Best Fine Dining in Ashburnham Place

"If the convivial atmosphere of a bistro or elegance of a fine-dining French restaurant leaves you as cold as a steak tartare, Sketch: The Gallery might just be the answer. A feast for all the senses, this unique concept has an emphasis on bold, progressive ‘new French’ food from chef Pierre Gagnaire and even bolder design from Fourth Plinth commissioned artist David Shrigley. Book a table at a French restaurant now."

"Straddling a fine balance between ritzy and trippy, WOW factor prevails during your visit to sketch. You’ll bypass several mind-boggling tearooms that seem to conjure an Alice in Wonderland of the future, and pause upon entering an oversized white capsule resembling a UFO. So what happens at this intergalactic party?"

"Sketch is an experience and it definitely lives up to the hype, with its multiple dining rooms that each have their own unique decor. Each room has a different aesthetic, but you're faced with the same feeling – bewitchment. The food is impeccable and the staff treat you like royalty."

"It's part of London's vast culinary mythology, and it feels a bit like stepping back in time to Covent Garden's theatrical heyday. J Sheekey offers a cornucopia of the city's freshest seafood in a darkly lit, brass embellished ambience which is perfect for highbrow romancing or laid back business dealings. Start with scallops in a halfshell with garlic and chilli for £17.50, and move on to a grilled Dover sole with bearnaise for £39.50."

"We love the classic schmoozy charm of this place, set in the heart of Theatreland. The food is a little like very upmarket pub food, so think half pints of prawns, fish pies, lobster thermidor (what do you mean you've never seen that down the King's Head?), and platters of shellfish galore. There’s an oyster bar next door, too, which made it onto our list of the best oyster bars in London"

"Restaurants British Covent Garden"

"Not only are you getting a mind-blowing scientific experience at quirky Heston’s, but you’ll also be wowed with a British food history lesson, through a menu that explores the origins of the UK’s classic dishes. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal66 KnightsbridgeLondon SW1X 7LAVisit website: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. And just because, here’s a load more iconic London restaurants with well known chefs at the helm:"

"Discover classic British recipes with a modern twist at two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Inspired by the revival and modernisation of traditional recipes, the menu features simple modern dishes inspired by the gastronomic past, including powdered duck breast and tipsy cake."

"With two Michelin stars, sumptuously presented Dinner is a gastronomic tour de force, taking diners on a journey through British culinary history (with inventive modern inflections). Dishes carry historical dates... Sri Lankan in The West End"

"Restaurants British King’s Road. Given its name, you’d expect this horticulturally themed venue to tick all the alfresco boxes, and the Ivy’s terrace doesn’t disappoint. By day, its leafy trellises, bloom-filled terracotta pots, water feature and velvet chairs will put you in an off-duty mood faster than you can order an Ivy Garden Royale; at night, fire pits, roaring hearths and lap blankets keep diners toasty and the vibe as chic as can be."

"Spin-offs of the original Covent Garden Ivy restaurant seem to be popping up everywhere these days, but the Chelsea branch is one of the earliest – and definitely the prettiest. Head through the flower-bedecked Edwardian façade to find an elegant dining room, which opens onto a glorious garden, complete with its own orangery. The menu offers an extensive selection of brasserie-style dishes, with everything from jackfruit salad to monkfish curry up for grabs."

"Located on the desirable King’s Road, The Ivy Chelsea Garden brings sophisticated all-day dining to the heart of Chelsea. This outpost comes complete with an abundance of verdant foliage, as well as a pergola and water feature.theivychelseagarden.com"

"For more than a decade, customers have been visiting Min Jiang for its spectacular view of Kensington Gardens and staying for its delicious Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine. Located on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel on Kensington High Street, the restaurant’s chefs specialise in a medley of cooking styles and techniques that have been passed down through generations. If you order one thing, make it the Beijing duck, which is roasted for 45 minutes and presented in two servings: first the skin is crisped with granulated sugar and served with pancakes, and then the meat is served with your choice of noodles, rice, soup or lettuce wraps."

"Restaurants Chinese Kensington. We’re very fond of Min Jiang, not only for its superlative daytime views of Kensington Gardens, but also for its celebrated take on Beijing duck – a dish of two gigantic ritualistic servings that needs to be ordered in advance. Also expect Sichuan classics such as double-cooked pork belly with Chinese leeks."

"High up on the 14th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang has one of the best restaurant views in central London. Tables at dusk are the plum booking, to watch the sun set over plates of wood-fired Beijing duck served every which way. Dim sum is the ideal way in, made by a chef who’s been practicing the art for half century."

