Oxshott, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Perfect for a romantic celebration” – this rather “grown-up restaurant” in a five-star property overlooking Kensington Gardens comes complete with dark wood panelling, leaded glass windows and candle-light and provides a comfortable and “very cosy” backdrop for a meal. Chef Daniel Putz’s modern European dishes are essentially traditional (Dover sole, Barnsley lamb chop) but are thoughtfully updated. Top Menu Tip – “excellent low-key afternoon tea”.

“It’s more gastro than pub, but the ambience deliberately stops short of a full restaurant experience and so you can have great food in a more relaxed manner” at Mike Wall-Palmer & David Adams’s characterful old hostelry, which has been a feature of the high street since the sixteenth century. A feature highlighted for praise is the “exceptional value set lunch” (“delightful carpaccio of beef, sea bream in a delicious mussel sauce and a scrumptious dessert… top value!”). There’s also a simpler offering in the bar and courtyard.

“Good for business or a Sunday lunch” – this boutique hotel on the Hammersmith Road is converted from the Victorian former premises of St Paul’s boys’ school and its smart, small dining room overlooks the adjoining park. A range of menus encompasses breakfast, afternoon tea and Sunday lunch and there’s a brasserie-style menu served at other times. Top Menu Tip – “one of the largest selections of Malt and specialist Whiskies I have found”… there are about 600 available.

“Lucky Chiswick!” – “You can’t go wrong with a meal at La Trompette in W4!” – which, like its south London stablemate Chez Bruce, is one of the most enduringly popular restaurants in our annual diners’ poll and likewise also one of the most consistent. True, the Covid years were more tricky than usual, but many reports agree they are “back to where they were pre- pandemic”. A “comfortable” space just off the high street, its atmosphere is that of a “neighbourhood restaurant” but a “very civilised” one at that. Greg Wellman’s cuisine is “expertly prepared” and “faultless every time”: “from the sourdough bread to begin to the warm soufflé that’s a favourite to finish, all from a seasonally changing menu which provides nice variety” and which “leaves you feeling well wined and dined at a good price”. Service is “always polite, friendly and professional” and has useful advice to give, including on the “well-priced wine list”. “I just wish it were a bit more central”, notes one fan… who visits it from Cheshire!! Top Tip – “now offering no corkage if you BYO on Sunday nights to add extra pleasure”.

An “unexpected find in a quiet location” – this “gorgeous olde worlde pub with delicious food” and big dining conservatory is to be discovered in a leafy suburban street near Richmond Park’s Sheen Gate; and is “a great all-rounder”, run by TV-chef owner Paul Merrett. Other features include six boutique bedrooms upstairs, and a large kid-friendly garden.

“Sally Clarke continues to oversee her Kensington oasis and ensures high standards are maintained” as she has since 1984 at this paragon of enduring quality, just south of Notting Hill Gate. Inspired originally by her time at Chez Panisse in California in the late 1970s, “the focus on quality ingredients pays off in the dishes and everything is deceptively simply prepared and tastes amazing”. “It’s not flash but all the better for that – not cheap but worth every penny”. “Remarkably, Sally is still working front of house every night ensuring guests feel welcomed and at home” and – especially for older romantics – “there is no music; tables are well spaced; the lighting is great; one can whisper sweet-nothings without the next table overhearing; and it slightly feels like one has taken one’s lover home to meet the family (and your mum happens to cook a good dinner). It’s a class act!”. Top Menu Tips – “all tastes are catered for and vegetables swapped round from the menu to accommodate likes and dislikes”. Highlights among starters include “super fresh crab”, “pasta with grated black truffle and an excellent white asparagus”; among mains, “superb Dover sole” and “fabulous deer, perfectly medium rare with superb accompaniments”; “excellent cheeseboard, then delicious comice pear sorbets with amazingly good pistachio wafers”.

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“Always a delight to eat here” – Tom Aikens’s small townhouse restaurant in Belgravia continues to inspire nothing but very high ratings for its “delicate cooking and inventive flavour combinations” served over two small floors, either counter-style, or at the small number of tables in the “cosy if slightly cramped” space. “The counter experience is so close up and personal, and the storytelling approach to cooking so compelling, that it creates a beautifully intimate atmosphere”. The menu is heavily inspired by and presented through the lens of Tom’s upbringing: “will return to try a different season’s story”. The only negative review this year was from someone considering it overpriced, who still rated the food as “very good” (“OK, so I don’t like tasting menus: I still expect staff to converse instead of reciting the – very – long history of how such-and-such a dish was inspired and created”.)

A “very casual modern British” haunt that’s particularly worth discovering in the culinary wastelands around Oval: an easygoing, modern bistro that’s particularly nice in summer when the cute rear terrace comes into its own. The menu is diverse, but incorporates a strong selection of steaks (it’s a sibling to Clapham’s ‘Knife’, see also).

“A superb destination full of generosity and honesty” – Bruce Poole & Nigel Platts-Martin’s “faultless”, “neighbourhood” restaurant, just across from Wandsworth Common, is voted London’s No. 1 favourite in our annual diners’ poll for an amazing 20th year. How do they do it? First off, consistency – a typical report will often start: “we’ve been eating here twice a year for about 20 years and it’s never been other than a brilliant go-to for a special meal”. Secondly, nothing about the enterprise is pretentious or showy: it’s “quietly refined but never pompous”. Chef Matt Christmas’s modern British cuisine is “unfailingly excellent” but impressively straightforward – “there’s nowhere for the chef to hide and he doesn’t need to”; impeccable ingredients are “cooked to perfection”, “every single thing on the plate has a taste, and nothing is just there for colour or decoration”. Thirdly, the service. Bruce is a “sympathic owner and he’s in the the room”, along with his staff who are “friendly but not overbearing and extremely well informed (if you’re a wine buff – there’s an extensive list – they’ll happily advise and discuss. But equally they won’t be snooty if you just want the ‘house red’”). Fourthly, the “plain (in a good way)” dining room, which is perfectly in keeping with the un-forced style of the proceedings. Its “lively buzz (as it’s practically always full)” can occasionally seem “noisy”, and for the odd thrill- seeker it “lacks excitement”. But if your taste veers towards “‘mature dinner party’ rather than ‘wild night out’” it feels for all the world like a “proper grown-up restaurant”. Fifth and finally, the final bill – prices are not give-away, but taken as a whole – with the generous little extras like parmesan biscuits to start, excellent breads and butter, a little truffle at the end – it’s “still astonishing value for money”.

Chic, “most enjoyable” all-day café-bar run in conjunction with nearby boutique hotel, 100 Cadogan Gardens, in a cute, quiet enclave off Sloane Street. You’re “warmly greeted by the staff”, who provide an assortment of menus from breakfast onwards of simple quality fare (steak, burgers, salad bowls, fish grills) “well prepared and presented”.