I’m in London (near Moorgate) on Friday next week for a work related celebration. Afterwards will be headed off for dinner out with Mrs G-D.

My recollection from working in London years ago is that the “City” dies a death on a Friday night as everyone clears off to their 2nd homes.

Can the good folk of STW point me towards some half decent restaurants that aren’t a hideous tube ride away from the City / Waterloo (where we’re going home from)?

We like most foods (Mrs G-D not keen on shellfish or raw fish/meat), although not fussed on fussy/finicky “fine dining” where it’s an excuse for a teeny portion of something that’s just ever so slightly nicer than a normal plate of food.

Budget of say £75-100 including a bottle of wine but if there’s a good spend less option then I’d be happy to hear it.

Bleeding Heart (Farringdon)
Rules (Covent Garden)
Boisdale’s (Belgravia)
Mon Plaisir (Covent Garden)

All provide excellent food in a non-wankery atmosphere. From memory all on or around budget, as well.

Second Mon Plaisir – tis excellent and very well priced if you don’t get stuck into the wine list too much.

Pitt Cue.

Mic drop.

very well priced if you don’t get stuck into the wine list too much.

They have a very good Calvados list as well.

😳

Lol why doesn’t it surprise me you know about that flashy!

We’re not big drinkers so we would go easy on the wine by default, often struggle to finish a bottle between us over dinner.

Quick glance at a couple of the menus tells me you know how to eat well!

Used to live in Calvados. Also lived in the South for a while, near Castres. Mon Plaisir is the most genuine French restaurant I know outside of France. Used to take an aged French great aunt of Mrs CFH’s to dinner there often. She adored it. She was a very, very discerning individual.

Eating well is a good thing. Life’s too short to eat badly. Although a cheeky kebab now and again…! 🙂

For seafood (you can skip the Oyster list) Wright Brothers in Borough Market. 2 stops on Jubilee back to Waterloo. You must book.

There are various restaurants in One Change (some definiteiy w-nkerish !) a pre-dinner drink in Madison’s overlooking St Pauls on a nice evening is great (good enoigh for Wiggo after he won his Gold in 2012). Dim Sum in Ping Pong is pretty decent. There will be plenty of drinkers in and around Bow Lane

TBH I am a bit rusty as after 20 years working in the City I’ve not really been back for an evenjng recently

Dim Sum in Ping Pong is pretty decent.

No. It really isn’t.

However, A Wong is. http://awong.co.uk/
For many years, this was my local Chinese. A real family place, and lovely to boot. Then, the matriarch retired and Andrew took over. Wow. Just plain wow.

Am lucky enough to spend time in Hong Kong, Singapore and beyond and eat a lot of excellent Chinese/Oriental food as a result. Wong’s is the only place outside of Din Tai Fung that I’ve eaten Xiao Long Bao that were as good as Din Tai Fung’s. That, you will realise if you’ve ever eaten at DTF, is high praise indeed.

My go to fancy restaurant is now Duck And Waffle.

Heard good reports from Burger and Lobster, but never been.

Le Entrecôte is good if you want steak and chips.

Bangalore Express is good for ‘modern’ Indian.

Near(ish) to Waterloo and easy access from city:
Magdalen on Tooley St
Various places on Bermondsey St (casse croute is fun; tapas bar is likely to be rammed).

The City is pretty lively on a Friday now and some places even have a Saturday night trade, however if you are in Moorgate – just walk through the Barbican to Smithfield and you are spoilt for choice – there is a thread here, you could also walk up to Hoxton/Shoreditch if you like the hipster thing.

@CFH I didn’t say it was the standard of HK which ime is better than the mainland. I worked for Standard Chartered for 11 years so I’ve been in HK and Singapore a lot and eaten in the China club on pretty much every visit and out with locals where there are no English menus as I am sure have you. Ping Pong is decent enough for London and fits with the area the OP was interested in. Also his budget was £75-100 with a bottle of wine.

The Pig and Butcher is excellent

+1 for A Wong. Especially the desserts!!