Covent Garden, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“A lovely use of a beautiful space” – “with delicate light flowing in, and a cream-focused colour scheme” – this “open and airy room”, within magnificent Somerset House, properly “lives up to its name”, and “is the perfect setting for the light, fresh and wonderful dishes” created by Skye Gyngell from her “fine, seasonal” menu. That it’s “not cheap” is noted, but seldom with rancour. “Courteous service” completes a “superb” and “romantic” experience.

“So cool eating at the bar” – this “enjoyably bustling” spin-off from the neighbouring Theatreland classic has “very good, 1930s-style decor” (even though it was only created about 10 years ago). Compared with the main restaurant it’s “perhaps a bit more about the ambience versus the food” here, and – “with the menu opting for the small-plates approach – costs can mount up”. But, results are “predictably good”, and the operation’s “slick” style and “flexible” format suits it to many different occasions: it’s particularly “great for lunch sitting at the bar, or an early pre-theatre dinner at one of the tables”.

This avowedly ‘veggie-centric’ concept from Welsh chef Bryn Williams (of highly rated Odette’s in Primrose Hill) gives top billing to vegetables and fruit, although the menu still offers plenty for carnivores to chew on. It occupies the quirky chamber, right at the back of Somerset House with Thames views, that once housed The Admiralty (RIP) – an intriguing location, but also one smart enough for doing business. From a fair number of reports, there is mostly praise for dishes that are “beautifully prepared and served” – a “detox set lunch with no meat or fish in sight was really inspiring and exciting”.

“Cracking views over the rooftops of Trafalgar Square and beyond from a sun-drenched room” earn the NPG’s top-floor dining room decent ratings as a venue for brunch, lunch or afternoon tea, or for an “early supper before the opera at the Coliseum”. The food is “quite adequate” although “not spectacular”. (There’s also a Spartan café in the basement).

“Exceptional value set deals” (particularly at lunch and pre-theatre) provide reason to discover this unusually situated grill, in the former dress circle of the converted theatre that nowadays houses the UK’s largest casino (right by Leicester Square tube) and looks down on the gambling tables below. Casino owner Simon Thomas prides himself on the quality of the steaks and wines on offer, and it shows.

“Yummy bakes and great caffeine” help make this tiny coffee house (just 10 covers) in Seven Dials – from the owners of The Palomar – particularly “good for a solo breakfast”.

“This American-style French brasserie” in Covent Garden – an offshoot of Keith McNally’s downtown NYC institution – has a “great atmosphere any time of day”: “love the decor as you enter”. It’s “a large space but a very cosy one”, and, say fans, “not outrageously priced considering its position and what it must have cost to create”. But at times it’s “a victim of its own success – packed, loud and slow, with staff trying heroically to cope”, and “the food is not exactly world-shattering”, just “fine in a ‘here’s one I prepared earlier and heated up’ sort of way”. Top Tip – “it’s very good for breakfast, which is less costly than other meals here”.