Gordon Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road three-Michelin-starred kitchen in Chelsea London, opened 1998 and held its three stars longer than any other restaurant.
Order: The Pressed Foie Gras course and the lobster ravioli that have been on the menu since opening.
Tip: Lunch (Tuesday to Friday) at £140 is half the dinner tasting price with the same kitchen run.
Heston Blumenthal's historical-British research kitchen inside the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London, opened 2011 and Michelin two-starred.
Order: The Meat Fruit (chicken liver mousse in a mandarin-orange shell), unchanged from 2011.
Tip: Lunch a la carte at £55 for two courses is half dinner. Sit at the open kitchen counter to watch the mousse-shaping.
VQ (Vingt-Quatre)'s 24-hour cafe and diner on Fulham Road in Chelsea London, trading since 1995, runs eggs Benedict, burgers and a full alcohol licence.
Try: All-day diner classics, eggs Benedict and burgers
Tip: 24-hour alcohol licence. Post-club crowd peaks 02:00-04:00; weekday late nights are quieter and walk in without waiting.
The Sea Containers 12th-floor cocktail bar on the South Bank looks out at St Paul's and the river, with a cocktail programme that earns its rooftop premium and small plates that justify staying for dinner.
Tip: The window seats book out for sunset, request one when you reserve. The corner with the Blackfriars view is the prize.