The Ledbury

There are few chefs that produce a set menu of dishes that you want to try as much as their à la carte, but the Ledbury's Brett Graham - an Australian in the quiet achiever mould - does so as a matter of routine. This makes securing a table at lunchtime as difficult as snaring one for dinner, despite the edge-of-Notting Hill location.

Dishes change seasonally and according to availability of ingredients - we were delighted by a special of scallop ceviche with shaved fennel, seaweed-flavoured oil and a fluffy pile of frozen horseradish - though there are signature components that appear regularly, such as celeriac baked in ash.

Our meal contained many thrills: grilled mackerel with avocado, mustard and shiso was relatively simple, but the combination of flavours was astonishingly good. Crisp-skinned cod came with a hint of buckwheat, nasturtium and umami-packed smoked eel brandade. By the time (superb) lovage ice-cream appeared with pavé of milk chocolate, we were prepared to hail Graham as London's cleverest chef.

Service was friendly, though occasionally absent-minded (we had to nag for more bread and our petits fours) and the wait between courses was so long the kitchen sent out an extra dish to ease the pain. The beer list is a treat, but don't expect any bargains on Australian wine - few bottles cost under £30.