Mr Chow

Mr Chow opened on Valentine's Day 1968, the original of what is now a small international family of restaurants. Michael Chow set out to serve authentic Beijing cuisine with the polish of European fine dining, and he was among the first restaurateurs to hang serious original art on a dining-room wall. The Knightsbridge room still carries that idea: lacquered walls and white marble floors, mirrored surfaces, the 1960s silver dome pendant lamps and the rosewood-and-leather chairs that became the house signature. Clive Barker's silvered bronze Peking ducks sit near the entrance, and works associated with the room over the years read like a roll-call of British and American art.

Set over two floors, it has kept a loyal following across generations of London diners. The kitchen is known for Green Prawns, the Chicken Satay and the Mr Chow noodles, and for the chef who comes out each evening to hand-pull Beijing-style noodles in front of the room. Service is the old-school kind, attentive and personal, run front of house by long-serving maitre d' Dino Kastrati with Tim Leaf as executive chef.

For private events the restaurant offers two rooms and the option of a full buyout, suited to intimate dinners and celebrations rather than large corporate functions. The intimacy, the art and the period interior make it an atmospheric setting for a discreet evening with music.