the salt & pepper diaries

Eating out is a treat, especially when with friends and when planned well, is something to really look forward to. Well unfortunately I’ve never really planned very well and usually try and book something at the last minute, relying on luck to get a reservation anywhere half decent.

2008 will be different though. I’ve picked the restaurants that I love or want to get to and have booked up to a year in advance. My 12 for the year are here. Some obvious choices, but these are the places I either really like and find hard to get a table for four when booking late, or simply are places I want to get to for the first time, like Foliage and Wild Honey.

• St. John | 020 7 251 0848
• Tom’s Kitchen | 020 7 349 0202
• Arbutus | 020 7 734 4545
• Wild Honey | 020 7 493 4549
• Magdalen | 020 7 403 1342
• Odette’s | 020 7 586 8569
• Foliage | 020 7 235 2000
• River Café | 020 7 386 4200
• Roka | 020 7 580 6464
• Le Petite Maison | 020 7 495 4774
• Locanda Locatelli | 020 7 935 9088
• Rhodes W1 | 020 7 479 3838

The nice thing about doing this is I’ll quickly forget I’ve done it, so each month will be a surprise. Plus I’ll look good when inviting people out with a class reservation!

Tip: Book using TopTable and get points for free meal.

A plug for an old friend here - Neil Walkington. We bumped into each other a few evenings ago and it turns out he’s just opened what looks like a pretty good new restaurant in Farringdon - St.Germain. I say ‘looks like’, as I’ve not had a chance to get down there yet, but it won’t be long. If it’s anything like the places he’s been involved with in the past, it will be well worth the visit…

Review to be posted shortly.

Apologies for the bastardised Tina Turner line – it just sprung to mind when I was talking to someone about how much fun have a private room when eating out. Forget trying to get the best reservation in London and wait out ages for it to turn up – the smart money is on getting the larger rooms and enjoying a night out with a good gang of mates.

A couple of good spots I’ve been to recently to do this is the room at the back of St.John, this seats about 12 and the upstairs at the Gay Hussar. This room is fantastic – a circular table in a true ye olde world setting. There was a great story that Nikki Six of Motley Crew retells in his book, The Dirt, about how Queen (yes Queen!) took Motley Crew to dinner at the Gay Hussar – it gets more bizaar! After the meal, Roger Taylor leans over and clicks his fingers, signalling to a waiter to bring in a silver server laden with cocaine to go around. We didn’t do the coke – but it goes to show how the private experience can go beyond the ‘public’!

So by chance, Esquire this month must have been having a similar chat and they have published their top five private diners, which I’ve listed here;

• Luciano – seats 20, but an expensive option. London
• Rogano – seats 16. Glasgow
• Berry Brothers & Rudd – seats 60. London
• The Garage – seats 10-12. Cornwall
• Scott’s – seats 30. London

This week July 4-July 1o

• 1 Giardinetto - bargain Mayfair lunch spot
• 2 The Pig’s Ear - Hippy Chelsea Gastropub
• 3 Mudchute Kitchen - East end afternoon tea
• 4 Lost Society - Open air cocktails
• 5 El Vergel - South American snack bar in Borough

Thanks again to the TO team.

For those of you who want to save £2.50 each week, I’ll be posting the Time Out London hot five here every Wednesday. This is more for me, as I bin every mag and this is my to-do list of sorts.

So big thanks to the TO team who compile this each week and I hope you don’t think I’m just pinching your work - you will always be fully credited!

This week June 27-July 3 

• 1 Camino
• 2 Summer
• 3 Rhodes W1
• 4 Canteen
• 5 Nordic Bakery