Where: The Midland Grand Dining Room
St Pancras' Renaissance Hotel is one of those architectural feats that has people popping in just to have a look at its lavish staircase (for the decor of course, but also because it's where the Spice Girls' Wannabe music video was filmed). For the last ten years its main restaurant was led by Marcus Wareing as The Gilbert Scott, an award-winning eatery that celebrated British food and was one of the capital's favourites, or at least, to those who could afford it.
But all good things must come to an end, and the new incarnation is the Midland Grand Dining Room, a similarly opulent affair with prices to match. With Irish chef Patrick Powell in charge, formerly of the Chiltern Firehouse, the menu is French-inspired, with plenty of meat, seafood and fish complemented by seasonal vegetables.
