Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

At Basilico expect to find that almost everything is much more imaginative than the average pizzeria, especially that they have that real essential for flavour, the wood fired oven.

Certainly customers seem content with what's on offer, particularly the inventive and unusual toppings, like artichokes, chorizo, capers, roasted peppers, salted anchovies, free range eggs, jalapeno peppers, basil pesto, spinach, kalamata olives, goat's cheese, spring onion, pineapple, fresh green chillies, wild mushrooms and meat balls - quite an impressive list, suggesting that this might indeed be as near to Italy as to make little difference.

However, the menu goes well beyond mere pizzas, with excellent salads, as well as pasta and antipasti. They even have their own special version of tiramisu. So for a taste of the real Italy, Basilico could be the answer.

At Weng Wah House in Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park guests can expect original Chinese dishes that are a blend of the traditional and modern. The restaurant's spacious and relaxed interiors can accommodate up to 60 people at a time. For an evening of good fun, the uniquely designed karaoke on the top floor is just the place.

For lunch or dinner, crispy aromatic duck, deep fried tofu, shredded beef in sweet chilli and carrot, garlic butterfly prawns, slices fillet of beef in Cantonese sauce and egg fried rice with peas are some of Weng Wah's must haves. The choice also extends to dishes such as shark's fin and crab meat soup, chicken with cashewnuts in yellow bean sauce, fillet steak with Chinese liqueur and lamb with ginger and spring onion. The dim sum menu, available only in the evenings, offers scallop dumplings in spinach juice pastry, barbeque pork buns, chicken feet with black bean and chilli, Chilean sea bass roll, prawn, crab meat and baby pak choi wrapped with quail eggs.

Nestling in Flask Walk, a picturesque cobbled street in the well-heeled North London borough of Hampstead, La Cage Imaginaire is a traditional French restaurant that serves fine Mediterranean cuisine in elegant surroundings. Its traditional French brasserie style menu and attentive service make it an excellent choice for a quick business lunch or intimate dinner for two.

Open from 11.30 a.m. all seven days of the week, the menu at La Cage Imaginaire features starters such as risotto with oyster mushrooms and pine nuts, calamari fritti with baby spinach salad and homemade ravioli with spinach, ricotta and sun dried tomatoes. Mains options include Toulouse sausages with split pea purée, gnocchi with butternut squash and camembert and herbed veal chop with creamy mashed potato. For dessert delight in such choices as apple and prune crumble with vanilla ice cream, apricot cheesecake or chocolate pot with crushed amaretti biscuits.

The expertly chosen wine list offers a range of excellent French reds and whites, with familiar names such as Corbieres and Merlot available by the glass as well as the bottle. There are also vintage bottles, including premier cru Puligny-Montrachet or Gevrey-Chambertin burgundy, for the connoisseur's pleasure.

Manna is Primrose Hill's slickest vegetarian restaurant and has been around since the sixties. There the menu takes its inspiration from around the globe to offer a truly delightful menu that is packed with contrasting flavours. Particularly good are the hearty enchiladas that are filled with wonderfully gooey feta cheese and spicy jalapeno peppers served with a homemade salsa. Desserts are also worth sticking around for, so be sure to keep some room in order to savour the whole experience that Manna has to offer.

They won the title of 'Best Vegetarian Restaurant' in the Vegetarian Society Awards 2003 and were nominated in the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards for 2004 in the 'Best Restaurant for Vegetarians' category.

The long, sloppy and pretty much urbane - with respect to traffic - Heath Street is known for its eclectic mix of restaurants that ranges from French to Thai to American styled bistros. And among these is Jin Kichi representing the Japanese cuisine. Split across two floors with ample seating you might be a little surprised to find this place full even after the usual meal hours, yes it indeed is quite popular in the area.

Simple, authentic and classic Japanese food abounds on the menu and includes the likes of boiled fresh green soy beans in pods and steamed fish cake served with wasabi. A good variety of sashimi, sushi and grilled skewers is to hand as are excellent noodle and rice dishes.

Although tradition doesn't call for a close with a dessert, red-bean jelly served with green tea is worth a try.

Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Hampstead, offering a fusion sushi menu with dine in, take away and home delivery. Love Sushi offers a constant stream of surprises to guests in the form of a wide range of promotional offers such as rewards card for loving sushi and eating healthy, and discounts on take away.

The menu features temaki, a large seaweed cone stuffed with rice and variety of fillings served with crunchy pickled ginger and wasabi, futomaki, large rice rolls wrapped in thin sheet of seaweed and an assortment of fillings and urumaki, inside out rolls of rice with fillings and a coating of fish roe or roasted sesame seeds. Start with egg smoked salmon hosomaki with flying fish roe and a dollop of mayo, and tuna sashimi, thin pieces of fresh raw fish, seared fish or seared beef served with daikon hair.