FINE DINING & MICHELIN STARS FOR LESS

Mayfair

Rivea, Mayfair
Two starters, one Rivea plate and a dessert for £35
The menu of small plates at Rivea, the new restaurant at the Bulgari Hotel by Alain Ducasse, incorporates the classic flavours and vivid colours of the Riviera. Rather than a set lunch menu, you get to choose two small plates, plus a larger Rivea plate and dessert for £35 – as well as half a bottle of water per person and tea of coffee. The summery dishes include sea bass carpaccio and pine nuts; buffalo mozzarella, courgette and basil salad and red mullet with confit tomatoes and olives.
171 Knightsbridge, SW7 1DW 0207 151 1010; bulgarihotels.com

Seven Park Place, Mayfair
Two courses £25.50
Three courses £29.50
St James’s Hotel & Club ‘s Michelin-star restaurant Seven Park Place serves up French dishes made using British ingredients in opulent surroundings. Chef William Drabble has created two great value and beautifully presented lunch menus, featuring terrine of Rhug Estate chicken and roasted foie gras fillet of black bream with black olive mash, vegetables and basil and praline parfait with salted caramel.
7-8 Park Pl, London SW1A 1LS; 020 7316 1615; stjameshotelandclub.com

Opulent surroundings and great value at Seven Park Place

The Greenhouse, Mayfair
Two courses £30
French cuisine with an unexpected twist is how The Greenhouse describes itself. The restaurant has just been awarded its second Michelin star cementing its reputation among critics and foodies alike. Menus change seasonally and Executive Chef Arnaud Bignon constantly creates fresh and original flavour combinations, the likes of which include presa Iberico (pork) with Japanese aubergine, black garlic and grapefruit
27A Hay’s Mews, London, W1J 5NY; greenhouserestaurant.co.uk

UMU, Mayfair
Bento boxes from £35
Not only is UMU the only Kyoto-influenced restaurant in the UK, but it is also has a Michelin star, if this isn’t enough to intrigue a visit then perhaps the set lunch menus are. Choose between a bento box with a grilled fish, poultry of the day or tiger prawn tempura served with a seasonal simmered dish, chef’s selection of sashimi, a seasonal cured dish and rice for £35 or add Wagyu beef for an extra £10. There’s also a sushi and sashimi menus for £45 or somen noodles for £25.
14-16 Bruton Place, London W1J 6LX; 020 7499 8881; umurestaurant.com

London’s only Kyoto-inspired restaurant UMU

Pollen Street Social, Mayfair
Two courses £26
Three courses £29.50
Chef du jour Jason Atherton serves up seriously good value lunch menus at his Michelin starred flagship restaurant in Mayfair Pollen Street Social. Giving a well-rounded snapshot of his colourful and balanced dishes, guests have three starters, three mains and three desserts plus cheese to choose from. Haslet terrine with Mrs Brown’s black pudding, mustard seed dressing, carrot, toasted sourdough; roasted breast and confit leg of Goosnargh chicken, truffle braised celery, apple, endive, summer squash, and white chocolate mousse with caramel hazelnuts and salt caramel ice-cream highlight why Atherton is the hottest chef in the London restaurant scene right now. Pollen Street Social’s sister restaurant Little Social, also in Mayfair has a Prix Fixe for £21 for two courses and £25 for three.
8/10 Pollen Street, London W1S 1NQ; 020 7290 7600; pollenstreetsocial.com

Alyn Williams at the Westbury, Mayfair
Three courses for £28
Three courses for £35 on Saturday
Pickled and raw vegetables with salt beef, mustard buds and verjus, suckling pig with lettuce, tarragon, kohl rabi and faro, and green tea, lime and white chocolate frozen yoghurt all top the menu at Alyn William’s Michelin-star Mayfair restaurant. As an alumni of Marcus Wareing you can be sure you’ll get refined and elegant dishes from Williams.
37 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YF, 0207 183 6426; alynwilliams.com

Beautiful presentation at Alyn Williams

Benares, Mayfair
Two courses £29
Three courses £35
Indian food with flair, Benares has held on to its Michelin star for eight years now and rather than get more and more expensive, it has kept its prices approachable especially the set lunch offering. The flavours here are well-thought out and exciting as demonstrated by the lemon pickle baked sea bream with masala chips and tempered yoghurt mayonnaise or the courgette kofta and flower fritter with classic Rajasthani curry and herb pulao.
12a Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, W1J 6BS; 020 7629 8886; benaresrestaurant.com

The Ritz Restaurant, Mayfair
Three courses for £49
Dining at The Ritz is probably top of most people’s wish lists and the lunch menu makes it a little more approachable and affordable. Despite the lower price, it is not less grand, with the likes of saddle of lamb belle époque and bresse pigeon with lovage and pomme anna gracing the menu.
150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR; 020 7493 8181; theritzlondon.com

