We heartily encourage you to eat pancakes any day of the year, but tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, which means they are pretty much essential. As this list of restaurants demonstrates, the humble pancake comes in many different guises. Will it be American hotcakes with blueberries, or the timeless French crêpe with lemon and sugar? If you’re struggling to choose, we’ve picked out some of the most mouthwatering menu choices.

My Old Dutch

The original pancake house has branches in Kensington, Holborn and Chelsea and has been serving large flat Dutch pancakes known as pannekoeken since the 50s. The culinary influences extend far beyond the borders of Holland, with Italian, Greek and Chinese-inspired savoury pancakes – look out for the chicken curry one too. The sweet pancakes are more traditional, with tempting combinations including chocolate, syrup, lemon and berries.
Star pancake: It has to be the eponymous My Old Dutch: a favourite from Holland with smoked bacon, chicken, ham, sweet pepper, mushrooms, sweetcorn and cheese.

The Breakfast Club

While this trio of cafés do serve lunch and dinner, go there for the breakfast and brunches. The atmosphere is cosy, as the murmurs of half-asleep punters mix with clattering plates. Pancakes are of the American variety (smaller and fatter than French crêpes or Dutch pannekoeken) and come with cooked breakfasts or with maple syrup, or berries and ice cream for a sweet treat. Breakfast Clubs can be found in Hoxton, Angel, Soho or Spitalfield. Arrive early as they are very popular at weekends.
Star pancake: Pancakes and Bacon with maple syrup – an unrivalled combination of sweet and salty.

Crème de la Crêpe

Silly names and inventive combinations abound at this cool crêperie, which started off with a stall in Borough Market before graduating to its first shop in Covent Garden. Indulgent creations on the menu include the Billy Goat’s Gruff (goat’s cheese, caramelised onion marmalade, sweet cherrybell peppers and rocket) and the Cheap Date (Mars bar with Baileys). It now has a second outlet in South Kensington too.
Star pancake: The adventurous Gone Fishin’, with hot smoked salmon, spring onions, lemon juice, black pepper mayonnaise and rocket.

The Kensington Crêperie

This is where French locals head when they need a crêpe fix. Stalwart sweet options like lemon and sugar are perfect for snacks and puddings, and The Kensington Crêperie also serves a brilliant range of galettes – French pancakes made with buckwheat flour and a savoury filling.
Star pancake: The effortlessly French Tartiflette Galette, a buckwheat pancake filled with the classic French dish of bacon, potatoes, oozing Raclette cheese, cream, onion and white wine.

More information about Pancake Day in London

February is approaching fast, and for those of you in a couple and looking to impress, so is the decision of what to do for Valentine’s Day. It can be a great excuse to do something special that you’ll remember – forget roses and cheesy piano music, why not go to a venue that is memorable (even if your companion isn’t)?

Sarastro
Opulent Sarastro packs the romance and gusto of opera into its gold and red interior, crammed with curious objects. Dine below ten opera boxes in differing styles, along with brash, erotic artwork and regular singing performances. Situated on Drury Lane in the heart of theatre land, Sarastro is a popular pre-theatre dining spot. The food has a Mediterranean theme and there’s a three-course Valentine’s menu for £35 a head.

Evans and Peel
Dates should be fun, and the entrance to cocktail bar Evans and Peel demands a level of imagination. It is set up like a detective agency, and guests must state their ‘case’ before being allowed to enter. If successful, you’ll be directed into a 1920s speakeasy bar, with old fashioned cocktails (watch out, they’re strong) and American diner food like mac ‘n’ cheese.

Dans le Noir?
Tucked away in an unassuming Clerkenwell location, this French-inspired restaurant has a unique setup. You eat in pitch blackness, guided by blind waiters. Talking to a companion without being able to see them is a strange and liberating experience, and you also don’t know what you’ve eaten until after the meal. Before you enter Dans le Noir’s darkness, you select for the vegetarian, meat, fish or ‘surprise’ menu. The later will appeal to the adventurous – it included zebra and shark when I visited.

Garlic and Shots
The name says it all – Garlic and Shots in Soho is dedicated to the white pungent bulb, as well as over 100 vodka shots. If your date likes garlic (it’s supposed to be an aphrodisiac) this should be a winner. All the dishes, and bizarrely some of the drinks, contain garlic, and the décor is an eclectic mixture of American bar with influences from the restaurant’s Swedish founders.

