The Penthouse Double Bedroom for Rent Use of kitchen

The first solo opening of experienced chef Nick Beardshaw is this neighbourhood restaurant, where its lack of pretension makes it all the more endearing. The décor inside the surprisingly spacious dining room is simple yet elegant, while the menu consists of the kind of seemingly straightforward dishes that are tricky to pull off yet so easy to eat. Nick’s signature dish of Orkney scallop with Thai green curry sauce is a prime example, the technical skill and balance of flavours shining through. There’s a good selection of steaks and a great value lunch deal too.

A gorgeous Arts and Crafts building houses this warm, homely restaurant on the edge of Richmond Park. There's a natural ethos running throughout the highly seasonal cooking, which is best appreciated with the full tasting menu. Impeccably sourced ingredients and strong classical technique underpin assured, satisfying dishes where the boldly flavoured sauces are a highlight – be it honey and verjus with John Dory or a glossy sake sauce with Creedy Carver Duck. The warm, passionate service leaves no detail overlooked, and there are quarterly classical music recitals too.

You’ll find warmth and generosity aplenty at this family-operated Korean restaurant run with palpable pride. Some tables have their own barbecue, allowing you to cook your choice of meats right in front of you, including pork belly, short ribs and Wagyu beef, all at sensible prices. Don’t worry if you’re on a standard table though, as the bansang dishes are surefire winners, offering delicious main components such as fried chicken or grilled mackerel served with three side dishes and top-drawer kimchi. Leave room for the silky smooth matcha crème brûlée to finish.

This red-brick, 19th-century former beer house packs in bags of charm thanks to its original features like exposed brickwork and fireplaces, combined with tan banquettes, wood panelling and vintage photos – while a lovely garden and semi-covered terrace are the icing on the cake. The cooking delivers bold flavours in modern dishes with a classical base: think crispy pig's head followed by chicken Kiev or a char-grilled steak to share between two. The wine list offers plenty of choice, as does the wide range of beers.

As you sit in the greenhouse with sand at your feet, surrounded by fresh flowers which even in the winter months perfume the air, it feels as though all is right with the world. A unique spot within the London dining scene, this restaurant forms part of the wider Petersham Nurseries complex, where you can buy plants and homeware to spruce up your abode. The cooking is informed by their own fresh produce and has a clear Italian accent, from beef carpaccio and wild mushroom risotto to pan-fried sea bream with puttanesca.

There's an endearingly personal touch to this intimate Japanese restaurant run by a husband-and-wife team. The menu takes an omakase format, beginning with a series of otsumami dishes and followed by nigiri sushi. It's the latter that proves to be the stand-out, each individual piece delivered one by one to the enraptured diners; you can expect the pure, delicately flavoured seafood produce to include the likes of chutoro, otoro, hamachi and scallop. There's a sake pairing available for pre-order if you want to enhance the experience.

Situated in the Merton Abbey Mills development – which was once a 12th-century priory, then spent time as a mill and is now a thriving cultural quarter – Black Radish is an intimate, well-run restaurant with space for just 12 diners. A chef’s table for two is ideal if you want a ringside seat. The cosy atmosphere provides a backdrop for cooking that’s grounded in top-drawer ingredients – be that Orkney scallops with yuzu kosho, XO and finger lime or terrific Silver Hill duck with complementary quince and salsify.