London's Top Tables

In a continuing series of features, Bob Sturges of Omni Capital offers a personal view on some of London's finest, if not always best-known, restaurants.

The Goring Hotel, Beeston Place, London SW1W 0JW

The Goring Hotel, and its associated restaurant, oozes class. In the same family ownership for over a century, it came to international prominence during the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Wills and Kate to you and I - when it served as the base for the Middleton’s and venue for the wedding breakfast (Buckingham Palace is just around the corner). But the Goring takes such glittering interludes in its step.

Located a five-minute walk from the gigantic and noisy building site that has become the area around Victoria Station, the Goring is both a step back in time and a haven of peace and quiet. Set in a small side street of stuccoed Georgian properties, liveried doormen usher visitors through the revolving door entrance into a lobby that echoes solidity and understated style. A little beyond lies the hotel's large, multi-room bar and, beyond that, a terrace giving way to immaculately lawned gardens. It's more rural Sussex or Hampshire than one of the most congested and grimy parts of the capital.

A drink at the bustling bar before lunch or dinner is a must. Service is prompt, welcoming and good; and the choice of tipple is as one would expect in a joint like this. It also provides the perfect opportunity to size up the guests the Goring place caters to. Comprising both home-grown regulars and well-to-do visitors from across the globe, they flock here to experience a taste of traditional England, and, for some, to pick up a little of the stardust left behind by the radiant princess, one day to be our queen.

The dining room is open to non-residents and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The latter is why I visit, but I have no reason to doubt the excellence of the other options. The space itself is light, airy, luxuriously furnished and as tranquil as the rest of the place. Tables are placed wide apart and are big - playing footsie with the person opposite isn't easily, or elegantly, achieved here!

Staff are numerous - one of the best ratios I've seen - and range from dinner-jacketed supervisors and sommeliers, to beige- coloured vested waiters. They operate like a machine but one with soul. Unfailingly courteous and attentive, one's every dining need is smoothly catered for. Formal it might be - from the crisp linen tablecloths to the high-class glassware and decanters - but stuffiness doesn't rule here; and whether arriving shirt-sleeved or bespoke suited, all receive the same treatment.

Quality comes at a price. The three-course dinner option is £52 with surcharges for special dishes. The wine list can cause offence to more egalitarian tastes or limited budgets - there are no real bargains to be had - but its extent is admirable and thoroughly old-school. Importantly, what arrives on your plate and in your glass does not disappoint.

Think of the Goring as a venue for that very special event, whether business or social. Choose carefully who should join you - it won't be to all tastes - and then forget about the cost. Arrive, sup and relax. You'll leave feeling pampered, replete and, just for a time, a little like royalty.

Top Tip: The a la carte dinner offers the best beef wellington in the world, ever! This classic dish is revered at the Goring and accorded the full respect it deserves. Fillet of beef is cooked pink and served wrapped in golden pastry lined with a mushroom paste. Brought to your table on ancient trolleys, Wellingtons are presented whole and carved from the centre to ensure the best cut. The 'ends' are offered as a bonus, but beware: this dish is not for those counting the calories.

Nearby Watering Hole: The 'Cask & Glass' pub (39 Palace Street, SW1) is an outlet of Kentish brewer Shepherd Neame. A ten-minute walk from the Goring, it is tiny and timeless. Once a half-pints-only Watney's pub, it now serves brilliant ale from England's oldest brewery, together with the usual range of wines and spirits. Patronised by a cosmopolitan blend of locals, office workers and guidebook-in-hand tourists, it remains one of London's hidden drinking gems.
 
Attributed to Bob Sturges of Omni Capital