Rise of London's young-gun restaurateurs

Where do you eat? Home House.

What the critics say: "If you hit the main menu hard, you could easily work up a telephone-number bill. But they do a lunch deal. It is that very rare thing in Mayfair, a bargain," Jay Rayner, Observer. "I don't give out stars but if I did, Sumosan would get five. A fantastically entertaining restaurant," Toby Young in ES Magazine.

26, Albemarle Street, Mayfair, W1 (020 7495 5999)

SAM, 32, AND EDDIE, 30, HART

Who: Snappily-dressed in dark suits the brothers have been feted for Fino, their Spanish restaurant off Charlotte Street.

What's new? Barrafina, a 23-seater tapas bar on Frith Street.

Where do they come from? Brought up in the restaurant business as the sons of hotelier and restaurateur Tim Hart. Their love of Spain stems from holidays spent in their mother's childhood home of Majorca.

Who goes there? Rhys Ifans

They would order: "Ham croquetas and Santiago tart," says Sam. "Baby red mullet cooked on the plancha," for Eddie.

We would order: Fiery pimentos de padron. Watch out - one in 10 blows your head off. Lamb's sweetbreads with capers is glorious. (A meal for two with wine, about £75.)

Where do you eat? St John.

What the critics say: "The reason for my dallying at Barrafina was that there were so many items I wanted to try," Fay Maschler.

Barrafina, 54 Frith Street, W1 (020 7813 8016)

MARLON ABELA, 31

Who: Owns MARC, the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation, which includes Japanese restaurant Umu and fine dining establishment The Greenhouse (both Michelin-starred) and private members' club Mortons.

What's new: "I've just opened Avoce, a smart contemporary Italian in New York, and I'd love to open an Avoce here."

Smart then: Just a bit. Umu can be the most expensive restaurant in London. Abela's Lebanese family owned hotels and restaurants in Lebanon and Cannes. "We sold the family business, which gave me the opportunity to set up my own."

Umu? "I set out to create the most refined Japanese restaurant in Europe."

Who goes? Madonna, Jade Jagger, Orlando Bloom.

Where do you eat? The Square on Bruton Street.

What the critics say: "Umu specialises in the cuisine of Kyoto, where the emphasis is on balance, restraint and luxurious austerity. The food was extraordinary. In particular, the quality of the fish was unimprovable," John Lanchester, Evening Standard. (Tasting menu up to £200 per person.)

Umu, 14-16 Bruton Place, W1 (020 7499 8881)

CHARLIE McVEIGH, 40

Who: Old Etonian who has just sold his mini empire (Grand Union Pub, Woody's and The Bush Bar and Grill). Hugely enthusiastic. He gets the sites and lets others do the detail.

What's next? A pub in Battersea called The Westbridge (opening 1 February) and CafÈ des Anglais (working title), a co-venture with former Kensington Place legend Rowley Leigh in the old McDonald's site in Whiteley's.

Sounds horrendous. "It's the most impressive room I've ever seen," he says of the 6,000 sq ft Art Deco space. It'll have a huge rotisserie as the kitchen's centrepiece, 180 seats, 40 more in the bar and an exclusive lift downstairs to Porchester Gardens.

He would order: Pints of prawns, dressed crab, lamb shank with truffled mash. And Charlie will be selling bottles from his personal stash of en-primeur wines.

We would order: Chef Laurent Alvergne has a sensational pudding, a honey and lavender ice cream with a nougat centre and a caramelised pistachio sauce.

Where do you eat? Galvin in Baker Street. "The whole thing is fabulous," he says.

The Westbridge, 74-76 Battersea Bridge Road, SW11 (020 7228 6482)

OLIVER ROWE, 33

Who: At 24, landed a job at Clerkenwell restaurant Moro owned by Sam (husband) and Sam (wife) Clarke. They made him head chef of their ill-fated Hammersmith restaurant, Maquis.

What's new? He has opened a successful project called Konstam. "It's named after my German-Jewish maternal great grandfather. I source the food from within the London Tube network. It's important to source seasonally and locally."

Who goes there? Clive James, Frances McDormand and Joel Cohen, Nick Serota, Mike Figgis.

He would order: Lamb (£16.50) - from Amersham (the end of the Metropolitan line), grilled with a caper, onion and parsely sauce, served with winter veg, followed by Earl Grey and orange cream pudding (£5.50).

We would order: Roast Waltham Abbey chicken with leeks, barley and white wine and rosemary sauce (£13.50), followed by Norbury blue and Chesham goat's cheese with Tower Hill honey and toast (£5.50).

Where do you eat? "I love Mangal, a fantastic Turkish restaurant in Stoke Newington."

What the critics say: "There is an engaging honesty about the whole enterprise." Nick Curtis, Evening Standard.

Konstam at the Price Albert, 2 Acton Street, WC1 (020 7833 5040)

MERILEES PARKER, 35

Who: Got her big break working for Antony Worrall Thompson and opened his pub near Henley, The Greyhound. Then set up her own catering company, Pink. She runs the Guards Polo ground restaurant. Presented Food Uncut, a daily show on UKTV Food.

Next big thing: Is set to open a pub in Ladbroke Grove.

Her pub will serve: Traditional pub grub served simply. Chicken and ham pasties, doorstep sandwiches and homemade soup. There will be turkey crackling (its skin roasted in sea salt) and crumbled, and suet puddings.

Where do you eat? "I love Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. The hotel has a stiff atmosphere but the food is refreshing River CafÈ-style Italian done to perfection."

WILL RICKER, 44

Who: Ricker has five Asian-inspired restaurants including E&O, Eight over Eight and The Great Eastern Dining Room. "It's a formula but it's a good one and it's mine," he says.

What's new? XO in Belsize Park opens this week. (Reviewed by Fay Maschler today on page 34).

What's your approach to running restaurants? "There are 10 million Londoners and they all need to be fed. But it's tough. There's no return on mistakes. It's total risk capital and if it goes wrong, it's public."

He would order: "White pepper Alaskan snow crab, drunken prawns and claypot chicken."

We would order: Something from the exquisite dim sum menu, which includes chilli-salt squid, jasmine and almond spare ribs, Peking duck with foie gras dumplings before arriving in culinary heaven with a serving of mini cinnamon doughnuts. (Meal for two, about £90.)

Next big thing: "I'm going to open a restaurant in a new building in Westminster called Mandalay."

Where do you eat? "I go to The Ivy to treat myself. It's so well run and there's always a sense of occasion.'

XO, 29 Belsize Lane, NW3 (020 7433 0888)