THE PASSPORT TO LONDON’S THRIVING RESTAURANT SCENE

This October, Gizzi Erskine, Jonathan Ross, Jason Atherton, Angela Hartnett and Theo Randall are all working with London Restaurant Festival

London Restaurant Festival in partnership with American Express, now in its fifth year, comprises two elements: FESTIVAL MENUS and EVENTS, which take place in restaurants over a two-week period in October: this is the capital’s annual citywide celebration of eating out. New for 2013, London Restaurant Festival is proud to announce that chef, food writer and journalist Gizzi Erskine and television presenter Jonathan Ross will be on board; Gizzi joins as the new Chairperson, and Jonathan will be hosting a special film event in partnership with BAFTA 195 Piccadilly.

Some 350 restaurants will take part in the capital’s biggest restaurant festival, where great value FESTIVAL MENUS are created by chefs to give food-lovers the chance to try new restaurants. The Festival Menu programme is run in partnership with Europe’s fastest growing online restaurant booking website, Bookatable.com, and VOSS is the official water of London Restaurant Festival.

London Restaurant Festival pioneered, and is now synonymous with, the concept of restaurant-hopping. To the sell-out TAPAS TOURS, in partnership with Estrella Damm, that have operated since 2011, LRF has added CICCHETTI TRAILS in partnership with Peroni Nastro Azzurro and JAPANESE JOURNEYS, that take place over the weekends of the festival. This allows festival-goers to experience not just the best Spanish food in the capital, but also the most exciting Italian and Japanese places too. For each of the tours, a passport will be used to redeem a dish and a drink in each of six participating venues.

Some of the restaurants involved include: Amesta, Copita, Fernandez & Wells; Polpo, Massimo, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental; Inamo, Tonkotsu and Sake No Hana.

A favourite since 2009, the LRF GOURMET ODYSSEY – London’s most original gastronomic road trip in partnership with Champagne Laurent-Perrier – returns with three tours where guests have a course in different restaurants, including a first for the much-talked-about Shard restaurants: Aqua Shard and Hutong. Here guests can at once enjoy spectacular food and unrivalled views of the city. The Masters Gourmet Odyssey includes Benares, Wild Honey and Gauthier Soho; On the Discovery Gourmet Odyssey, guests will eat at Social Eating House, Gymkhana and Picture.

In partnership with LivingSocial, GRAZE lets food-lovers enjoy all the best restaurants in one area. The Graze passport is valid for the whole festival period. Taking place separately in the West End, In the City and Up North, the passport gives a complimentary drink when you visit each of the 10 or 12 participating restaurants for a small plate (from the Graze Menu).

Some of the restaurants involved: Providores, Arbutus, Dishoom, Cotidie and Rotary.

This year EAT FILM returns with a twist. In partnership with BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, LRF has invited Jonathan Ross to curate a three-course dinner inspired by the 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film, Spirited Away in the stunning cinema and restaurant at BAFTA headquarters, 195 Piccadilly. The ticket price includes a cocktail reception, the screening and a three-course dinner with wine.

New to LRF 2013 is SUNDAY BEST, an exclusive event for American Express Cardmembers, where guests will have the opportunity to dine at some of the most celebrated restaurants in town, in the company of the chefs. SUNDAY BEST will see renowned chefs including Jason Atherton, Theo Randall, Angela Hartnett, Mark Sergeant and Marianne Lumb all cook one-off Sunday lunches, followed by a meet and greet with guests.

Chairperson Gizzi Erskine says “I am absolutely delighted to be the new chairperson of London Restaurant Festival. This is a festival that continues to thrill Londoners with its gastronomic delights, creating unforgettable events. Like many other food lovers, I am most excited about sampling the very best food London has to offer and discovering some wonderful new restaurants”.

LRF Founder Simon Davis comments “LRF is about getting out and discovering as many restaurants as you can in a fun way and for all budgets. There’s an insatiable appetite in London for eating out and sharing that experience and LRF feeds it.”

For more information regarding the festival visit www.londonrestaurantfestival.com.

Tickets for the festival are available to the general public from TicketMaster www.ticketmaster.co.uk, LivingSocial www.livingsocial.com or Live Bookings www.bookatable.com/uk from 17th August 2013.

American Express Card members can purchase tickets from 14th August 2013 via www.ticketmaster.co.uk/americanexpress.