Three Eye-popping Reasons to Splurge at the London Restaurant Festival

by  Molly Fergus | Jun 10, 2010
The Ivy, London
The Ivy, London / Photo courtesy of the restaurant

Deep-pocketed gourmands clearly don’t need an excuse to bid on the London Restaurant Festival’s most exclusive deal – a celebrity-chef-created,  four-course dinner for 10 onboard the 443-foot-tall London Eye  – as all six of the one-of-a-kind meals sold out during the first festival in 2009.

The rest of us, though, might want a couple of reasons to shell out five figures on dinner October 4 – 18, when 11 world-famous chefs  turn the city’s trademark Ferris wheel into a mini-restaurant. Whether you’re all about the newest food trends or prefer classic, white-tablecloth selections, we picked three new chefs who justify splurging on a meal high above the London skyline. Just hurry – three seatings have already sold out.

Daniel Boulud, Bar Boulud
One of New York’s most beloved chefs hopped the pond to open his first London outpost, Bar Boulud, May 7. Welcome the newcomer to the U.K. by snagging his October 14 seating – or just sample one of his much-hyped burgers at the Knightsbridge location in the basement of the Mandarin Oriental.

Gary Lee, The Ivy
This London classic (and celeb hideout) marks its 20th anniversary this year, and executive chef Gary Lee is whipping up a four-course menu for his October 13 seating that celebrates the restaurant’s most diverse dishes (the A-lister spot already serves everything from shepherd’s pie to Thai-baked sea bass).

Joel Antunes, Brasserie Joel

London welcomed this Michelin-starred ex-pat back home in 2009 after spending eight years helming Atlanta’s Joel Brasserie and a few months manning the kitchens at New York City’s Oak Room. His brand-new U.K. location, Brasserie Joel, opened officially this week, so look for classic, French-inspired dishes when he caps off the London Eye dinners October 18.

For more trip-planning information, see our London Travel Guide.

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