The great British feast

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Angela Hartnett.

The sun is sporadically shining, the grass is dew-strewn, and the deckchairs are out. The scene couldn't be more quintessentially English. But the food at the Taste of London 2008 festival in Regent's Park tells an altogether more global story.

Over 50 restaurants are offering up the very best of London's cuisine in sample-sized portions at mini-marquees: from India (Café Spice, Zaika and The Cinnamon Club) to Japan (Umu), Malaysia (Awana) to Brazil (Mocotó) and across Europe, as well as some of the very best in modern British cooking from restaurants such as Rhodes 24 and Oliver Peyton's National Dining Rooms.

And while the UK capital city has not been traditionally known for the quality of its culinary landscape, in recent years the concept of ‘British' cooking has evolved; there's a new verve about town, emanating from a mélange of the best chefs who bring their skills to the city from the furthest corners of the earth, combined with a revived consumer interest in quality food.

So armed with ‘crowns' (the festival's resident currency - most dishes cost around US$8). I plan to taste the culinary landscape of London in one day.

1. York and Albany

127-129 Parkway, NW1 7P

Y& This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Head Chef: Angela Hartnett

Sample menu

• San Daniele, melon and mint salad

• Rigatoni with tomato and rocket

• Tiramisu with Savoiardi Biscott

First stop is the soon-to-be opened York and Albany inn. Overlooking London's Regent's Park, this upcoming hotel is set to showcase a restaurant, bar and delicatessen.

Using produce from her favourite suppliers, Michelin-starred head chef Angela Hartnett has created a menu of dishes that is varied, seasonal and uncomplicated."Here, try some pasta," she says in a friendly manner, offering me a plate at her stand.

And, with her earnest manner, you wouldn't guess that she was the protégé of UK chef Gordon Ramsay, alumni of Petrus and The Grill Room at The Connaught and one of the most high-profile women in the UK's restaurant world.

I'm extremely excited about the venture," she tells me, adding that she also enjoyed helping to launch Ramsay's Verre restaurant in Dubai in 2004.

As it happens, her Rigatoni pasta with tomato and rocket tastes exquisite; perfectly tender, with a thin, almost-sweet tomato sauce infused with herbs.

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