"Tables are in high demand, and best reserved a few months ahead at Brett Graham's restaurant. The menu's a love-letter to the British countryside, prepared with with inimitable self-assurance, and is perfect for a special occasion. The dishes are constantly changing, though certain favorites recur, like a truffle-laced pheasant’s egg that’s nothing short of sublime."

"Awarded two Michelin stars, The Ledbury in Notting Hill truly is French dining at its finest. Led by award-winning head chef Brett Graham, each dish is presented like a work of art. Rare meats are served on wooden boards, starters on oversized plates and desserts are almost too beautiful to eat."

"Brett Graham has long been in charge of the kitchen at The Ledbury. Australian chef/patron Brett Graham has been wowing diners at The Ledbury since 2005. It earned its first Michelin star just a year later and added a second in 2010, which it retains to this day."

"Set on a pedestal in the centre and top of the Sky Garden that occupies the uppermost level of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper (officially known as 20 Fenchurch Street), Fenchurch Restaurant is the most high-end of the building’s eateries. Dishes on the “British contemporary” menu are beautifully presented and consistently impressive – grilled red mullet with braised octopus and piperade was a burst of colour and flavour; lamb with yoghurt, artichokes and cumin was perfectly seasoned and pleasingly unpretentious. Service, both from wait staff and our enthusiastic sommelier, impressed too, and the team works hard to compensate for the unexpectedly diminished views."

"Perched at the top of the Walkie Talkie is Sky Garden, a lush covered garden that catches the sun (what there is of it in London) all day long. And inside Sky Garden is the Fenchurch Restaurant. The restaurant serves modern British cuisine along with an award-winning wine list."

"First of all, Fenchurch roof top restaurant is a dining experience you should definitely not miss. Located at the top of the famous Walkie Talkie shaped sky scraper (20 Fenchurch Street) in the Skygarden. Yes, a garden in the sky!"

"The pandemic has postponed the ‘launch proper’ of new West Dulwich modern Indian restaurant Heritage, but the team behind it are raring to go. So much so that, in this interim period, they’ve launched a takeaway service featuring a range of set dining sharing boxes (£38 – £42 for two). The restaurant comes from executive chef Dayashankar Sharma, who honed his skills in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, Tamarind and Zaika among them."

"Coming from an ex-Tamarind chef, Heritage aims to cook "nostalgic family-taught dishes and unusual foods from lesser-known Indian regions and communities"."

"This genuinely friendly family-run Italian is popular with locals and visitors alike on account of its authentic food and charming service. Bacco may have all the visual trappings of a contemporary Italian restaurant, but at its heart is an old-fashioned trattoria so diners can expect classic pastas and simple antipasti as well as more expensive dishes come evening. It’s also handy for theatre-goers."

"05/06/2021: We visited one evening as a pre-booked table for 4. The menu was nice but disappointingly two out of the four staters we order had been taken off the menu as they had run out of ingredients. The food was good, but not exceptional and the service pleasant but hit and miss, slow and some of the drinks we ordered etc did not turn up until we chased them."

"Located in Canary Wharf, Smollensky's is a fill your boots sort of place, with an emphasis on American-style dining. Grab a space on the terrace on a sunny day and work through the likes of steaks, burgers, and cajun-spiced chicken."

"Mathematics: The Winton Gallery at the Science Museum © NIck Guttridge. Image courtesy of the Science Musuem. From the future of space travel to asking that difficult question: "who am I?", the Science Museum makes your brain perform Olympic-standard mental gymnastics."

"Now in its 53nd year, this unmissable exhibition looks at everything from elephants in their natural habitat to urban foxes peering over fences, and is a sheer delight from start to finish. Date: until 10th September"

"The 17th-century home of King George III, who preferred the countryside to the urban St James's Palace. Today only the building known as the Dutch House remains, however it is kept in immaculate condition."

"The King George III summer home, Kew Palace is one of London’s lesser-known royal residences and is the oldest building in the Gardens, built in 1631 for a Flemish merchant, Samuel Fortrey."

"Lose yourself amongst the stone pines, olive trees, and cypresses of this typical Mediterranean landscape. The King William's Temple stands in the middle of the garden, lending a sense of grandeur to the vibrant landscape."

"The Davies Alpine House is a somewhat different greenhouse, it is quite long (16m) and high (10m) and was designed to provide ideal conditions, fresh with natural wind for the best conditions the mountain plants. The collection features a wide range of campanulas, dianthus, small ferns, helichrysum, small lavenders, primulas, saxifrage, thymus, tulips and verbascums along with lesser known species."

"Many of the plants at Kew couldn't survive in Britain's grey, damp climate. The Davies Alpine House supports those that thrive in dry, cool, windy conditions of mountainous areas such as succulents and campanulas,"