Good value dining at Arbutus

Arbutus and Wild Honey, both Mayfair
Wild Honey £29 for three courses
Arbutus £19.95 for three courses
Sister restaurants Arbutus and Wild Honey both have great value lunch menus during the week and weekend. The menus at both places feature modern British dishes made using lovely seasonal ingredients, and the presentation is a work of art.
Arbutus 63 — 64 Frith Street, London, W1D 3JW, 020 7734 4545; arbutusrestaurant.co.uk
Wild Honey 12 St George Street, London, W1S 2FB 020 7758 9160; wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk

Sketch, Mayfair
Two courses £35
Three courses £40
Sketch’s rapide lunch is served in the two Michelin-starred Library and Lecture Room, where guests are treated to exciting dishes, such as the likes of garden pea ice cream, monkfish with elderflower and spaghetti with pan-fried fennel and mizuna flower. These pretty as a picture lunches are served in complementary surroundings, the beautiful interiors designed by leading designer Gahban O’Keeffe.
9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG, 020 7659 4500; sketch.uk.com

Nobu isn’t just for celebrities, its lunch menu is very affordable

Nobu, Mayfair
£28.50 for a Bento-style lunch
£35 for sushi set lunch
A firm favourite with celebs and VIPs the world over, Nobu is perhaps the most famous Japanese restaurant in London. Its lunch menu (available weekdays only) makes it accessible to all. Choose from beef, chicken and salmon teriyaki served with salad, rice and miso soup or opt for a sushi/sashimi lunch.
15 Berkeley St, London W1J 8DY; 020 7290 9222; noburestaurants.com

The Connaught, Mayfair
Two courses £30
Three courses £38
Enjoy a three-course meal in the very cool surroundings of Hélène Darroze’s two Michelin-starred restaurant. Hélène spends a lot of time and attention on where the food she creates come from and you’ll find the produce’s home listed on the menu, such as lobster from Northern Ireland and lamb from the Basque country, even the name of the supplier is noted. All the dishes have wine pairings for an extra cost.
Carlos Place, Mayfair, London, W1K 2AL +44 (0)20 7499 7070; the-connaught.co.uk

Playful interiors but serious food at The Connaught

Elsewhere…

The New Angel, Notting Hill
Two courses £26, three courses £32
Michelin-starred chef, John Burton-Race has recently opened neighborhood restaurant, The New Angel in Notting Hill, where the good value set menus feature the likes of Dutch veal ravioli, roasted baby monkfish tail and its signature trio of raspberry macaroon, mousse and sorbet.
39 Chepstow Place, Notting Hill, London W2 4TS; o20 7221 7620; thenewangel-nh.co.uk

Yashin Ocean House, South Kensington
Two courses £19.50
Three courses £24.50
This modern fine-dining Japanese restaurant combines classic dishes with modern techniques, and follows the trend of head to tail eating. Based in South Kensington, Yashin Ocean House has recently introduced a new set lunch menu including ‘Miso Cappuccino’ (miso soup with a ginger tofu foam), ‘Omakase Four’ (four pieces of chef’s choice of sushi) and salt koji marinated grouper with peas and broadbeans.
117 – 119 Old Brompton Rd, London SW7 3RN; 020 7373 3990; yashinocean.com

Notting Hill’s newest restaurant The New Angel

The Lawn Bistro, Wimbledon
Two courses £12.95
Three courses £16.95
If you’re heading to Wimbledon 2014 to watch Murray in action, stop in at The Lawn Bistro where head chef Neal Cooper has two lunch menus packed full of modern, seasonal dishes which are heavily influenced by French methods – cider braised pork leg with mustard mash, apple and celeriac slaw would be our choice, followed by a summery lemon posset with chocolate and orange shortbread, plus you can add a glass of house wine for £3.50.
67 High St, London SW19 5EE; 020 8947 8278; thelawnbistro.co.uk

Launceston Place, Kensington
Three courses £30
A chic neighbourhood restaurant with a Michelin star and exciting menu it’s what everyone wishes was at the end of their road, and better still is the fixed price lunch. Start with tartar of smoked haddock, move on to Cornish sole with pardon peppers and brandade and finish with a milk chocolate mousse with caramelised bananas.
1a Launceston Place, London W8 5RL; 020 7937 6912; launcestonplace-restaurant.co.uk

The ultimate neighbourhood restaurant Launceston Place

The French Table, Surbiton
Two courses £19.50
Three courses £23.50
Eric Guignard’s award-winning restaurant in Surbiton serves a lunch menu from Tuesday to Saturday. The French leaning menu borrows techniques from Italy and North Africa but the produce is as local as possible and attention to detail is obvious. There’s a good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes all with interesting ingredients. This is a seriously good local restaurant.
85 Maple Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 4AW, 020 8399 2365; thefrenchtable.co.uk