Name it! Where to eat and what to wear in London (part 1)

My favourite London restaurants, and of course what to wear whilst eating at them

I am often asked where to eat in London so I’ve decided to share my favourite restaurants in three instalments:

1. In-between casual and fancy

2. Casual

3. Fancy

To be honest (almost) all of the restaurants could go under “in-between”, but because the purpose of this Substack is to also share what I would wear when going to them I’ve tried to categorise based on dresscode.

Part I. In-between casual and fancy

What I like about eating out in London is that you can wear *almost* whatever you want and get away with it. (The majority of restaurants don’t operate with dresscodes, and yet ironically here I am telling you what you should wear…)

I personally love going out in heels because I need to justify purchasing them. But when going to an “in-between” restaurant I make sure to dress them down. One of my favourite pairs of heels are these gold Old Celine ones, which you’ve seen a gazillion times before. The block heel make them less dressy, but still elevate any look - making them perfect for an in-between dinner:

I know I’m biased, but I also think a nice cashmere sweater is perfect for balancing out a high heel. My current favourite is the noName Cecilie Tie-Neck which from the front looks like a cool roundneck, but has a feminine open back and grosgrain ribbon detail.

noName Cecilie Tie-Neck in aubergine, old-new Bottega Veneta bag in aubergine with gold, Completed Works earcuff, Weekend by Max Mara coated trousers (from last season but here they are in other colours)

This aubergine colour specifically is divine, and looks especially good with lighter colours such as beige for spring. The colour combination also matches the delicious treviso salad at Straker’s:

• Straker’s (Notting Hill) - My absolute favourite! Never disappoints. Book asap if you want to go, hard to get table, if full sign up for waiting list online (lunch/dinner)

• Urchin (Notting Hill) - Pop-up Japanese restaurant at The Supermarket of Dreams with the same owners as Dorian (dinner)

As you may know by now I love a pair of jeans with heels (as seen here / here / here), and it is the ultimate combination for in-between dinner attire. But instead of a cashmere sweater I would opt for a jacket or blazer. I love my hourglass blazer from Balenciaga, it does all the talking:

Balenciaga Hourglass blazer purchased through Vestiaire (I love this double breasted version), white t-shirt from Cos, old jeans from Zara, python sandals from Saint Laurent (also a Vestiaire steal, but omg I love these), Bottega Veneta earrings in silver

Controversially, I think sandals are an all-year-round shoe and with spring in full swing they can finally be worn without socks.

Here is a similar outfit worn back in September for dinner at another favourite, Sabor:

Saks Potts tweed jacket (one of my best purchases of last year), Zara jeans, Jil Sander Goji bag, Old Celine gold heels, Bottega Veneta earrings in silver

• Sabor (Mayfair) - Spanish, casual, no fuss, perfect for two. They don't take reservations but you can order drinks and snacks at the bar while waiting (dinner)

• Zephyr (Notting Hill) - Yummy Greek (lunch/dinner)