Forget small plates with mates – the London restaurants where sharing is discouraged

Anyone who has eaten out in London recently will have noticed the sweeping influx of restaurants where “sharing is encouraged”. Servers at these small plate purveyors will give you a detailed run-through of navigating the menu: two from snacks, three from raw, four from small, two from large, two sides etc., but sometimes – whisper it – you just want a meal that’s all yours. No forks clashing or furtive hovering over the last mouthful, sometimes, you want to savour a whole plate without worrying about how much is left for your dining companion.

Plenty of restaurants in London still do the classic starter, main, dessert trio, but these are some of our all-time favourites. And yes, of course, you can still share here, but we wouldn’t recommend it…

Bob Bob Ricard Soho

Diners have been joyfully ringing the ‘press for Champagne bell’ at this glamorous Soho stalwart since it opened in 2008, because everyone knows that British and Russian indulgent comfort food is best enjoyed with the finest fizz. The food here is rich, decadent and delicious – and there’s only one sharing dish on the menu (a beef Wellington for two that can be easily ignored). Starters include classics with a luxe twist, such as prawn cocktail with cognac, steak tartar with caviar and potent Stinking Bishop cheese soufflé. Mains are just as extravagant: truffle and Champagne humble pie, lobster mac and cheese thermidor and a dreamy chateaubriand for one.

Address: Bob Bob Ricard Soho, 1 Upper James Street, London W1F 9DF
Website: bobbobricard.com

Carlotta

This Marylebone outpost is the fifth London restaurant from the fabulously OTT Big Mamma Group and it feels more cosy and grown up than some of its siblings, although no less lavish. There’s no pizza on the menu here, just primi plates and secondi. If you must, you could share the antipasti, such as baked buffalo camembert with toasted walnuts and honey, but we recommend you keep it all for yourself. Same with the homemade pasta dishes (opt for the creamy seafood pasta alla vodka), and if anyone suggests you share Carlotta’s wedding cake – a light, citrussy sponge topped with crushed meringue – you are within your rights to make a scene.

Address: Carlotta, 77- 78 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5JX
Website: bigmammagroup.com

Koya Ko Hackney

Just off the fray of Broadway Market, this relative newcomer has the whole of Hackney queuing for its satisfying noodles and rice bowls. Best known for their chewy homemade udon, just choose the topping and temperature to suit your mood – the comforting pork and ginger miso broth will soothe any ailment and the KO Meaty! with spicy slow-braised pork is so delicious that your fellow diners won’t be able to snaffle a sample. Opt for the Ko Kombo, where you can add a drink and a side to any main for just £7.80. It all arrives on a canteen-style metal tray, all yours to enjoy.

Address: Koya Ko Hackney, 10 Broadway Market Mews, London E8 4TS
Website: koya.co.uk

St. JOHN Smithfield

Although the menu at St John isn’t divided into starters and mains, it’s clear that you only need to order a small plate followed by a bigger plate if you want to adhere to classic non-sharing rules. For starters, indulge in the roast bone marrow and parsley salad or pickled herring on toast before moving on to a roast Middle White pork chop with braised red cabbage, Arbroath Smokie, and buttery mash. You could share a side if you were feeling inclined, but when it comes to pudding, be selfish: order half a dozen fresh madeleines and devour them all by yourself. Heaven.

Address: St. JOHN Smithfield, 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Website: stjohnrestaurant.com

The French House

There’s no cosier dining spot in Soho than a table upstairs at ‘The French’. The daily scribbled menu features French-inspired delights: starters could include duck and pork rillettes with pickles and toast or fried calf brains with ​​sauce gribiche, while mains might feature Bresse chicken with girolles, ribeye steak with watercress salad and frites and some kind of perfectly grilled roasted fish. Everyone talks about the boozy chocolate mouse (a must-order, no doubt) but don’t get to puddings without treating yourself to a large bowl of their aligot, a cheesy mash you’ll dream of for years to come.

Address: The French House, 49 Dean Street, London W1D 5BG
Website: frenchhousesoho.com

Bao Soho

No one should ever share a bao – one person eats half, it collapses in their hand, and they furtively pass on the remnants. The bao here deserve to be savoured, enjoyed by one person alone who can stuff the whole thing into their mouth if the desire takes them. Order the sweet and peanutty classic pork, the surprisingly piquant daikon, the plump fried chicken and then the fried Horlicks bao for pudding. They serve other dishes (try the trotter nuggets), and sharing definitely isn’t discouraged, but the bao is what everyone is here for, and you’ll want them all for yourself.

Address: Bao Soho, 53 Lexington Street, Carnaby, London W1F 9AS
Website: baolondon.com

Brasserie Zedel

Set beneath Piccadilly, opulent Brasserie Zedel is a Soho favourite – and probably one of the only places nearby to get three courses for under £20. Go for the prix-fixe for a speedy pre-(or post) theatre dinner of creamed leak and potato soup, chopped steak ‘Americain’ and a chocolate and caramel tart. If you have more time, the vast French menu covers everything from frog’s legs, snails and coq au vin to Choucroute ‘Alsacienne’ with smoked pork belly and sauerkraut. There’s no mention of sharing here, so you can truly indulge your desires, even if that is eating a whole tart tatin to yourself.

Address: Brasserie Zedel, 20 Sherwood St, London W1F 7ED
Website: brasseriezedel.com

Kitty Fisher’s

Since opening in 2014, this cosy little Mayfair joint has been making a big name for itself. Named after an 18th-century courtesan who was rumoured to have eaten a 1,000-guinea banknote on a slice of bread, the restaurant itself is far more low-key than its namesake, but the food is where it really gets extravagant. There’s potted shrimp and pickled cucumber or a chicken liver parfait with golden sultana chutney to start, with Kitty’s sumptuous fish pie, hake with salsify and crab butter and Tamworth pock chop with grilled pear to follow. Big flavours are done very well – just try not to be tempted to reach over to try your companion’s dish.

Address: Kitty Fisher’s, 10 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QF
Website: kittyfishers.com

The Wolseley

From the iconic breakfast egg’s benedict to their European/American classics like schnitzel, cheeseburger and soufflé – these dishes are not for sharing. This is an all-day menu of comfort food that is best enjoyed solo; it just wouldn’t be polite to reach across the black marble tables and those silver salt and pepper shakers to steal a bite of smoked haddock kedgeree or lobster and caviar omelette. The same goes for the ice cream coupes – relish in enjoying a banana spilt all to yourself.

Address: The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Website: thewolseley.com