South Kensington, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Classy, with a nice grown-up atmosphere” – this ‘traditional countryside pub and dining room in southwest London’ (the first from the Lunar Pub Company) opened in late 2019, and is successfully living up to its ‘rus-in-urbe’ aspirations. There are lots of warm vibes for its well-realised food and cosy style (even if the prices are those of SW3, not the shires). They are already onto their second project (opening in late 2021) – The Ganymede in SW1 (see also).

“Discreet and off the beaten track” – this supremely “cosy and classy neighbourhood restaurant” is “tucked away in an attractive street in Kensington and well worth a visit”. “Ben Murphy’s cuisine is fun and playful”, providing “absolutely sensational” dishes that are “packed with flavour”. In the last year he has rightly been elevated to being chef/patron here and – in terms of quality, if not perhaps fame – this is “definitely the jewel in the crown of the D&D empire”.

“Reliable, whatever the hour” – this small group of upscale diners has grown from its long-established Chelsea base, although – with closures in recent times – its only two siblings now are within midtown hotels in Aldwych and Bloomsbury. Aldwych is the only one actually open 24/7 (VQ = ‘Vingt Quatre’, i.e. 24-hour), but both its siblings are open for most of the wee hours, which is when they come into their own as a pick-me-up post clubbing. “It’s a very cosmopolitan menu, but drink may dull the senses of fussier gastronomes…”

A “fun atmosphere” and “wide wine list that’s almost at cost prices” ensure that John Brinkley’s Chelsea-set haunt remains “a perfect place for an afternoon to float away”, or a “summer’s evening in the conservatory”. The food “won’t set the world alight”, but that’s never been the point. There are now spinoffs in the Wandsworth Bridge Road and on the edge of Wandsworth Common.

2019 Review: The decor can seem “dreary” – a complaint that has dogged this Chelsea site ever since its heady days as ‘Aubergine’ (long RIP) – but this three-year-old spin-off from Gordon Ramsay’s Mayfair grill puts in a better showing than the original: “dreamy burgers” and “outstanding beef” both win praise (if, as at the original, on fairly limited feedback).