Counter Resurgence
Joe Warwick
THE restaurant revolution that began in London in the mid '90s hasn't just been about what's on the plate. In fact it's been as much about changing how and when we eat out as it has been about the quality of what we're eating. While sustainability, provenance and politically correct fish are all worthy causes worth continuing to bang on about, in truth they don't really impact on the average restaurant-goers dining experience in any tangible way.
What has made a difference is inflexibility gradually being banished from restaurants as they embrace ideas like all-day dining. Now you can increasingly eat what you want, when you want: lunching late in the afternoon or dining late at night are no longer something you that have to go on holiday to enjoy.
Alongside this, restaurants are finally being more flexible with regards to where you can eat. Not long ago, with the exception of few enlightened pioneers, the idea of being able to eat in a restaurant's bar was frowned upon. Restaurant bars were mostly glorified holding pens where you stopped for a drink before eating while you were waiting for your table - the only food going either nuts or, if you were really lucky, olives. Now restaurants have seen the light and - as has been commonplace almost everywhere in the States for years - have started to see bars as an opportunity to expand the number of diners they can accommodate. Where before restaurant bars were only for drinking before and after your meal, many now make a point of offering their full menu to anyone that wants to pull up a stool.
I'm telling you this now, with Christmas coming and shopping to be done, as there's arguably no better time to enjoy the pleasure of eating at the bar. Shopping alone and in need of sustenance you don't want to be sitting at a table for one, looking like some sad, friendless food blogger. Sit at the bar and instead look like you’re a sophisticated solo diner. Not only that but you'll get swifter service and a bit of banter from the bartender, who'll be your new best friend next time you pop in - assuming, of course, you behave yourself and leave a proper tip.
The best for bar dining
Barrafina
Cooks double as waiters at this bustling, small-plate Spanish. It's busy, but solo diners should have no problem scoring a stool and watching the theatre unfold. www.barrafina.co.uk
Bocca di Luppo
This oversubscribed, small plate Italian has a busy bar that overlooks its open-plan kitchen, a good posse from which to soak up the action. www.boccadilupo.com
Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill
Arguably the best way to enjoy Bentley's is from a red-leather upholstered stool at its cosy ground floor oyster bar. www.bentleys.org
Le Caprice
A pioneer in the field of treating those that wanted to eat at its bar as well as those in its dining room. www.le-caprice.co.uk
Corrigan's Mayfair
Richard Corrigan's Park Lane newcomer has a glamorously spacious bar at which the full menu is available. www.corrigansmayfair.com
Hix
The latest offering from Mark Hix in the heart of Soho has a handsome bar in its ground floor dining room where eating is encouraged. www.hixsoho.co.uk
Scott's
Its green onyx-topped oyster bar is fine place to eat alone and view all the goings-on in the bustling, oak-panelled dining room. www.scotts-restaurant.com
J Sheekey oyster bar
Graze on shellfish or watch the kitchen turn out British seafood classics from the horseshoe-shaped bar at this newish sibling of St Martin's Court institution, J Sheekey. www.j-sheekey.co.uk
Wild Honey
Will Smith and Anthony Demetre’s Mayfair outpost caters handsomely for the lone diner at its bar. www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk