Notting Hill restaurant Core by Clare Smyth has been named as the best restaurant in London according to The Good Food Guide 2019.
The west London restaurant comes in at number three in the guide's list of the UK’s top 50 restaurants, with a perfect cooking score of 10.
The country's top restaurants in the latest edition of The Good Food Guide by Waitrose & Partners have been announced today (Thursday, September 6).
The editor of The Good Food Guide, Elizabeth Carter said: “At Core, Clare Smyth has found a stage on which to show off her brilliantly artistic, deeply memorable creations, and we are delighted to welcome her back with another perfect 10.
“With cooking that has come on in range and delicacy since we last tried it at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay [where she was chef patron from 2012 to 2016], she epitomises the genius required for a perfect 10.
“We love her strikingly vivid flavours and a dining room that screams class whilst being genuinely relaxed. She makes it all seem so effortless.”
Clare Smyth herself added: “We are absolutely blown away by the news. It is wonderful to receive this kind of endorsement from such a well-respected and loved guide.
“It is so good to know that people appreciate what we have all been working so hard for at Core.”
What does The Good Food Guide 2019 say about Clare Smyth?
The Good Food Guide 2019 describes what makes Clare Smyth's restaurant so good.
It says: “Clare Smyth is, without a doubt, one of the country’s best chefs.
“Her skill has always been in packing intriguing ingredients into one composition and coaxing it all into harmony and the flavours invoked are strikingly vivid.
“Core by Clare Smyth offers serious dining, with a high comfort level afforded by well-spaced tables and padded chairs, with slightly formal but ever so attentive service under the watchful eye of Rob Rose.”
Other restaurants in west London which are in the UK’s top 50 restaurants
Gordon Ramsay, in Chelsea, at number 7 with a cooking score of 9
Claude Bosi at Bibendum, South Kensington at number 6 with a cooking score of 9
The Ledbury, Notting Hill, at number 18 with a cooking score of 8
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Knightsbridge at number 25 with a cooking score of 8
Hedone in Chiswick at number 31 with a cooking score of 7
How is the top 50 decided?
The Good Food Guide’s annual top 50 restaurants guide is highly regarded by chefs and restaurant-goers alike, with particular attention paid to those chefs and restaurants who make it into the top 10.
The list recognises the very best talent in the country and a place on it represents a huge achievement.
Each position is decided by a combination of cooking score, editor appraisal and the strength of reader feedback.
A cooking score of 10 means “perfect dishes, showing faultless technique at every service; extremely rare, and the highest accolade the Guide can give”.
If you want to go a little further afield
The Fat Duck, in Bray, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, is at number 10 in the UK with a cooking score of 8 - it is the top scorer in the south east outside of London.
André Garrett at Cliveden, in Taplow, Berkshire, is at number 17 with a cooking score of 8.
The Waterside Inn, in Bray, Berkshire, is at number 35 with a cooking score of 7.
And Artichoke in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, is at number 44 with a cooking score of 7.
Eating and drinking out in and near west London
These are all the west London restaurants which are listed in The Good Food Guide 2019
Madhu's Heathrow at Sheraton Skyline Hotel, Harlington - Indian
108 Garage Notting Hill - Modern British
Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill - Modern British
Claude Bosi at Bibendum, South Kensington - French
Albertine, Shepherd's Bush - Modern British
Amaya, Knightsbridge - Indian
Apero, South Kensington - Mediterranean
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea - French
Bombay Brasserie, South Kensington - Indian
The Ledbury, Notting Hill - Modern British
Cambio de Tercio, Earl's Court - Spanish
Charlotte's Bistro, Chiswick - Modern European
Marcus, Belgravia - Modern European
Clarke's, Notting Hill - Modern British
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Knightsbridge - British
Claude's Kitchen, Parsons Green - Modern British
Hedone, Chiswick - Modern European
Elystan Street, Chelsea - Modern British
Enoteca Turi, Chelsea - Italian
Harwood Arms, Fulham - British
Hawksmoor Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge - British
Hereford Road, Notting Hill - British
Hunan, Chelsea - Chinese
Dishoom, Kensington - Indian
Indian Zing, Hammersmith - Indian
Kitchen W8, Kensington - Modern European
L'Amorosa, Hammersmith - Italian
La Trompette, Chiswick - Modern European
Launceston Place, South Kensington - Modern European
Eating and drinking out in and near west London
Medlar, Chelsea - Modern European
Ognisko, South Kensington - Polish
Outlaw's at the Capital, Knightsbridge - Seafood
Pétrus, Knightsbridge - Modern French
Popeseye Steak House, Olympia - British
Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria, Notting Hill - Italian
Rabbit, Chelsea - Modern British
Restaurant Marianne, Notting Hill - Modern European
Restaurant Michael Nadra, Chiswick - Modern European
Rosso, Kensington - Italian
Shikumen, Shepherd's Bush - Chinese
Six Portland Road, Holland Park - Modern European
San Pietro, South Kensington - Italian
Southam Street, Notting Hill - International
The Five Fields, Chelsea - Modern British
The Goring, Belgravia - Modern British
The River Café, Hammersmith - Italian
The Shed, Notting Hill - Modern British
Vinoteca, Chiswick - Modern European
Wright Brothers, South Kensington - Seafood
Zuma, Knightsbridge - Japanese
Where can I read more and where can I buy a copy of The Good Food Guide 2019?
You can visit www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk where you can also buy a copy of the book which is currently available for the special price of £15.99 plus postage and packing.
The normal recommended retail price is £17.99.
