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 Gordon Ramsay and other leading chefs and restaurateurs were asked to cite their best London restaurant meals of 2008 in a Bloomberg survey. Here’s what they had to say.

Tom Aikens (Tom Aikens): “The Wolseley -- just a great steak and great service with two of the best hosts in London.”

Jason Atherton (Maze): “Barrafina. It is a hard thing to do to pull off a tapas bar so authentic. Barrafina actually makes you feel like you are in Spain. I love it.”

Pascal Aussignac (Club Gascon): “Texture. I like the food because it is clean and it was a modern meal. I liked the combinations of ingredients. It reminds me of Tom Aikens a bit. I want to go to the Ledbury and Hibiscus.”

Sat Bains (Sat Bains, Nottingham): “Maze. It wasn’t just the food, which was spot on, but service was brilliant with great interaction, a great night in all. To top it off, Jason (Atherton) was in Italy somewhere prancing around after winning some second-rate pie competition or something, and he texted me a couple of times during dinner to see how we were doing. I told him to get lost, I’m eating dinner.”

Vineet Bhatia (Rasoi Vineet Bhatia): “Barrafina. The whole room was buzzing and the tapas were great. Prawn tortilla, a grilled chicken dish and the octopus were all delicious.”

Claude Bosi (Hibiscus): “Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley because the food and the service were the most accomplished I’ve recently experienced.”

Eric Chavot (Capital): “I had a lovely lunch with Pierre Koffmann at Vatika,” a venue outside London by Atul Kochhar, the chef-proprietor at Benares.

Sally Clarke (Clarke’s): “Barrafina. I was by myself and they were welcoming, professional. I chose lots of little plates -- each delicious -- simply prepared and tasty. Everyone around me was having a nice time but at no stage did I feel out of place.”

Richard Corrigan (Corrigan’s): “I’ve eaten really well in Hibiscus, which I loved. Claude is a master craftsman who has set his stall out and clearly defined what he wants to do.”

Anthony Demetre (Wild Honey): “Tom’s Kitchen. It never fails to satisfy, it is completely in keeping with the spirit of the time, fresh, informal and superb value.”

Mark Edwards (Nobu): “Locanda Locatelli. Whenever I go there, Giorgio cooks for me and it’s always fantastic. I like to be surprised when I go out to eat. He really knows what I like.”

Chris Galvin (Galvin Bistrot de Luxe): “Helene Darroze at the Connaught -- deep flavors, exact cooking and great service.”

Pierre Gagnaire (Sketch): “River Cafe. Not only for the food, which was fresh and well cooked, simple and comfortable, but because the lunch I had was on a sunny day (rare for London!), the service was nice, the atmosphere was happy, I felt relaxed and well taken care of.”

Rose Gray (River Cafe): “Zuma, because of the integrity of the sushi and sashimi, the historical aspects of the presentation and the brilliance of the flavors.”

William Guidara (Eleven Madison Park, New York): “Petersham Nurseries -- amazing food, truly unique environment, wonderfully gracious hospitality. I loved it.”

Henry Harris (Racine): “I enjoyed Zuma, particularly the quality of the ingredients, the confidence of the preparation, and the dynamite crab roll. It’s my favorite dish of all time.”

Sam Hart (Quo Vadis): “St. John. I always love it. It’s one of my favorite places to go back to time and again. I almost always have bone marrow on toast, but this particular time, I had a perfect, simply roast grouse. Also, I love the dining room.”

Angela Hartnett (Murano): “Arbutus. I just like Anthony (Demetre’s) food and the relaxed setting. Sheekey’s and Scott’s are my other favorites.”

Fergus Henderson (St. John): “Many lunches at Ciao Bella on Lamb’s Conduit Street, lasagne, the kids running amuck in nearby Coram’s Fields, a bottle of grappa left on the table. I’m happy.”

Mark Hix (Hix Oyster and Chop House): “Corrigan’s, because he has watched the way things are going and he’s taking the Lindsay House thing and moving in the direction of simplicity: good, honest food without the frills and trimmings. It’s what they are doing at the Spotted Pig in New York. A lot of people will be going in that direction.”

Philip Howard (The Square): “The River Cafe, as always: Stunning produce, lively flavors and an experience which always serves as a reminder as to the primary purpose of restaurants -- providing great hospitality. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley did an impressive job at the top end of the market, consistent cooking at the highest level.”

Rowley Leigh (Le Cafe Anglais): “Corrigan’s Mayfair was the best. He’s a good British chef who is serious about his food and never uses foreign ingredients when he can use British.”

Mourad Mazouz (Momo): “It has to be Maze.”

Francesco Mazzei (L’Anima): “Galvin Bistrot de Luxe.”

Shane Osborn (Pied a Terre): “Texture. The food was outstanding: very different and seasonal and light. You can’t beat their lunch menu for value. How they can make any money on it, I don’t know.”

Bruce Poole (Chez Bruce): “The best food was at the Greenhouse, although it was by no means the best restaurant experience: horrendous wine list, snooty service, etc. The most enjoyable experiences were at the Anchor and Hope, Tapas Brindisa, Wild Honey and the Ladbroke Arms.”

Gordon Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay): “It would have to be Nobu Berkeley. It still has an amazing buzz every night, the bar is fantastic and they do a really incredible tomato salad.”

Michel Roux Jr. (Le Gavroche): “Zuma. I left it to the head chef and what they came up with was superb. They do the bog standard well but some of the more modern takes on sushi are stunning.”

Chris Staines (Foliage): “I have had two outstanding meals. The first was at the Square. The food was simply cooked but well presented and each element was packed full of flavor. The second was by an ex-Square chef, Izu Ani at Vanilla.”

Agnar Sverrisson (Texture): “I had a very good lunch at Umu: fresh, clean, light -- just what I like. I also went to Greenhouse, and I like the cooking style.”

Marcus Wareing (Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley): “Either Foliage or the Greenhouse. Both were pushing the boundaries. The food was inspiring, inventive and creative, with fresh ideas.”

Tristan Welch (Launceston Place): “Hereford Road because of the pure simplicity and they cook the ingredients chefs like.”

Alan Yau (Hakkasan): “Petersham Nurseries Cafe in the summer; the slow-cooked lamb with borlotti beans was the most memorable meal I have had for some time. I love rustic cooking and the way the lamb was braised brought out intense flavors.”

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News.)