West Brompton, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“The food is pretty basic, but that’s not why people go” to wine merchant John Brinkley’s Chelsea brasserie, a long-time hangout for a loyal ‘Sloane Ranger’ crowd who discovered the place in the ’80s – “the wine list is excellent and not greedily priced, and the atmosphere remains great”. There are suggestions, though, that its “buzz” is on the wane (“the place has been sliding for at least two or three years”), but people have been saying this for over a decade now!

Wanting to eat in the wee hours? This stalwart chain has fed tolerable diner food 24/7 (VQ = Vingt Quatre, geddit?) to the denizens of the Fulham Road for as long as anyone can remember (before 1995 it was called ‘Up all Night’); and has a more recent outlet (unusually, licensed till 4am, though you must be eating) that’s more convenient if you are clubbing in the West End on the ground floor of a Bloomsbury hotel.

“The best British cooking, with an emphasis on the finest seasonal meat and ingredients” (particularly “the best game”) has won renown for this “relaxed, well-spaced and dog-friendly” venue, owned by Ledbury supremo, Brett Graham. You might argue it’s “more of a restaurant than a pub” nowadays, but it would be splitting hairs as it still looks the part of a backstreet Fulham boozer; and – even if food is served throughout – you can still drink at the bar. (It’s typically voted London best pub in our annual diners’ poll, but was for the first time in years knocked off its perch this year by The Devonshire). Top Tip – “Sunday lunch really is as good as is claimed! And in itself very good value”.

This “upmarket” and “traditional” pub tucked away on the edge of Chelsea near Stamford Bridge is owned by singer James Blunt and his wife Sofia, and mimics a country local with a “cosy bar area and a lovely conservatory”. The “delicious food” is at its best for Sunday lunch, when it’s “the perfect place for a pint of beer and some roast pork”.