With the exception of painlessly paying for your meal via the cash-free miracle of contactless cards, how much can technology possibly lend to a restaurant experience? Well, you'll be surprised...
We've spent time in an around London's most tech-savvy restaurants looking for the best in technological innovation to entertain, expedite and enhance our eating experience. And we've found some blinders... from iPads (actually, iPads at every turn), conveyor belts, bar codes, scanners and even flying serving trays. We kid you not.
Take a look at our list...
London's most tech-savvy restaurants
This classic neighbourhood restaurant in chic Kensington was Lady Diana’s favourite, and it’s certainly suitable for the aristos with its pretty fireplaces, pristine white tablecloths and charming white panelled windows. However there’s a nod to technology in the Chef’s Office, a private dining room where a giant plasma screen hanging from the wall reveals the goings-on in the kitchen.
When Yo! Sushi first arrived in London it introduced a revolutionary concept: that of grabbing food off conveyor belts. Now a popular franchise and with myriad other similar eateries in abundance, the chain have developed a remote-controlled “flying tray” that flies through the air to deliver food to your table. Called the iTray, it’s operated via an iPad (naturally) although it hasn’t been rolled out across Yo! Sushi’s branches as of yet.
Gordon Ramsay’s French and Asian restaurant delivers the wine list on an iPad, allowing diners to look up wines and make informed choices. Could this be the end of the sommelier?
This pizza and pasta chain has a simple method for avoiding complex calculations when splitting the cost of a meal between a group. Each diner is given a chip card which scans the items ordered, even if everyone orders together, then when it comes to paying individual bills are produced.
This fashionable restaurant is situated in a former petrol station in the redeveloped King’s Cross area. It stands to reason therefore that they’re up-to-date with trends like taking down customer’s orders on iPads.
This veteran restaurant famed for its classic British cooking has moved with the times – their vast wine list is available for perusal on an iPad.
Sushi restaurant Moshi Moshi have taken mobile technology one step further with their use of QR codes – the barcodes scannable by smart phones. Here they are edible, stamped on each individual piece of fish so that the customer can find out where it’s come from and make sure it’s been sustainably sourced.
Conde Nast magazine has named Eccleston Square Hotel one of the most high tech hotels in Europe, thanks to having iPads, electronically-controlled beds and Blu Ray DVD players in each room. In a similar vein their restaurant has everything visitors need to remain connected, with free, speedy wi-fi and charging units for laptops and mobiles by every seat.