What the experts recommend

Bombay Bustle 29 Maddox Street, London W1 (020-7290 4470) Even if you have only a passing interest in new London restaurants, you can’t have missed “the resurgence of the upscale Indian”, says Marina O’loughlin in The Sunday Times. In recent years, there’s been a “swankerama” of them: Gymkhana, Jikoni, Indian Accent – and now “beautiful” Bombay Bustle, courtesy of the team behind the “lacquered jewel box” that is Michelin-starred Jamavar, also in Mayfair. Highlights of our meal include a “mustorder” goat keema pao, a “tour de force” that “thrums with flavour” and arrives with the “fluffiest” little buttered buns to “drink up the aromatic liquor like thirsty sponges”. Tender and garlicky adipoli prawns, ochre from a thorough basting in turmeric, made my palate “do a tango of pleasure”. And frilly little fried gram-flour patties of red onion and whole mild green chillies, stuffed with mustard seed-flecked potato, are “exquisite”. Compared with these riches, mains of chicken and prawn are rather more timidly spiced than I’d have wished. Overall, though, this place dazzles – and it’s pretty good value. Meal for three £106.50, plus drinks and service.

Sabor 35-37 Heddon Street, London W1 (020-3319 8130) If you are looking for somewhere to indulge in a long, lingering dinner and enjoy a relaxed vibe, then this new Spanish place in Mayfair won’t be for you, says Michael Deacon in The Daily Telegraph. It’s a “titchy” space, with a ring of seating around an open kitchen, and the night we were there it was rammed. Also, you can’t book – and no sooner had we sat down than a waiter told us we could stay no longer than an hour and a half. “Charming.” As it turned out, though, all the food was served at such a “blistering speed” that it didn’t much matter. What’s more, that food was cracking. Pan tomate was heaped with “explosively juicy” tomato. Croquetas were “fat, bulging balls of prawn; crispy outside, creamy inside”; the langoustines “smoky, buttery and sweet”. Rabo de toro (literally, tail of bull) consisted of “big hunky beef, dense but soft, deliciously glistening”. And quail with chicory and romesco sauce was like “a middle-class version of KFC”, in a good way. Dinner for two: about £80, excluding alcohol.

Great food and drink in Edinburgh

I’ve lived in Edinburgh for 12 years, and it “still manages to surprise me with its continually evolving food scene”, says Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin in the FT. For breakfast, try Leo’s Beanery, a family-run café in the New Town. At the weekend, a visit to the farmers’ market in Stockbridge is “a must”. I like to work my way around the stalls to create a picnic and source great bread and cheese, as well as cured meats from Peelham Farm. For fish, go to Welch Fishmongers in Newhaven, which has been around since the 1950s, with everything sourced from Scottish waters. For a light meal, try Valvona & Crolla, the city’s oldest delicatessen and Italian wine merchant; I’d recommend a selection of antipasti or a fresh pasta dish. I also love the Terrace Café at the Royal Botanic Garden. For dinner, try L’escargot Bleu on Broughton Street. It serves “authentic” food at reasonable prices. If you’re not eating, Devil’s Advocate in the Old Town, with its extensive whisky selection, is a great place “to unwind and catch up with a friend”.