Inamo
Oriental fusion restaurant Inamo has two branches in London and some very tasty food, but that’s not why visitors come. The main draw is its e-table ordering system, which lets you scroll through images of food and view them on your plate before ordering from your table. You can also play games like battleships, switch between virtual tablecloths and watch the chefs working in real time with the ‘Chefcam’ function. A Valentine’s menu of four courses costs £35 per person.

Circus
A theatrical evening is guaranteed at Circus, the bar which doubles as a cabaret venue. It’s worth arriving early before a meal and staying late, to catch as many of the daring entertainment acts as you can – they range from acrobats to fire-breathers and dancers, and sometimes perform on the table in front of you. The cuisine is pan Asian and there’s a special Valentine’s offer for £70 per person.

Discover more unusual restaurants in London with our guide to the capital’s quirky restaurants.

Thanks to the influx of Vietnamese migrants towards the end of the Vietnam war in the 1970s, London’s Vietnamese dining is as good as it gets.

A classic bowl of Vietnamese noodle-soup (Pho) is the place to start.  This flavoursome rice-noodle broth is the staple diet for most of the nation. Filled with the fresh aromas of ginger, lemongrass and spice, it’s served with a side plate of garnishes and you add in fresh herbs, bean sprouts and chilli to your liking.

It certainly beats a chicken tikka masala or fish and chips, (both contenders for Britain’s national dish), in my opinion.

To sample great Vietnamese food in London, begin in Shoreditch on Kingsland Road, where you can take your pick from numerous, inexpensive eateries.

Favourites include Song Que (make sure you try their spicy soft shell crab), and Old Street’s trendy Cay Tre around the corner for fabulous grilled fish and peanut-based broths.

Neighbourhood local Namo in Bethnal Green village, offers a lovely environment and top quality food and there’s now a second outlet Hop Namo in Shoreditch’s shipping-container shopping mall – Box Park.

If you’re after a Vietnamese feed in the West End, a second Cay Tre has now opened on Dean Street in Soho and it’s equally as popular as the original so make sure you pre-book. Due to being in the centre of town, prices are slightly higher but the food is just as good and they offer a menu of classic dishes and regional Vietnamese specialities.

For more central Vietnamese dining, look out for the Pho chain with outlets on Great Titchfield Street, Clerkenwell and Soho. No guesses what’s on the menu here!

If you want to sample more upmarket Vietnamese dining, take a trip to Bam Bou, by Charlotte Street. Housed in a beautiful wooden-floored townhouse, the three-floored restaurant offers upmarket Chinese, Thai and French Vietnamese cooking.

Vietnam’s French influences have culminated in national street snack – the Vietnamese baguette (Bánh mì) made up of fresh bread, your choice of marinated meat, pickled carrots, chilli and lashings of coriander. You’ll see many mobile baguette shops being wheeled through the streets of Vietnam.

Recently, Bánh mì shops have been popping up in London. Try Viet Baguette by Goodge Street, or, one of the originals – the Bánh mì 11 baguette stall on Broadway Market open every Saturday.

Read Jo Aspin’s blog for more foodie inspiration http://foodiefollower.blogspot.com/

Where else can you find Vietnamese culture in London?

Writer Thom Wheeler, author of One Steppe Beyond: Across Russia in a VW Campervan, tells us where to find a taste of Estonia in our World in London challenge:

My first introduction to Estonia was working in a timber yard in Pärnu. Since then I have watched this alluring Baltic country blossom into a tourist favourite, emerging with purpose from beneath the Soviet shadows.

Estonia is one of Europe’s smaller countries, with a population of 1.34 million people. It’s therefore no surprise that the nation will only be represented in a handful of events at the Olympics later this year (the men’s Discus and the women’s 50m rifle shooting to name a couple).

It’s also not surprising that there’s only one top-class Estonian chef practising his art in London: Andrei Lesment opened Verru restaurant in the heart of Marylebone village early last year. Until that time, gastronomy was just another discipline in which Estonia was under-represented in the capital.

