For the National Day holiday, I chose the UK — eight days, two cities.
The itinerary was mostly built around eating and… walking around parks!
This post rounds up the restaurants from this UK trip — 8+1+1 (Market & Bar) in total. Aside from one two-star that turned into a real letdown, every other place we picked was genuinely satisfying.
Hope this short record helps with your next trip.
Sketch the Lecture Room & Library (Three Stars)
Hélène Darroze (Three Stars)
The Clove Club (Two Stars / The World’s 50 Best Restaurants No. 38) — a big letdown
Sabor (One Star)
HIDE Restaurant (One Star)
Tayer+Element (The World’s 50 Best Bars No. 8)
Noble Rot Soho
Borough Market
Sheila’s Café
Pairing Wine Bar (York)
Sketch the Lecture
Room & Library
Three Michelin Star
This has always been my favorite restaurant in London. My first visit was Thanksgiving before the pandemic — it felt like a completely different world from New York, and pushing open that heavy door revealed a lavish space, with an experience that kept shifting and surprising.
Coming back after three years, the restaurant’s tone hasn’t changed, though the layout has been adjusted in the details — familiar, yet with a fresh sense of novelty. The menu is the same way: the mains still feature familiar faces — langoustine as a starter, veal as a main — but what accompanies them has been updated through several seasons since.
I feel like Sketch isn’t just a lunch experience — it’s a world that only exists in fairy tales, a space where guests and food converse freely and create on their own terms.
Full notes here → This is what a Michelin three-star should look like.
Hélène Darroze
Three Michelin Star
The bar at The Connaught has landed on the World’s 50 Best Bars list multiple times, and it’s always stood as the benchmark in my mind for London hotel bars. Discovering that fourth-generation chef Hélène Darroze’s restaurant is also housed inside The Connaught raised my expectations sky-high. I trusted a restaurant inside this hotel would deliver the most luxurious ingredients, showcase the most classic techniques, and offer flawless service.
Unlike Sketch, Hélène Darroze leans more into tradition and elegance. Though the chef herself is French, the whole meal blends in elements from around the world remarkably well. A three-hour lunch, composed and calm, with every detail on the plate handled meticulously.
What stuck with me most were the two seafood starters: bluefin tuna paired with Spanish zucchini and dashi vinegar, the flesh keeping plenty of freshness and tenderness, balanced against a bright, savory seasoning — one dish that showed off both the quality of the ingredient and the chef’s creativity. The lobster was cooked to exactly the right tenderness, borrowing Thai spices while still letting the shrimp’s sweetness come through. And the turbot main used smoked eel to add another layer of flavor.
The post-meal cheese trolley offered plenty of options too. And the chocolate dessert — a classic pairing, but shaped so elegantly you almost hate to break into it — closed the meal out perfectly.
Will definitely come back.
The Clove Club
Two Michelin Star
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants No. 38
This restaurant currently holds two Michelin stars and ranks No. 38 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list — you’d expect a lot from it, right?
This turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the whole trip — thankfully also the only one.
The restaurant sits near London’s financial district, and visiting on a weekend, it felt distinctly quiet.
We went with the Full Tasting Menu plus Wine & Tea Pairing. Worth mentioning: the restaurant’s mixed tea-and-wine pairing was genuinely interesting, switching between the two nimbly, and in some ways covering for the dishes’ weak points — it’s also a great option for lunch if you want a drink but don’t have much tolerance.
As for the menu as a whole… I just can’t say I understood it. There were memorable moments — fried chicken as the first course, lobster made into a curry rice, pheasant turned into a meatball, and a piece of pork with absolutely no flavor at all.
It felt like, chasing fusion and innovation, they forgot that food is meant to be eaten.
The guest’s money must be earned; the ingredients’ money must not be spent.
Sabor
One Michelin Star
A tiny Spanish restaurant, and also the one that gave me the most surprises of the whole trip. Two meals on the trip landed here purely by chance. On the last day, we rushed to catch a flight right after eating, and I kept thinking about it the whole way there.
The restaurant does walk-ins — doors open at 5:30pm, and to make the first seating you should show up around 5:10pm, with your entire party present before you can be seated.
There are three menus: the Bar Menu with simple drinking snacks, tortilla, and sandwiches; the walk-in Counter Menu with a few classics; and upstairs, the reserved El Asador menu, which offers more regionally diverse dishes. The three menus barely overlap, each with its own distinct character — even shared ingredients get subtly adjusted depending on the dining setting, turning one small space into three completely different worlds.
Full notes here → A magical little Spanish spot — if it were near my house, I’d go every single day.
Oh, and don’t forget to order a Sangria when you’re here — fruity and refreshing, one glass in and it feels like a mini Spanish vacation has begun.
HIDE Restaurant
One Michelin Star
— If you genuinely can’t stomach another hotel breakfast, book a brunch at Hide.
Hide sits right by a park in central London, with wood-heavy, dim-toned decor, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto lawns, passing cars, and sunlight. It’s something of an Instagram-famous restaurant, but the comfort and its unshakeable, reliable signature dishes make it a solid breakfast choice every time.
The chocolate croissant is a must-order — a genuinely huge one. One bite delivers plenty of crisp and softness, with chocolate hidden quietly in the middle, oozing out in a molten stream. A restaurant that isn’t shy with butter can keep a croissant properly structured while delivering full aroma, and layering in the chocolate’s richness makes this giant croissant absolutely perfect.
