Ognisko

Ognisko occupies the ground and first floors of a Grade II listed Italianate townhouse on Exhibition Road, the home since 1940 of Ognisko Polskie, the Polish Hearth Club, founded for officers and emigres of the Polish government-in-exile. Jan Woroniecki took a long lease on the dining rooms in 2013 and refurbished them, and the restaurant has been open to members and non-members alike ever since. The bar keeps the club's character: portraits and a Polish eagle above a back bar of infused vodkas.

The first-floor Ballroom is the reason to bring an event here. It runs to over 114 square metres under an ornate cornice and crystal chandeliers, with tall windows onto the trees of Prince's Gardens, a hardwood floor and a Steinway grand. It takes 140 seated or 180 for a reception, and the venue publishes what is installed: surround-sound speakers with an integrated PA, a drop-down cinema screen, a projector and spot lighting. The house can also provide DJ equipment for dancing.

Below it, the restaurant seats 100 and opens onto a covered, heated terrace looking over the garden square. The panelled Salonik Room, in sage green with botanical prints, holds 35. All four spaces plus the bar can be taken together on an exclusive hire of the whole venue, at 310 square metres, for up to 250 guests. Hire is arranged directly with the restaurant's events team and does not require a club member to sponsor it. The licence runs to 11pm, with extensions available on application.