The truth about Salt Bae is simple: restaurant critics, newspapers, and indeed this writer have less to say about the phenomenon worth listening to than the fact that his restaurants are always full, always ridiculous, and always making an absolute wad of cash. London is no exception, the gold-covered steaks are flying out, and the best thing of all is that it’s possible to just watch it happen on Instagram if all of this leads to existential dread.

Chet Sharma’s new Mayfair addition to the JKS stable is at first glance very smart — with elegant banquettes and a sweeping counter that provides an ideal view of the multi-level sigree grill. But here smart also means intelligent: Sharma’s playfulness appears in opening gambits of papad and kurkure that resemble Quavers and NikNaks respectively, and it persists across the menu, in a departure from prior billing as a tasting menu concession to its locale that feels like a very wise decision.

Ramo Ramen is known for its creative, clever refraction of Filipino culinary traditions, leading to singular bowls of ramen which feel in tune with the spirit of the most exciting cooking in the city right now. Oxtail collapses into creamy peanut broth in a bowl inspired by kare kare, the Filipino stew, while grilled king prawns bob in a broth pursed by tamarind and lime in a rendition of the soup, sinigang. But in Soho, the stars are the decadent: an outrageous lobster and crab ginataan, and a rich wagyu bistek donburi.

An adult, winking Florentine trattoria is Russell Norman’s next contribution to the London restaurant world. There’s a risotto of the day to come shortly, and a bar to be propped up from 11 a.m.; bistecca alla Fiorentina, tonnato with caperberries, and pasta alla vodka are all present and correct. But maybe the smartest thing about this nostalgia-edged restaurant in Farringdon is that it has the know-how and the character to evade any thought of pastiche.

Marugame Udon, the London debut for a chain with hundreds of sites in Japan, might never hit the serene heights of Koya or the neighbourhood intimacy of somewhere like Kiraku in Ealing. But: the arrival of a huge, monied overseas player into a huge site vacated by a chain in decline (Wahaca) is probably a canary in the coal mine of London casual dining over the next five years, and if its competitors bring this dedication to consistency and quality, with noodles made daily and bowls starting at £3.45, then the city will be better for it.

Max Rocha’s deceptively simple, unfussy cooking belongs alongside that of the Anna Tobias, 40 Maltby Street, Rochelle Canteen, the River Cafe, and Quo Vadis, with a Continental accent. Modern modern British? Fried potato with cod’s roe and radishes, rare grilled onglet with peppercorn sauce and chips, or, at the weekend a whole roast chicken with chips and salad to share. There will be seasonal salads and tarts and wee snacks like fritters containing an anchovy and a single sage leaf. There are hints of Scandinavia in its look-and-feel, occupying as it does a new build location on the edge of the Regent’s Canal close to the trendy Broadway Market. Cafe Cecilia is cool, it is breezy, and it happens to also be very friendly.

Michelle Salazar de la Rocha and Sam Napier have worn many hats in London Fields. Pollo Feliz, an ode to grilled chicken, became Sonora, an ode to beef in many guises, became Sonora, and ode to beef in one, very singular, very Sonoran guise: carne asada. Freshly reopened after a six week break, it’s as busy, brilliant, and beguiling as ever — the cowboy in their logo finally, it seems, has the hat it always wanted.

This sun-dappled Walthamstow cafe has always been a hit, but it’s gone up another gear with the arrival of former 40 Maltby Street chef Alex Vines, bringing in an elegant menu for the weekends. Slabs of chicken liver parfait bely a silken texture; skate flops lazily over asparagus; mussels take up a little tartlet with saffron and fennel.

Walking into one of the busiest street food markets in London with three of its most popular offerings — falafel; wraps; and falafel in wraps — is a flex most people would never dare. But Balady’s Sabbo brothers are not most people, and their arrival on Leather Lane from Temple Fortune has drawn queues for its impeccable sabich, hummus, and, yes, falafel from day one. It’s a kind of coming home for Oz Sabbo, who worked on the street before opening in Temple Fortune, and his infectious hospitality suits the buzz to a tee.

Missy Flynn and Gabe Pryce’s latest iteration of Rita’s sees them put down roots in Soho. The listed building on Lexington Street’s limitations have been turned to advantages, with an unfussed-with design and an opportunity to more fully develop Pryce’s version of Americana cooking and Flynn’s approach to exactingly fun drinks. This is a place for lunch and dinner, not for bits and bobs on small plates: a barbecue beef tartare with herbs; quail and grits; sharing steaks, potatoes, and greens. It’s a Proper Restaurant, with the vibe of cool dinner party.

There are probably few restaurants in London less concerned with the business of hype and the attention economy than Vasco and Piero’s, the Umbrian institution best known for quality fresh pasta in Soho before quality fresh pasta in Soho became the thing every landlord wanted. But come 2020, attention came: when the restaurant, resident on Greek Street for 50 years, was relieved of its premises over a rent dispute. After the turmoil, it’s now back on D’Arblay Street doing what it always did: white tablecloths, good wine, good pasta, no faff.