectors have already taken notice. The locals, as ever, got there first.
Hidden in the ground floor of an art deco block of flats in St John's Wood, Oslo Court is one of London's most joyfully eccentric dining institutions. Serving generous French classics in a room of pink tablecloths, silver service and old world charm that hasn't changed since 1982. Order the Crepes Suzette for dessert and watch as the waiter flambés them at your table, a theatrical flourish that sums up everything wonderful about this gloriously unapologetic place.
