Why bring back Joe’s Oriental Diner now? Scott Hallsworth explains to The Knife the difficult decision to put Freak Scene on ice, recalls the Singapore chilli crab that stayed with him for decades, and reveals the one thing every table at his new Balham restaurant must have.

Hilton London Metropole is home to 1,100 bedrooms, five kitchens and a brigade of 54 chefs. For the latest ‘Check In, Dine Out’, The Knife heads behind the scenes with Executive Chef Paul Bates, discovering how one of London’s biggest hotel culinary operations feeds up to 2,000 guests while Bow Bar and Tyburn Kitchen give visitors plenty of reason to stay for dinner.

From a 16-seat restaurant in Colombo to a 90-seat opening in Canary Wharf, Apinash Sivagumaaran has built ISSO around one overlooked ingredient: the prawn. He tells The Knife why he calls it the “wagyu of the sea”, which curry tastes like home and what he wants London to discover about Sri Lankan food.

Mairi Livsey announced CZER before she had a location. Then a customer turned up at 8am on opening day, the wraps sold out and London kept coming back. The co-founder tells us how a very specific Caesar craving became a Mayfair and Soho phenomenon.

At 3am, Joshua Hunter might be out deer stalking. In Karl O’Dell’s kitchen, venison is finding its way into raviolo with black pudding. Ahead of their British game dinner at CORD, the two chefs talk field-to-plate cooking, the mistake that can ruin grouse and why these seasonal ingredients deserve a spot on your shopping list.

From tending chickens and picking wild garlic in Gloucestershire to The Ritz, Allegra and now Constance, Charlie Crote’s career has come full circle around great British produce. He talks to The Knife about seasonality, reinventing the classics, working with Adam Byatt and why a Baked Alaska can still create a little bit of magic.

From starting in kitchens at 13 to leading Rosina on Wandsworth Common, Will Bee has built his career on humility, hard work and an appetite to learn. He tells The Knife about life at Paul Ainsworth at No.6, leading 20-plus chefs at Lita, working with Adam Byatt and why learning to strip food back has become one of his biggest challenges yet.

Twelve years in Mayfair, three London restaurants and more than 30 years in professional kitchens. Executive Chef Marco Corsica reveals to The Knife what it really takes to keep Bocconcino relevant in London's ever-changing dining scene, from the importance of consistency and nurturing talent to rising costs, changing tastes and why some Italian classics should never be touched.

Atul Kochhar’s Kanishka brings regional Indian cooking, British produce and Mayfair polish together on Maddox Street. As Diwali approaches, a new tasting menu of Orkney scallops, Chalkstream trout, Romney lamb and celebratory mithai offers a timely window into one of the restaurant’s most compelling ideas: Indian cuisine without borders.

From arriving in London in 1979 to opening 11 Taro restaurants, Mr Taro has spent decades making Japanese food feel at home in the capital. He talks to The Knife about Soho memories, Holloway, Arsenal-inspired sushi, the ramen that takes him back to Kumamoto and why the greatest reward is seeing generations of the same families return.

For the latest instalment of 'Check In, Dine Out', The Knife heads to Marylebone and Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. From Mediterranean cooking over the Josper grill at The Montagu Kitchen to Riviera-inspired cocktails and private picnics in Portman Square, this is a London hotel putting food and drink firmly at the heart of the stay.

Two generations, one shared love of Spanish food. From Brindisa's two decades of tapas, regional produce and convivial dining to Bar Kroketa's three-site celebration of croquetas, vermút and Basque-style bar hopping, we explore how these sister brands are keeping London's love affair with Spain alive – one small plate at a time.

Century egg, raw garlic and perhaps pig brain next? Noodle & Beer founder Xiaoxiao Wang talks to The Knife about challenging British palates, the rise of Sichuan food in London, balancing a growing restaurant brand with parenthood, and why every Noodle & Beer needs its own personality.

What if your favourite restaurant changed chefs every few weeks? Mare Street newcomer Rocola combines an open kitchen, Latin-inspired bar and rotating programme of culinary residencies. The Knife stopped by during Colombian chef Sebastian Becerra's stint to see whether East London's new jukebox-themed restaurant is an idea worth putting on repeat.

Is one of London’s best tasting menus hiding in plain sight? Smoke & Salt brings serious technique, bold flavour and genuine creativity to Tooting – all for £80. After experiencing its summer Culture menu, The Knife asks whether this South London restaurant might just be the capital’s most underrated.

Ibiza is coming to Oxford Street. Cotton Beach Club takes over Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges for two rooftop dates, bringing salt-baked sea bass, caviar tagliolini, roaming cannoli, Champagne, DJs, sax and Balearic sunset energy to London. No boarding pass required.

Thirty-one floors above London, brunch comes with one of the capital's greatest distractions: the view. But Aqua Shard's latest menu is making a play for your attention too, moving from eggs, pancakes and Bellinis to Devon crab, Chalk Stream trout and a caramel custard tart worth saving room for. The Knife heads skywards to discover brunch beyond the skyline.

From relinquishing control over an open flame to rejecting the punishing kitchen culture he grew up in, new ALTA Head Chef Robbie Jameson is doing things his own way. The former HUMO chef talks Bar ALTA, Basque conviviality, cooking without ego and taking The Knife's Restaurant of the Year into its next chapter.

Oysters, burrata, Bayonne ham, homemade focaccia, grilled prawns, and more – all for £29. The Knife heads to Galvin Bistrot & Bar in Spitalfields to discover why the Galvin brothers' 'Taste of Summer' menu might be one of London's best-value feasts, plus a first look at its upcoming one-night-only collaboration with Judy Joo.

Can dinner change someone's future? 130 Primrose is putting that idea to the test. The Primrose Hill restaurant recruits and trains people with lived experience of homelessness, combining Mediterranean-led cooking with genuine routes into hospitality. The Knife went along to see why this is far more than a restaurant with a good cause.