The Croque Monsieur is the other must-order, a genuine crowd favorite — essentially a deluxe version of a grilled cheese sandwich. The egg is non-negotiable; the black truffle honestly doesn’t change the flavor all that much. It’s built for a lavish sense of satisfaction, though you’ll need three cups of coffee to get through it.
Next time I really want to add a side of sourdough…
Tayer+Element
The World’s 50 Best Bars No. 8
I remember last time I was in London, hotel bars still dominated the award circuit. But on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, just released last week, Tayer + Element ranked No. 8.
This one came about because a senior friend, Yangnan Laoshi, happened to be visiting London at the same time, and this little bar had been all over his social feed. Unlike the old-school elegance I associate with London’s hotel bars, this place felt young and lively.
We went with two fruit-forward cocktails, clean and refreshing in style, easy to drink without any pressure. The yuzu slush especially was the kind of thing you’d finish before realizing you’d gotten a little tipsy.
The snack options weren’t extensive, but they were genuinely interesting — a soft-boiled quail egg paired with little croquette-like balls made from mashed potato and cured pork, small but filling and a great match for a drink.
Noble Rot Soho
Wine Bar
A small spot recommended by teacher Xibei. He said the wine selection was excellent, and it turned out the food was genuinely good too.
That day I’d hit a real letdown at lunch at The Clove Club — wasn’t even hungry that evening but was genuinely annoyed. Then Noble Rot’s first tiny choux bun completely healed me! Filled with a delicate duck liver, faintly sweet, satisfying yet still refreshing.
The smoked eel had its skin removed, and it looked a bit different because of it. The texture was genuinely fascinating — without the direct richness that eel skin usually gives, but still tender and delicate, with a slight springy quality. Genuinely delicious.
The monkfish came out whole, and one cut in was enough to feel how springy and tender the flesh was — a genuinely addictive quality. Simply seasoned, paired with ham for a surprising and delicious combination.
By comparison, the beef carpaccio and cured trout were a step behind. But the overall impression was excellent, the atmosphere genuinely relaxed — a place that’s a real, proper spot for drinking. I liked it, got a little hooked, and am already thinking about going back.
Borough Market
Mushroom Risotto & Dough Donut
On the last day of the trip, we headed across the river to Borough Market. Wherever we go, the market stop is never one to skip.
It wasn’t too crowded when it opened at ten, but the grilled sandwich stall at the entrance already had a long line.
The site has three parts: Borough Market, the Green Market, and a deli food court.
It was still early for the seafood paella, but the market’s mushroom risotto is also quite famous. It’s a beautiful-looking dish, like a little mushroom forest right after rain. A rice base topped with freshly sautéed mushrooms, with the option to add black truffle oil and cheese. Genuinely fragrant and satisfying — you’ll be full halfway through, and it really calls for something to drink alongside it.
The Green Market’s coffee is famous, but you can also find juice and alcoholic drinks back at Borough Market. There’s a small path connecting the two big sites, and the well-known Bread Ahead sits right on it — London’s best community baking school, famous for dough donuts, croissants, and cinnamon rolls. I got a pistachio dough donut — a texture that’s grainy yet soft and lingering, with a touch of sweetness and nutty aroma. Genuinely, deeply satisfying.
A friend also recommended the nearby pork chop sandwich — couldn’t fit it in, but watching the crowd who did buy one, they all looked thrilled. Definitely coming back for that one.
Overall, the crowd at Borough Market is mostly tourists. I’d recommend coming with 3-4 people, since there’s such a huge variety of food and every portion is a full meal’s worth — coming alone genuinely limits your options.
Sheila’s Café
British Breakfast
If you’re tired from wandering Hyde Park and want breakfast, this neighborhood breakfast spot is a solid choice. It’s a tiny storefront, and it was already completely full just past eight. Traditional English breakfast and croissants are both on offer.
They say the English ‘eat breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.’ English breakfast is always the same handful of things, but a full plate really is generous. This little spot takes it seriously — bread toasted properly crisp, house-made baked beans, a runny fried egg, and hash browns with a genuinely crisp exterior. Everything simple, everything delicious, a warmth and satisfaction that comes straight from the food itself.
The croissant held up well too — a fresh one, simply reheated, the crust genuinely super crisp; add cheese and ham and it’s satisfying in one bite.
A simple, satisfying morning~
Pairing Wine Bar
York
Last up is a little gem discovered in York, run by a pair of sisters, built entirely around Food & Wine Pairing.
There’s a long list of cheese, ham, and by-the-glass options, plus various combination flights. The restaurant will suggest suitable pairings for whatever you order. Prices are also noticeably friendlier than in London.
Full details here → Found a soulful little spot in York, a small paradise for cheese-and-wine lovers 🤩
Overall, it’s a restaurant that clearly puts in the care, genuinely able to convey the joy of Food & Wine Pairing to its guests — I’ll definitely be back in York just for it. Strongly recommend it to anyone who loves drinking wine with cheese and ham — bookmark this one!
END
A few closing thoughts,
The reality of adulthood is this discovery — once you’re working, international trips depend entirely on the Chinese New Year and National Day holidays. Just two pitiful chances a year.
After this UK trip, the next place I want to go is Spain. Does anyone have restaurants they’re excited about? Recommendations welcome~
Wishing you more happiness found at the table.
