I ate at Kitchin in Edinburgh a week or so ago. First time for dinner time and it was lovely. Very relaxed. With a window onto the kitchen, so you can see whats going on.
Much more comftable than comparable Edinburgh resturants, such as Martin Wisharts. Less formal and fussy. But still good food.
Went for the tasting menu….about 10 courses i think..
fave was marrowbone and snails (nicer than it sounds)
Wasn't really drinking and the waiter was over enthusiastic with the wine. Had to be asked not to refill glasses at one point.
really important point for me is that the tables werent too close together.
only had table for two hours as we booked late, but spent ages after on the comfy sofas just chatting.
Got given a copy of tasting menu too 8/10

www.thekitchin.com

and i feel that i SHOULD like this place but i dont

http://www.thedogsonline.co.uk/
The Dogs

supposed to be simple, cheap..non pretentious home cooking..alsmost gastropub, but not in a pub..
mismatching furnature and cutlery..was ok..not as interesting as it thinks it is

I also want to give a shout for Pret soups. Love em. Healthy, light but still tasty. Its not a resturant I know..but would rather have a pret soupfor lunch that go to the dogs.

just because its one i hadnt been to before, went to AUTOMAT on dover street on saturday night. id say it was an upmarket american brasserie. nice atmosphere inside, quite classic wooden decor. just simple food done well really, i had the chicken noodle soup to start which was lovely and then the automat burger for mains (as did most people), one of the nicest burgers ive had. really tender and chips were great (which are a letdown at most places), one person had the macaroni cheese which was really good apparently. definitely going to go back, not as try hard as most decent west end restaurants and about 25-30 for a 3 course meal which isnt bad. would really recommend it. parking easy too, in the evening at least, because its all yellow lines. made a change cos parkings usually a massive hassle in town.

bit of a negative was they bought 2 wrong salads for starters, people had asked for no dressing + anchovies and it arrived with. waitress was a bit stroppy when taking them away which was annoying.

www.automat-london.com

was going to get the steak tartare, didnt go for it for that reason precisely

Couple of favourites in Leeds:

Salsa Mexicana/Gringos in Chapel Allerton, reasonably priced Mexican food, tastes good. Small place which has a really great atmosphere.

La Besi in Hyde Park. Cheapish Italian food cooked and run by Italians. Best pizza's in Leeds bar none. Good atmosphere. Great for chilling out with mates. http://www.labesi.co.uk/

Sukothai (Thai food) http://www.thaifood4u.co.uk/ and Dos Amigos (Tapas) are pretty good too.

Went to Benares in Mayfair a couple of weeks ago, absolutely amazing food and the service was superb, attentive but not intrusive. Best restaurant experience I've ever had.

Namh, supposedly the only Michelin starred Thai restaurant, in the Belkin Hotel is also worth visiting. Intense flavours and taste combinations that are like but unlike usual Thai restaurants. Difficult to explain but an amazing experience. Over fussy waiters though.

http://halkin.como.bz/default.asp?section=186

Tamarind - another posh Indian in Mayfair but went on the Toptable sunday lunch 2-4-1 offer which is still running (Taster Menu 2-4-1). Again an experience that is highly recommended.

Planet Spice - modern Indian in Croydon. If this place was more central it would cost £££. Absolutely superb and pretty reasonable (c£35 a head) for the quality of the food and the service.

Shilpa - King Street, Hammersmith. Really nice South Indian restaurant. Well worth a look if you're sick and tired of the usual jalfrezi/korma/rogan josh fare served up in curry houses. Offers often on Toptable, woth a punt for £20 per head.

Anatolia Ocakbasi - Mare Street, Hackney. Great value Turkish restaurant on corner of road of Carhartt Warehouse store (that now seems to be selling Fred Perry, Edwin, Tonite and Folk amongst others)

Mahdi - King Street, Hammersmith. Reasonably priced Persian restaurant. Lots of grilled, flavoursome meat and the nan bread is amazing, huge, thin and crispy. About £12 a head.

Thai Square - a chain but the food is good. Have eaten in the Sevenoaks and Windsor branches and never been disappointed. I was always put off but it being a chain, thinking it was going to be a bit mediocre but have not been disappointed.

If any Fuker is ever in Sydney, Lees Fortuna Court in Crows Nest is the daddy of restaurants. Great food and service.

Yeah little Tokyo is good, especially the crazy water feature!

went to 'paolos' on hanger lane (right near park royal station), cheap as and the food was very good, i had minestrone soup which was top and baby chicken with salad and veggies wish was bang on, and my hoe had the same main, but avocado prawns to start, came to 50 quid with a couple of beers and a couple of cokes….can recommend it highly, especially for lunch with a crumpet.

http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1643l7z/paolo-s

Brindisa (borough market) - You can't book so either expect a long wait or turn up at a silly time, food is worth it, absolutely brilliant tapas, everything we had was delicious. Not exactly cheap though.

Skylon (royal festival hall) - Ate in the grill for the second time the other day, lovely food, v. good service, if you turn up late enough (10ish?) you can get a table without booking. Can be a bit rowdy as the bar fills up on fridays/weekends but gives a good atmosphere. My dad ate in the restaurant a while ago and said it was v. nice.

I know it's a chain, but it was still very good.

I'm going next week, not expecting much TBH.