REALLY, you could make the argument that all of London's restaurants are international. The culinary boundaries are so porous that the hospitality industry is a truly global one. For the purposes of this feature, I'm going to focus on those that showcase the cuisine of a single country (with one notable exception) with reliable aplomb.
Bocca di Lupo W1
Padella, Manteca, Ombra, Artusi... London is exceptionally well served in the pasta stakes these days. But for all-round Italian excellence, it has to be Jacob Kenedy's Bocca di Lupo. The menu describes itself as 'a phrasebook in miniature, containing a taste of the 20 main dialects of Italian cuisine', and each dish is listed with its provenanceso there's Roman fritti, grilled porcini from Lombardy and cream-of-red-prawn risotto from Liguria. The drinks list, likewise, is temptingly comprehensive, with seven different negronis to choose from.
Otto's W1
The Holborn home of one of only two duck presses in London is a glorious Gallic refuge from London life, with its soothing mint walls and chequerboard floor (Otto's lobster press was the first of its kind and there are only four of them left in the whole world). The burgundy flows, the classic French dishes (steak tartare, whole roast Bresse chicken, souffles) are faultlessly executed and very generously portioned. And the canard à la presse? Magnifique; worth every penny. www.ottos-restaurant.com
Rita's Dining W1
Think American food in London and you'd be forgiven for picturing the Hard Rock Café or a purveyor of pointlessly overloaded burgers with a name such as Natural Born Grillers. But Rita's, which opened on Lexington Street last year after a series of pop-ups and a go at sandwich-making, is the best kind of taste of the US-specifically, California, with nods to Mexico and forays into the South.
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