The menu at Verru reflects Lesment’s Estonian roots, offering dishes that fuse Baltic and Scandinavian flavours. As he explained to me:

“Estonia throughout history has been influenced by many countries… we have been invaded… a lot. It was these influences, so strong in shaping my homeland, that I wanted to bring together when defining Estonian cuisine and the restaurant in London.”

For me, you can’t beat the rustic delights and fairytale charm of Tallinn’s old town, however, if you want to sample the flavours of the Baltics without going anywhere near a budget airline, Verru is a good choice.

Thom continues to travel, write and teach in the former Soviet countries. Find out more at www.thomwheeler.net

It might be a struggle, but does anyone know any other examples of Estonian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

Freelance writer Jennifer Barclay is the author of  The Traveller’s Friend: A Miscellany of Wit and Wisom, and Meeting Mr Kim: Or How I Went to Korea and Learned to Love Kimchi. After giving us her expert tips on South Korea in London, here are her highlights for Nepalese cuisine in London:

Namaste! Did you know that the current coach of the Nepali national football team (as of January 2012) is an Englishman named Graham Roberts, who once played for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur? Or that Prince Harry wants to climb Nepal’s most famous landmark, Everest, in 2012?!

Nepal, situated in the Himalayas, surrounded by China and India, is home to the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest as well as a whopping 27 million people. Gurkhas, soldiers from Nepal, served with the British Army. According to the Nepalese Association, otherwise colourfully known as Himalayan Yeti, 50,000 Nepalis live in the UK.

So it stands to reason that you can find some fine Nepalese cuisine in London. I am much taken with the names of some Nepali restaurants listed outside the capital – how can you resist the Yak and Yeti in Truro – or even better, the Yak Yeti Yak in Bath? But within London, for great food, a welcoming atmosphere and excellent value, it’s hard to beat Munal on the Putney/Barnes border on the Upper Richmond Road; Gurkhas Diner in Balham; or The Great Nepalese near Euston station, a family business since 1982 and also a firm favourite.

Nepalese cuisine is all about blending herbs and spices, and specialities include “momos” or dumplings (one of the most popular food staples in Nepal as well as Tibet and Bhutan) served with hot tomato chutney, lentil pancakes, mutton curry, potatoes with cumin, and plenty of dishes made with ginger, garlic, green herbs and fresh hot chillies. Then there’s black dal, made from lentils grown in Kathmandu; dal bhat, or lentils and rice, is the Nepalese national dish – perfect for sustaining energy when climbing mountains!

The celebration of Nepalese New Year falls in April, and other major festivals like Dashain and Dipawali around October. If you’re looking for musical and other events, first stop should be the website of Nepali Samaj UK, a community website for Nepalese people in the UK. Other information can be found on the website of the Britain-Nepal Society and the Nepalese Association UK, which runs language classes and dance workshops, and encourages people of all communities to participate in its activities.

Read more of Jennifer’s adventures at www.octopus-in-my-ouzo.blogspot.com or via Twitter @SummersdaleGO

Where else can you Nepalese culture in London?

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! Hope you’re all ready for tomorrow.

In the meantime, we’ve got yet another fantastic Christmas competition for you to try your luck…

Like eating out? Then you’ll love this fantastic year-long foodie prize: vouchers to spend at top Covent Garden restaurants throughout 2012.

Enter now to be in with a chance of winning six £100 vouchers, which can be spent in the following places:

• Mishkin’s
• The Opera Tavern
• Boulevard Brasserie
• Cote Bistro
• Hi Sushi
• Sofra

You can dine with as many guests as you like, on any date, and at any time to suit you between January and December 2012.

We’re so excited about this prize. Enter now for your chance to win.

The famous Rib Room at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel is celebrating its 50th year, having built up a reputation as one of the top restaurants to enjoy a steak in London.

I recently had dinner at the iconic and newly refurbished restaurant.

We began our evening with indulgent champagne cocktails. We were then seated at a table in one of the restaurant’s three private dining areas, surrounded by art by Feliks Topolski.

The British menu offered all kinds of steak as well as other dishes such as whole roast Suffolk partridge and black truffle roasted Cotswold whole chicken.  I had the Orkney scallops accompanied by butternut squash and apple-glazed bacon for starters, which made a delicious combination. 

I also had the famous roast rib of Casterbridge Aberdeen angus which was cooked to perfection.

Our waitress was attentive and experienced, helping us to select wine to complement the dishes we had ordered.

I highly recommend The Rib Room for an elegant evening with delicious food and wine. If you end up too full to move then why not book yourself in to one of the hotel’s suites for the night!

Aly was a guest of Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel

The Door Oyster Bar & Grill is a new addition to the City’s dining scene. Situated just a few minutes’ walk from Bank Tube station, The Door offers a meaty menu in decadent surroundings. Madelene and I visited for dinner:

Madelene

“As the name suggests, the restaurant’s main specialities are oysters and grilled meat.

“I had the lobster salad starter which was very light and set me in good stead for the large amount of meat I was about to consume.  For my main course, I sampled the Wagyu beef – which is a breed of cattle known for its marbled appearance and tenderness, and it didn’t disappoint: a beautiful steak which melted with every bite.  I asked whether the steak needed mustard and the waiter passionately stated “don’t kill it twice,” so sans-mustard it was!

“There was a good selection of side dishes, including creamed spinach which was simply delicious.  We had to share a dessert as we were both too full to go it alone, but managed to consume a dark chocolate mousse with a light orange biscuit and accompanying dessert wine.”

Jenny

“I took the seafood option at The Door, and tried my first oysters as a pre-starter, which can be ordered and enjoyed at the bar with a glass of champagne if you’re not staying for dinner.

“The waiter brought over a huge oyster-shaped dish filled with ice and three varieties of oysters to sample: Mourne Rock, Kumomoto and Blackwater wild. Each oyster was bigger and tasted stronger than the one before. They were accompanied by a vinegary dressing and the salty sharp flavour really was the taste of the sea (which a friend told me is how good oysters should be).

“Next up was a starter of soft, pan-seared scallops , followed by a rich lobster and truffle risotto, beautifully speckled with little chunks of lobster in each mouthful. It was too rich to finish it all, but delicious all the same.

“The service was excellent and our friendly waiter was happy to advise on the wine list, choice of steak and provide a bit of encouragement when we debated whether to have a dessert!

“The Door Oyster Bar & Grill is a great place for a romantic meal or if you’re treating yourself to a cheeky glass of champagne. With the top steak priced at £42, this is a place I would have to reserve for a special occasion, although there are cheaper options on the menu too.”

The Door Oyster Bar & Grill, 33 Cornhill, EC3V 3ND

Last night I went to the preview of the Start Sustainable Pop Up Restaurant at Lancaster House, which opens today. We spotted a few celebrities there including Barbara Windsor, Jeff Banks and a man who used to be in Hollyoaks (we think!)

Start Pop Up Restaurant aims to offer sustainable dining in every aspect – from locally-sourced ingredients to reclaimed furniture and organic wine.

The most exciting aspect is its location in the beautiful Lancaster House which isn’t usually open to the public but may look familiar if you’ve seen The King’s Speech (it stood in for Buckingham Palace in the film). Lancaster House felt just as grand as the palace and it was a real treat just to walk through a small part of it.

The chance to dine in the Grand Hall at Lancaster House has proved so popular that reservations for lunch and dinner are almost fully booked, but there’s still the option to enjoy a sharing platter on the terrace overlooking the garden or drinks at the garden bar.

We really enjoyed having a nosey round the gardens and wondering whether Prince Charles would pop in from next door (Clarence House).  

The restaurant is only open until 31 July and is well worth a look. If you’re desperate to eat there, a few lunchtime slots are still available (book now!), or head over to the terrace or bar which don’t require a reservation.

Start Pop Up Restaurant, Lancaster House, 27-31 July, 11am-10.30pm

Last night I had a look round the recently-opened Corinthia Hotel.

The hotel is dripping with five-star touches, from the huge bathrooms, to the walk-in wardrobes to the soon-to-open on-site Harrods store.

What I’d really like to show you is the beyond-luxurious ESPA Life spa which is due to open this month, but it’s all top secret until then. Take a look at the CGI images on The Corinthia’s website and you’ll start to get the idea.

Other points to note are the hotel’s two restaurants, The Northall serving up modern British cuisine and seafood restaurant Massimo (where Cameron Diaz, Hugh Grant and Johnny Depp have all been spotted).

And should you want to leave the hotel, it’s handily located within a few minutes of Embankment and Charing Cross station and is flanked by Boris bike docking stations.