London restaurants best for... Bragging about scoring a seat

This is a venture from Victor Garvey, the person behind Encant (and previously Bravas Tapas). Expect a Spanish menu focusing on Catalan cuisine, right in the heart of Soho.

This is the latest restaurant from Richard Caring's Caprice Group, who are also behind the Ivy. It's an upmarket seafood restaurant (with grilled meats too) in Mayfair with a vibe to have much in common with the original Ivy, right down to the use of known artists to decorate the place.

One of London's oldest restaurants, the Ivy has recently undergone a big revamp and has re-built almost the entire restaurant. Chief among the changes is a new central bar area with plenty of counter dining spaces added. There are new paintings too - but expect some old favourites to appear too. The menu has a mix of classic Ivy dishes like the Shepherd's Pie and more contemporary fare.

One of the most successful example of street food vendors going permanent, this is one of the toughest places to grab a seat at in Soho. But when you do, the steamed milk buns that are at the heart of the menu make it all worthwhile.

The Hart Brothers (also behind Quo Vadis and Fino) are opening a second venue of Barrafina, the Soho tapas restaurant. While much on the menu will be familiar to diners at their current restaurant with a menu made up of classic and contemporary tapas, chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho is planning some entirely new dishes. Those dishes will probably be inspired by the Josper oven that's being installed here.

This small restaurant in Mayfair is in the refurbished Shepherd Market and features Tomos Parry - former head chef at Climpson's Yard and YBF winner for best chef of the year - in the kitchen.

Mitsuhiro Araki, whose Tokyo restaurant had three Michelin stars has come to London. That's the good news. The bad news is that the restaurant will accommodate just nine people up at the dining counter and six in a private dining room.

This restaurant is from Karam Sethi, the chef behind Michelin starred Trishna and he's taking the concept of colonial gymkhana clubs as a running theme, serving modern Indian food combined with British ingredients, with a focus on the tandoor oven and sigri charcoal grill.

Quite possibly THE best counter dining experience in town, albeit not the quietest one. Expect a Jerusalem-style menu here, with additional influences from Southern Spain and Italy, North Africa through to the Levant. You CAN grab a table at the back - but try for the full-on counter experience if you can.

Andre Balazs, whose hotels The Standard and The Mercer are top destinations for NYC's hippest visitors has opened this boutique hotel in Marylebone, taking over a disused fire station and he's enlisted Nuno Mendes - fresh out of Viajante - as his Executive Head Chef. Nuno will be delivering a modern American menu with a Mendes twist.

Blumenthal's first London restaurant has 140 covers, serving lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. Ashley Palmer-Watts who's been at the Fat Duck for nine years is head chef. Promised by Blumenthal to be an "upmarket bistro" featuring "historic British-influenced dishes" there will also be the chance to book private dining rooms to enjoy your own feast in the style of Heston's Channel 4 shows.

Probably Islington's most famous 9and hard to get into) restaurant, this Italian affair sees Jordan Frieda, formerly front-of-house at The River Cafe teaming up with chef Tim Siadatan - one of the original trainees at Fifteen. Expect superlative Italian cuisine. And if you're having trouble getting into Padella, from the same team, then booking a table here will help you avoid that queue.

This is the main restaurant for TV chef Michel Roux Jr and prides itself on having some of the best service in London. It's not cheap but if you book for lunch, there's one of the best set menu deals in town.