Eat London 2: All About Food [Paperback]

I love this book. It's going to be one of those books that I'll want to follow me everywhere. It's covers Peter Prescott and Terence Conrans choices of cafes, bars, restaurants, butchers, delis (basically anywhere interesting to get food) in (mostly Central) London. They say at the beginning that it's their subjective opinions and choices, but given their pedigree in the business, you trust their guidance.

The book is beautifully designed and guides you through each area of London reviewing the restaurants (and other food related places) in varying lengths. The beautiful photographs give you more than just images of the food, they also capture the atmosphere of the restaurant or a tiny detail that make you want to explore more.

But the thing that makes this book stand out for me is the recipes that pepper the book from some of the selected restaurants/ chefs, giving you a little take-home before you've even been. The question is where do i keep it? By my bedside to dip in and out, on the coffee table to use as reference, in my bag to read on the tube, in the kitchen with my other recipe books or most likely between all four.

Bought this as a present for foodie daughter-in-law who lives in London, she loves it. Wefound descriptions and ratings of restaurants tallied with our own and friends experiences. It's given us lots of places to aspire to. Interesting recipes included too.

A simple proposition you might think? A listing of restaurants in London, England with many personal commentaries about some of the high and possibly low points of London cuisine.

Yet here the authors have achieved something rather special. Many books of this kind tend to be reactive. You know you are going to be visiting a particular area (or live there) and want to eat out. So you buy something that gives you facts, opinions or a bit of both. Job done, hopefully. Then you have to just trust the information as restaurants can come and go. Strangely, this book manages to act as a magnet. Encouraging you to visit London just to try some of these wonderful restaurants out and for this reviewer that would be a several hour plane ride. Yet already a number of restaurants are managing to get this reviewer to think about the next visit to London...

This book has been totally revised and updated since it first appeared in 2007. You are not just getting a 'boring' listing of restaurants by food type or locality. You are effectively getting a personal guide about culinary London by the authors. From the high-life of five-star restaurants to the more simpler café and food store there is something for everyone and more besides. The miniature portraits of the restaurants are an engaging read. As a great bonus and something that was not expected, there are 60 recipes from some of London's top chefs, many of which are signature dishes in their own right.

The quality of photography manages to draw you in just like a good travel book does. There is even a fold-out map although this reviewer is not sure he would want to take this book around on his travels. Damaging such a wonderful tome seems such a shame - now a mobile phone miniature version, on the other hand, when combined with a GPS receiver could be nirvana for the hungry stranger to London Town.

This was a great little find. The restaurant information manages to be engaging even for the armchair traveller who might not be able to travel to London (but that would be a shame). The quality and breadth of the recipes was a wonderful surprise. The book manages to retain a great sense of design and accessibility despite literally being crammed full of information. No compromise has been given on quality. The price tag might be off-putting if you don't have the book in front of you at a bookstore but there are some wonderful deals presently on certain online stores. If the recipes were not included you might need to be a dedicated armchair traveller or have some visits to London planned to make the most of this book. The recipes themselves could justify the cost: both together...? Wow!

Needless to say, Eat London 3, whenever that comes out, will have a very high standard to maintain. Can it be surpassed?