chez Guinevere

On the ground floor of the mightily impressive Raffles hotel – which opened in 2023 and occupies The Old War Office – sits this elegant, comfortable and discreet dining room. The sophisticated, technically elaborate cooking offers intriguing flavour and texture combinations, while displaying an emphasis on over 70 varieties of British fruit and vegetables – the plant produce is always listed first on the menu. The wine list is comprehensive, the pairings are well-considered and the service is pitched just right, being both structured and relaxed.

Head Chef Sriram Aylur and his team offer a comprehensive tour through the classic flavours of southwest India and the Malabar Coast. Just try the lemon rice or paratha with your fish curry or kori gassi and you immediately know you’re in safe hands – and do start with the delicious pepper shrimps. There’s a separate vegetarian menu along with the tasting and à la carte options, so everyone will be happy. The spacious and comfortable room, run by a smart and knowledgeable team, also feels authentic to the south with its use of sandstone and rattan.

Top restaurants never stop developing – and that’s certainly the case with Ikoyi. Founder and chef Jeremy Chan’s surprise tasting menu uses high-quality organic produce from the British Isles, married with global spices, to create dishes that are as unique and creative as they are bold and beautiful to behold – and they now display even greater levels of depth and complexity. Dishes like aged turbot with egusi miso or suya with creamed peas are bound to enthral, while the theatrically presented smoked jollof rice will always be one of the highlights.

In a discreet, intimate environment inside the grand Hotel Café Royal, the eponymous chef has the perfect canvas in which to showcase his impressive and accomplished cuisine. Dilling's dishes are exquisite in appearance and, like a seasoned orchestra, everything on the plate adds its own note of flavour to produce something harmonious and exhilarating. Whether Kaluga caviar, Scottish lobster or Peruvian chocolate, the kitchen knows how to bring the best out of its exquisite ingredients.

This brasserie de-luxe occupies a Grade-II-listed former banking hall within the Sofitel hotel and, while that means a certain grandeur, the atmosphere is never overly formal. Anthony Demetre’s cooking proves the perfect fit because it is equally impressive but defined by a refreshing lack of showmanship. His appealing dishes are as generous in size as they are rewarding in flavour, from duck, pork and guinea fowl terrine en croûte to Loire Valley rabbit. The delicious custard tart is a true speciality and if it was ever removed from the menu there would be protests on Pall Mall.

With its stunning Louis XVI decoration, this is a room that will take your breath away, and there’s a flamboyancy in the delivery of the dishes that lives up to the surroundings. Equally impressive is the cooking itself, displaying balance, refinement and depth of flavour at every turn. You need only take one glance at the menu featuring dishes like langoustine 'à la nage' to see that classical French techniques and luxury ingredients both play a big role in proceedings. The sharing ‘Arts de la Table’ dishes allow the impeccable service team to keep the theatre of the gueridon trolley alive.

This intimate restaurant next to The Savoy's American Bar is named in honour of the year in which renowned French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier joined the hotel. It’s a comfortable and discreet space, with golden hues, art deco touches and just 10 well-spaced tables. The surprise tasting menu is in part inspired by Escoffier’s classics but prepared using modern techniques, resulting in dishes with elegance and poise, underpinned by high-quality ingredients such as Cornish Red chicken. The Fragola Melba dessert is an updated version of the original made in honour of Dame Nellie Melba.