What to order at Spring

Must order
Whatever the spring or autumn vegetable opener is, and the brown butter custard tart for pudding.
Signature dishes
Whatever spring vegetable course is on, Brown butter custard tart
Editor tip
The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
CuisineModern European
Price£££
Neighborhoodcovent-garden
HoursMon 12:00-22:30, Tue 12:00-22:30, Wed 12:00-22:30, Thu 12:00-22:30, Fri 12:00-22:30, Sat 12:00-22:30
Last verified

Signature dishes: Whatever spring vegetable course is on, Brown butter custard tart

Must order: Whatever the spring or autumn vegetable opener is, and the brown butter custard tart for pudding.

Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.

Location

Address: Somerset House, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA

More casual dining in London

Lemonia ★ 4.0

Greek Taverna££camden-primrose-hillMon 12:00-22:00, Tue 12:00-22:00, Wed 12:00-22:00, Thu 12:00-22:00, Fri 12:00-22:30, Sat 12:00-22:30, Sun 12:00-16:00

The Evangelou family's Primrose Hill Greek taverna on Regent's Park Road in London, opened 1979, still the village's Sunday-lunch destination for lamb.

Signature: Lamb kleftiko, Saganaki

Order: Lamb kleftiko (slow-cooked in paper for three hours), with saganaki to start.

Tip: Sunday lunch books two weeks ahead through their site. Tuesday-Thursday dinner walks in any time after 19:00.

The Eagle ★ 4.3

Gastropub££clerkenwellMon-Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-17:00

Britain's first gastropub on Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell London, opened 1991 by Mike Belben and David Eyre, still serves Mediterranean-leaning.

Signature: Bife Ana steak sandwich, Whatever is on the chalkboard

Order: The Bife Ana steak sandwich, on the menu since 1991, and a pint of bitter.

Tip: Walk-in only. The chalkboard menu rewrites every day at 12:00; the best dishes go by 14:00 on a busy lunch.

Blacklock Soho ★ 4.8

Steakhouse££sohoMon-Fri 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-23:00, Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 11:45-20:00

Gordon Ker's basement chophouse on Great Windmill Street in Soho London, opened 2015, runs charcoal-grilled chops in a 1850s-era basement room.

Signature: Lamb chops, Pre-theatre skinny chops

Order: The all-in chops board with beef, lamb and pork, plus the bone-marrow gravy.

Tip: Sunday roast is £20 and books two weeks ahead through Resy. Pre-theatre chops at 17:00 walks in for half-price.

40 Maltby Street ★ 4.6

International££borough-bermondseyMon-Tue closed, Wed 17:30-21:30, Thu-Sat 12:00-15:00 and 17:30-21:30, Sun closed

Steve Williams's wine-bar-with-kitchen inside a Maltby Street railway arch in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, runs a daily-changing chalkboard of small.

Signature: Whatever is on the chalkboard, Smoked-eel sandwich

Order: Whatever the smoked-fish or charcuterie opener is, with a half-bottle of growers' Champagne.

Tip: Open Wed-Sat lunch and dinner; closed Sun-Tue. Walk-up only; first sitting at 12:00 always has bar seats.

The Camberwell Arms ★ 4.7

Gastropub££peckhamMon 17:00-23:00, Tue-Thu 12:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-23:30, Sun 13:00-17:00

Mike Davies's gastropub on Camberwell Church Street in south London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing seasonal menu and a famous family-style Sunday roast.

Signature: Sunday roast, Whole roast meats

Order: Sunday roast for four (booked in advance), or whatever whole-animal cut is on weeknight dinner.

Tip: Sunday lunch books a fortnight ahead and serves until they run out. The bar room takes walk-ins all evening.

Andrew Edmunds ★ 4.8

European Bistro£££sohoMon-Sat 12:00-22:45, Sun 13:00-22:30

The candlelit Lexington Street bistro in Soho London, opened 1985 by print-dealer Andrew Edmunds, still runs a daily-handwritten Modern European menu.

Signature: Whatever the daily seasonal plate is, Sticky toffee pudding

Order: Whatever seasonal main is on the handwritten menu, and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

Tip: Bookings take a six-week lead; bar seats at the front are released as walk-ins after 21:30 on weekdays.

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