London has long been acknowledged as the ethnic eating capital of the world- boasting a wide variety of all Far Eastern cuisines. More exciting, however, is that London has now gained a reputation for modern world class food embracing every nationality. The emphasis is on healthy food, variety, fun, and good value for money.

More recent trends include 'new or modern English food',  using traditional foods in a new, light and interesting way with a trace of Eastern herbs and spices. There is generally an emphasis on fish, cooked very lightly, and fairly plainly, resting on a bed of vegetables with a rather delectable sauce. Vegetarians are now very well catered for with the modern British cuisine.

Pacific Rim and Fusion Cooking have also made their mark in the late 1990s, as has the cooking of North Africa and the Middle East. Indian restaurants in London were the first to gain Michelin stars.

There is good news on the pub front too. Several young British chefs who have been waiting to buy their own restaurants in London but have been unable to do so because of the price, are now taking over attractive Victorian pubs. They became available when the Government decreed that brewers had too great a monopoly, and ruled that a significant number of pubs should be sold. They have been renovated, and turned into 'gastro pubs'  serving interesting and redefined pub food at realistic prices. The 'gastro pub' scene has now spread to other parts of Britain with some now Michelin star-rated.

For central London eating, it is interesting to note that in the late 70's to early 80's the culinary center moved from Soho to Covent Garden, and then did a reverse swing. Soho has returned to its premier position as 'The' restaurant area of the West End, but there have been many openings in both locations, as well as in neighborhoods such as Hampstead, Islington, Notting Hill Gate, Chiswick, Clerkenwell, Marylebone, Fulham, and Brompton Cross.

With the great redevelopment of the South Bank of the Thames, many new restaurants are opening up on the river, especially in Southwark and in the neighborhoods of Barnes, Blackheath, and Putney. There has been a recent trend to update hotel dining - to terrific effect. Famous chefs have now opened kitchens at many of London's leading hotels.

In order to attract more, and younger people, into their establishments, most restaurateurs are now offering 'set price lunches', and a 'set price dinner' at a slightly higher cost, but still offering value for money. The set price lunch is undoubtedly one of the best ways of making your money go further whilst presenting the opportunity to sample the food prepared by great chefs, many of whom, for the first time are British.

In Britain nearly 130 dining establishments have been awarded at least one star from the revered Michelin Guide and three of them now have top-rated three-star designations. These acclaimed restaurants can be found in city, town and country and a gastronomic tour of starred eateries would take in just about every corner of the kingdom, from London's toney Mayfair district to the Scottish Highlands, from tucked-away English country towns to the valleys of Wales.

Older, perhaps more traditional, restaurants with solid reputations jostle on the Michelin list with newer places featuring innovative, adventurous, sometimes outlandish cuisines from young chefs/owners who are becoming the new establishment.

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