Clarke's

Sally Clarke opened Clarke's on Kensington Church Street in December 1984, after a spell cooking in California where Alice Waters of Chez Panisse became a mentor. The daily-changing, market-led menu she built her name on still shapes the kitchen: seasonal British and Mediterranean cooking drawn from trusted growers across the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Four decades on, it remains one of Kensington's enduring rooms, kept as much by its regulars as by its reputation.

A refurbishment in the 2000s brought the restaurant onto a single ground floor, opened a view onto a small planted garden and added the Wine Room, a panelled private dining room reached discreetly from the bar. Powder-blue walls, framed drawings and antiques give it the feel of a private house rather than a function room, and sliding doors open onto a glimpse of the working kitchen.

The Wine Room seats up to 26 for lunch or dinner and holds 40 for a standing reception. Each event is arranged directly with the dining room manager, who sets menus, wines and floral displays to the host's brief; the kitchen will write a menu on the day if asked, and the cellar is deep enough that the sommelier is worth consulting early. It suits an intimate dinner, a cocktail party or a small company gathering.