There’s nothing like following a theme: playing it safe, being on-message. Thus, we hear endlessly — from Michelin-starred chefs to their adoring throng — the mantra that ‘London is restaurant capital of the world’. From bitter experience, I disbelieved this the first time I read it — and then I started to think further.
The shocking truth is that everyone chanting this mantra has a stake in the message getting through — from people with a share in restaurants, which are notoriously risky ventures, to those invested in tourism, London 2012 or restaurant guides.
Of course, London has pockets of food excellence, but they are little pockets. Is there good eating everywhere? No, there is not. It’s hard enough to source ingredients for cooking at home without acute inside knowledge.
Too many people confuse London’s ethnic diversity with the place being a restaurant capital.
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