Sketch: The Parlour

(Photo courtesy of Sketch: The Parlour)

Two huge French talents—restaurateur Mourad “Momo” Mazouz and legendary chef Pierre Gagnaire—are the brains behind this multifaceted eating-and-drinking complex in a Mayfair townhouse that includes two bars, a high-end restaurant, a brasserie and an ornately-decorated tea room, which is the true highlight. Called The Parlour, this later concept has bold-patterned furnishings (plaid, skulls, jungle animals) and heavenly cakes and pastries ranging from classic éclairs, to exotic concoctions such as the Scoubidou: panna cotta with soy milk jelly, pistachio powder and a strawberry marshmallow. 9 Conduit St.; sketch.uk.com; 44-20-76-59-45-00

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Dinner

(Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park)

At his first London restaurant, modernist chef and UK television fixture Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck in Bray specializes in historical British dishes, which he puts through his own quirky filter. The menu features a saffron risotto that dates to 1390 and Blumenthal’s take on the 16th-century dish “meat fruit,” a chicken liver terrine disguised as a tangerine. The décor reflects the historical theme, with sconces in the shape of antique jelly molds and framed recipes from 16th-century British cookbooks. 66 Knightsbridge; dinnerbyheston.com; 44-20-72-01-38-33

River Café

(Photo courtesy of River Café)

The rustic Italian restaurant opened by ingredient-obsessed Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray has been the training ground for some of the world’s most renowned English chefs, including Jamie Oliver and April Bloomfield. It’s still phenomenal, with constantly changing menus of antipasti, house-made pastas, wood-roasted meats and fish, plus the signature four-ingredient, ultrachocolatey Nemesis cake. The clean-lined space facing the Thames has royal blue carpeting and simple aluminum chairs, and in summer there are few more pleasant places to dine in London than at the outdoor tables among the quince, fruit and olive trees. Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd.; rivercafe.co.uk; 44-20-73-86-42-00

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught

(Photo courtesy of The Connaught)

One of London’s most venerable hotels has imported some serious French talent: Chef Hélène Darroze splits her time between her eponymous restaurant on Paris’s Left Bank and this superchic Mayfair spot, where her menu combines influences and ingredients from her native Landes region of southwest France with flavors from Spain, Italy, Britain and Asia. Duck foie gras, for instance, comes accented with gomashio—seasoned Japanese sesame seeds. Paris designer India Mahdavi has given the dining rooms a feminine, eclectic feel with boldly patterned carpets and wingback chairs. Carlos Place, Mayfair; the-connaught.co.uk; 44-20-71-07-88-80

Orrery

(Photo courtesy of Orrery)

Tucked into a former stable with large arched windows that overlook tranquil St. Marylebone Church gardens, Orrery is calm and elegant, a very grown-up place where chef Igor Tymchyshyn prepares modern French dishes like red wine poached duck foie gras with pear and Riesling jelly. The next-door epicerie and casual eat-in spot offers house-baked breads to go, simple sandwiches and bistro classics (pot-au-feu, duck confit). 55 Marylebone High St.; orrery-restaurant.co.uk; 44-20-76-16-80-00

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