London Restaurants - South Bank, London Bridge, Bermondsey

Belvedere Road, Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX

Spiritland's new Festival Hall digs gives as much importance to what's playing and how it sounds as what's being served up. Oh, and it's open very late too.

Borough Market, 11 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD

The Borough Market Wright Brothers is where the seafood restaurant company first started and it's still a big draw in the area. They serve up some of the best seafood in town all around an open kitchen. If you love oysters, a visit here is a must.

One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square, London SE1 2SE

The team behind Gunpowder bring their latest Indian restaurant to Tower Bridge. And there will be a bakery/wine bar too.

2 Crucifix Lane, London SE1 3JW

A trio of siblings took over their dad's restaurant by London Bridge station and gave the space and menu a more modern makeover. The Thai restaurant is now one of the most celebrated in the area with a regularly changing menu which Is paired with Thai cocktails and tonics.

4 Queen Elizabeth St, London SE1 2LL

Having opened Riding House Cafe and now runnning Blixen Clive Watson is now running this all-day space in Tower Bridge.

112-116 Tooley St, London SE1 2TH

Popular steak chain Flat Iron have opened their sixth steakhouse. The Tooley Street restaurant has an indoor garden theme. And steak, of course.

106 Druid Street, London SE1 2HH

The team behind Borough's El Pastor have opened their own tortilla factor and taco bar down the road beside Maltby Street Market.

180 Borough High St, London SE1 1LB

Workspace pioneers Fora who've have teamed up with restaurateur Soren Jessen for this Nordic Borough restaurant (which also has a great rooftop space).

44-46 Southwark St, London SE1 1UN

This Italian restaurant just off Borough Market has a very specific speciality - they use purified seawater in their pizza dough. And they're rated as serving up some of the best pizzas in London as a result.

One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square, London SE1 2RZ

After enjoying considerable success in its seaside home of Brighton, The Coal Shed has made its first foray to the capital where it's set up shop in the One Tower Bridge development with over 120 covers and fresh seafood delivered directly to the restaurant.

Arch 35b, Flat Iron Square, Union Street, London SE1 1TD

The people behind Bar Douro have used their Portuguese ancestry to bring the authentic tasted of Portugal to London. But it's not just about the food, there's an extensive selection of Portuguese wine too, all in a counter dining setting.

Tanner Street Park, London SE1 3LD

This Bermondsey restaurant comes from Hervé Durochat, the man behind another restaurant in Bermondsey, the ever popular Casse Croute. Here alongside a small selection of French dishes, the star attraction is the chicken - or the Poulet de Bresse to be precise.

36 Snowsfields Yard, London SE1 3QQ

Leandro Carreira first solo restaurant is to be found in a very pared-back space just behind London Bridge with a menu that calls back to his Portuguese roots. The table spacing makes it a particularly good spot for business lunches and the bar area has its own food menu.

214 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3TQ

There are just eight pastas on the menu at Flour & Grape, who aim to create a beautifully pared back selection of Italian antipasti, pasta and gelato. They promise very reasonable prices, pasta to go and a very healthy (and affordable) wine list.

6-7A Stoney St, London SE1 9AA

El Pastor is from the people behind Barrafina, on a mission to do the same for Mexican food as they did for Spanish. There's a big focus around tacos, particularly on the signature Al Pastor and they have a super selection of Mezcal too.

16 Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AQ

London's steak and cocktail masters chose this as their first restaurant south of the river and - like all the others - it's rather beautiful, taking over an old warehouse. As ever be quick if you want a certain cut of steak - when they're gone, they're gone.

6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ

Probably the London restaurant that's done more for this city's passion for pasta than any other opening, Padella comes from the Trullo stable and serves up freshly-made-each-day pasta. The only downside is the queue or waiting time for a table. Prepare to be patient.

14 Borough High Street, London SE1 9QG

This Spanish restaurant has a big focus on meat - specifically Iberico pork - as well as tapas, Spanish wines, sherry and cavas as well as a short cocktail list.

20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD

Offering a modern yet casual dining experience overlooking the River Thames, Sea Containers Restaurant champions seasonal, ingredient-led cooking with a menu designed for sharing.

3 Rochester Walk, Borough Market, London SE1 9AF

Arabica started out at Borough Market, armed with little more than a cool box and began selling a small range of mezze from an 8ft trestle table. The vibe they're going for at their Borough restaurant is 1960s Beirut meets 21st century London.

Level 31 The Shard, 31 St. Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY

One of two Aqua restaurants in The Shard, this has a focus on contemporary British cuisine and jaw-dropping views across London, particularly in the bar area. Expect the cocktails to reflect the British focus too.

47 - 51 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0BS

This informal restaurant from Gordon Ramsay is his first venture south of the river. The restaurant focuses on Mediterranean seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on Italian artisan producers. They'll be complementing this with whatever is on hand from popular local foodie markets at Borough and Maltby Street. All of this will be in a large space designed by Russell Sage.

Level 33 The Shard, 31 St. Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY

The Aqua group picked The Shard for their first European branch of Hutong - known for serving up fiery Northern Chinese food. The duck is always wonderful and the red lantern crispy soft shell crab with chilli is always on the menu and worth ordering. Oh the views aren't bad either.

Level 32, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY

This restaurant from Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney is on the 32nd floor of The Shard, and focuses on food from a rotisserie and grill (with a lounge bar also attached). It has British and European ingredients and influences, but is mainly be inspired by New York grills, as well as serving slow roasting joints and wood-fired breads and pizzas. And it has a damned fine view.

201 Tooley Street, London SE1 2UE

Tom Sellers previously worked with the likes of Rene Redzepi at Noma, Adam Byatt and Thomas Keller before making his own name with the Michelin-starred Restaurant Story. It's led by a tasting menu that changes by the seasons while still keeping in a few signatures, like his beef dripping candle. After a major refurb, an entire new floor was added to the building adding a chef's table with an impressive view and terrace.

12 Stoney St, Borough Market, London SE1 9AD

Elliot's has become a staple of Borough Market, sourcing its produce from the market for an ever-changing menu. There's a strong focus on its wood-fired grill and an all-natural wine list.

50 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3UD

This restaurant on the very foodie Bermondsey Street has a particularly retro styled menu, right down to the carvery trolley that will be wheeled between tables. Expect an all day menu (including Sunday brunch) in an environment that is "gym inspired".

40 Maltby Street, London SE1 3PA

Here, chef Steve Williams (ex Ledbury and Harwood Arms) is quietly turning out extraordinary dishes that have fellow chefs and restaurateurs regularly citing this as one of their favourite places in town. And it's not just the food that's good, given that it's owned by Gergovie Wines, you can expect a very decent wine list here too.

83 Southwark Street, London SE1 0HX

Popular Southwark cafe which now takes bookings in the weekends too. Well known for their brunch dishes, these are now available in t he evening too, as part of "Brinner".