London dining has gotten so much better over the years. Two iconic restaurants delivered a hit and a miss.

On a recent trip to London we hit a couple of iconic restaurants, River Cafe and Nobu.

River Cafe was most memorable for the Wet Walnut Pasta.  Completely different than anything I'd had before.  A pretty simple dish, the pasta was nice and chewy and the walnut sauce rich without being cloying.  It did feel like they were moving us through as quickly as possible with the next people waiting for our table at a stand up bar crowding the entrance.  My expectations may have been too high.

Dinner at Nobu was more memorable.  In this case my expectations were lower for some reason.  Each dish beautifully presented and as delicious as it looked.The service was also outstanding.  Our server even wrote out the ingredients for a salad dressing and was fully engaged when she realized how interested we were in the food.

Beware the crazy mark ups on the wine list.  This is a good place to stick to tea or to enjoy a beer.

We were talking about the King Crab Tempura and the Red Chili Soul for days.

Shitake Salad

Scallop & Smelt Egg Roll

King Crab Tempura with Amazu Ponzu

Dover Sole with Red Chilli Shiso

Crispy Rice with Crab Dip