Cora Pearl

Cora Pearl is the Covent Garden sibling of Mayfair's Kitty Fisher's, the second restaurant from the MJMK group, and takes its name from the 19th-century courtesan who was married, by her parents, at the St Paul's church next door before she became the toast of Paris. It occupies two floors of a historic townhouse on Henrietta Street, a few doors from the Royal Opera House, and trades in seductive, boldly flavoured British comfort food alongside a serious cocktail and wine list.

The interiors, by BWArchitects, take their cue from a Parisian brasserie and run to a French-boudoir richness. The upstairs dining room is the lighter of the two: high ceilings, parquet floors, deep-green velvet banquettes set against gilded William Morris panels, art-nouveau prints and globe pendant lights, with tall windows over the street. A bold caged-iron staircase, watched over by a portrait of Cora herself, drops to the bar below, where the same palette turns darker and glossier, all oxblood walls, emerald tiling, antique mirror and a green-marble counter.

For private events the restaurant offers half or full hire across the two floors. The upstairs dining room suits a seated celebration; the cosy downstairs bar works for a more intimate reception or a drinks-led gathering; and the whole townhouse can be taken exclusively. The intimate scale, the late-Victorian glamour and the off-Piazza address make it a strong fit for a birthday, an anniversary or a launch that wants character rather than the anonymity of a hotel room.