There are a couple of big moves, the most notable being the elevation of Sketch's restaurant from one to two stars. The excessive gaudiness of Sketch seems to be doing the trick, making it the eighth London restaurant to currently hold two stars. The rest of the elite group of two- and three-star restaurants remains unchanged.
More good news abounds for the eight new star recipients which I've highlighted below. Tom Aikens' refurbishment finished and the star duly came back with the re-opening. One of my favourites - Launceston Place - finally got the star it has deserved for some time. The restaurant everyone seems to be going to right now - Dabbous - continues its meteoric rise and the least surprising new star of all goes to Medlar of Chelsea.
The two casualties of the 2013 guide are Gauthier Soho and Zafferano. The latter represents another dent in A to Z restaurants' reputation, given that they closed the former Michelin-Starred Aubergine a few years back. The latter vindicates me slightly for this piece I wrote on Gauthier Soho, though having been back (with a review to come), I'm slightly conflicted since the more recent visit wasn't too bad.
There are now 62 restaurants in London with at least one Michelin Star. Whatever you think about the guide itself, this shows an impressive recognition of just how stocked we now are with amazing restaurants. With a new Top 100 UK Restaurants to come by the end of the year, there is a good chance over half the UK's best could now be in London.
Three Stars:
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair
Two Stars:
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, Belgravia
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair - One to Two Stars
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair - One to Two Stars
One Star:
Hedone, Chiswick - New Star
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