Restaurants

The death of Shaun Gilmore in a motorcycle accident in March 2008 deprived London of one of its brightest young chefs. However, the restaurant over which he presided, winner of the 2007 Best British Restaurant gong at the Time Out Eating & Drinking Awards, remains in fine shape. Housed in the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing, the Oliver Peyton-run operation offers a variety of eating options. You can choose from a bar menu, sample an array of tempting baked goods, or even (a real Peytonian touch, this) a cultured, cheeky afternoon tea. But the real attraction remains the main menu, which offers an enlightened update of British staples and delivers them with skill and efficiency. Chilled cucumber and ginger soup came with subtle Dorset crab and a hint of melon; a chicken liver mousse was a one-note starter tuned to a pitch-perfect concerto. Mains were just as impressive: gently poached trout served with spring greens; and a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth ox cheek, braised with great patience, making a lovely match for a side of creamed spinach. Desserts remain a weakness, but this is otherwise excellent cooking, far more impressive than its institutional location might suggest.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009