Rochester Apartment

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.

There’s a wonderful fusion of setting and cooking at Cornus. A sister to long-standing Chelsea restaurant Medlar, it’s a refined, simply decorated restaurant with linen-laid tables and understated quality. The same goes for the dishes, which are based around superb produce, much of it seafood from the southwest coast. The likes of sweet Devon crab and roasted Cornish cod are made all the more delicious by the kitchen’s restrained approach and consummate technical skill. The chefs know they’re using brilliant ingredients, so never overcomplicate matters.

The Goring is a model of British style and understatement and its ground floor dining room the epitome of grace and decorum. It appeals to those who ‘like things done properly’ and is one of the few places in London for which everyone appears to dress up. The hotel has long enjoyed a reputation for serving classic British dishes like eggs Drumkilbo, but the kitchen makes judicious use of modern techniques and superb ingredients to produce dishes that display an impressive understanding of balance, flavour and texture.

The Peninsula’s rooftop restaurant is a celebration of the world of speed; it’s named after the famous Surrey racetrack and a scale model of Concorde hangs from its ceiling. When it comes to the kitchen, it’s clear there’s a high level of skill on board, as the team is run by the experienced Claude Bosi. Expect finely detailed, exquisite cooking that showcases the best British ingredients, like Lake District lamb and Cornish squid, in delicate yet rewarding dishes. The floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto a fantastic terrace.

With seating for just 23 customers, there’s an intimate, almost communal feel to events at this restaurant inside a delightful Georgian townhouse in a charming Belgravia mews – which partly explains the name. ‘Muse’ can also refer to the inspiration behind the cooking, which includes chef-owner Tom Aikens’ parents, his childhood and key moments from his professional career. Each well-judged and sophisticated dish relates to something memorable from Tom's past, whether that was climbing a tree or enjoying the last barbecue of summer.

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.

As soon as you are welcomed with warmth and charisma by the outstanding service team, you know you're in for a special experience at this jewel of a restaurant. The chefs achieve a perfect blend of modernity and classicism, combining seasonal dishes that embrace Alain Ducasse's beloved 'naturalité' with a roster of his signature recipes – such as the peerless rum baba, a dessert that consistently delivers culinary ecstasy. Underpinning it all are outstanding ingredients, technical mastery and miraculous balance in dishes that can be at once intense and fresh, both rich and delicate.