In a chic setting in South Kensington's Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel is 68-86 Bar and Restaurant, a smart and airy place that continues to impress guests with every detail of its set up. Burgundy walls, wooden floors and gilt mirrors create a striking backdrop interspersed with the gentle buzz of convivial conversations of corporate diners and lunching shoppers. The genial ambience extends further into the glass bar and private dining room.

At the kitchen it's a celebration of modern British cuisine adhering to some occasional touches from the Pacific Rim. So start with a pan-seared ducks liver on crispy puff pastry, or poached pear in mulled wine, then forge ahead with a 10oz rib of rare breed Yorkshire pork or roast fillet of hake. Best of all is the apple tart baked thin and served with toffee sauce that is worth the 20 minute wait, but even if time is scarce to visit nearby local attractions, desserts don't deserve to receive short shrift especially when there's white chocolate truffle and a British cheese selection.