Primrose Park

There are a lot of courses on James Knappett's creative surprise menu, but you'll be glad of it once you've tried such superb cooking. You’ll start in the lounge with drinks and accomplished canapés that set the tone for the evening, before being guided to your seat at the beautiful kitchen counter – where you can watch the chefs finish dishes close-up. Outstanding British produce is at the heart of the experience, with the seafood often proving a highlight, whether it's soft and smoky eel or fresh squid enhanced by a creamy lobster sauce.

A light refurbishment in early 2025 freshened up the look of this ever-popular Indian restaurant, while the service remains as pitch perfect as ever: professional and attentive, without being stiff or formal. But what continues to make it special is the quality of its cuisine. Dishes inspired by India’s coastal cooking are not to be missed, like the generous and delicious Dorset brown crab or the Hariyali bream from the tandoor, but don’t ignore the more original offerings like beef short rib coconut fry. Look out for the special menus that celebrate India’s festivals and seasons.

The cooking at Portland respects the principles of sourcing and seasonality; in fact, the menu is often reprinted after lunch as ingredients are used up and replaced by different ones. The kitchen believes in doing as little as possible to the raw ingredients to allow their natural flavours to come through, and dishes are never over-crowded, with every component there to enhance another – like bone marrow sauce used to add depth and richness to a venison Wellington. The pared-down look of the room matches the understated food.

‘Rooted in Thailand, Uniquely British’ is the tagline of this joyfully run restaurant from John and Desiree Chantarasak – John is half-Thai, half-British, a duality that informs his cuisine. The exemplary ingredients – from crab to venison – are sourced from across the UK, including from Desiree’s family’s farm, but you can certainly expect more than British ingredients simply married with Thai flavours. There are reimagined and innovative dishes aplenty here too, such as Brixham crab with caviar and coconut ash cracker. Clever sourcing also extends to the furniture, with the tables made from

There’s a sense of theatre to every element of Mourad Mazouz and Pierre Gagnaire’s 18th-century house of fun. As you climb the stairs up to The Lecture Room and Library, the anticipation grows, then stepping into the gloriously colourful and lavishly decorated room both inspires and excites – there really is no restaurant in London quite like this. The multi-dish cooking is also unique in the city, where perfectly seared Cornish wild turbot comes with clams and mango, along with a mosaic of its skirt; and succulent roasted leg of Welsh lamb is accompanied by sweetbreads and kidney, with its fi

A wood-panelled dining room within the historic Connaught Hotel might suggest an overly formal environment for Hélène Darroze’s London restaurant, but its soft furnishings and pastel colours give it a wonderfully cosy feel which helps put you at ease. The talented kitchen team bring outstanding technical mastery and attention to detail to the very best seasonal produce, while some of the accompanying flavours are informed by Hélène’s international travels, like the Isle of Mull lobster with tandoori spices. For dessert, the signature 'Baba' with a choice of Armagnacs from Hélène's brother Marc

‘Mexican soul, British ingredients’ is the tagline of this big, bold restaurant, and it proves an exhilarating combination. The kitchen adds creativity and impressive modern technique to hyper-seasonal recipes rooted in tradition, resulting in wonderful flavour contrasts and imagination in outstanding dishes like the signature langoustine taco with smoked chilli and sea buckthorn. The interesting wine list focuses on lesser-known choices from Central and Eastern Europe, while the final part of the tasting menu is served in the downstairs Mezcaleria, which is well-stocked with Mexican spirits.