Zaika of Kensington

Zaika occupies the former London and County Bank at the western end of Kensington High Street, a Grade II listed hall raised in 1884 to Alfred Williams's design. Little of the banking room has been lost: carved neo-Gothic stone at the entrance, oak panelling, high coffered ceilings, and windows tall enough to give the room views over Hyde Park and the street. Sara Fenn's interiors set marble tables and dark leather against all that timber, with a long central bar through the middle and commissioned Indian artwork hung on the panelling.

The restaurant has form. Zaika opened in Chelsea in 1999, moved here in 2002, and held a MICHELIN star from 2001 to 2004 under Vineet Bhatia, among the first Indian restaurants anywhere to be awarded one. It has belonged to the Tamarind Collection since 2013 and returned under its own name in November 2014. The current guide lists it, without a star, for cooking that reads across India's northern regions and leans on Awadhi Lucknow.

Three spaces take private events. The Private Dining Room sits off the main floor and holds 32, on rounds or one long table, with AV, printed menus and flowers arranged on request. A raised area at the front of the restaurant, screened from the floor by planting, seats 22 semi-privately. The hall itself goes to exclusive hire, at 100 for dinner.