Knightsbridge, British, Traditional - Restaurant Guide

The “splendid dining room” at the queen of department stores dates from 1911, but had languished in recent times until a splashy relaunch last year, with the David Collins Studio spiffing up the spectacular interior (25 chandeliers; seating for 160 guests) and well-known chef Calum Franklin drafted in to reimagine an Edwardian-era menu (‘1909 – Harrods Diamond Jubilee Consommé’ and so on), augmented by his own signature pies. Needless to say, “service is exceptional”, while the food is better than you might expect – although relatively few of our reporters have actually made the trip, given that Harrods is still not really on the map for Londoner drop-ins: it’s more of a destination for internationals, and obviously Afternoon Tea here is massive.