Restaurants in Kensington/ Chelsea (London)

Whits

This trendy wine bar and restaurant is situated just behind High Street Kensington. Despite the heavy-duty wooden and wrought iron tables, the atmosphere is upbeat and the bar is bustling. The decor is all blues and yellows - even the menus are checked with the two colors - but it works surprisingly well. The modern menu has a wide range of choices featuring enticing entrees like Caramelised Scallops, Woodland Mushrooms and Asparagus, Chargrilled Scottish Rib Eye Steak, Roast Confit of Goose, Piquillo Peppers with Goats Cheese, and many others. The service is good and decidedly friendly - a great local.

The Crescent

A very modern wine bar, delivering good value for connoisseurs and the rest of us who just enjoy a tipple. Decor is modern, and expect to find a healthy crop of wealthy Chelsea locals at the end of a shopping spree or on their way out for a meal. Wine starts at around £8 a bottle, and you can choose to sip it in the bustling main bar or in the cozier downstairs area. There is some quick-fix food, but it is the hearty sandwiches, soups, pasta and assorted appetizers that hit the spot after some heavy duty shopping in this Brompton Cross area.

Mr Wing

Mr Wing, a strange combination of reserved Eastern ambience, chaotic decor and funky music, this swish restaurant seems to be a little confused as to its true identity. Serving up classically prepared Chinese dishes to elegant diners, the food is served with panache amongst amusing trappings such as weeping fig trees, which umbrella the tables, and a Chinese lion, peculiarly deposited in the fountain. And the clientele hardly look like their going to get down to the cool jazz groove that live musicians play on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Still, something's obviously working because the restaurant is usually packed out. The menu offers the usual fare, from stir-fries to shredded duck pancakes, with the barbecue chicken and the pot stickers being particularly good.

Aubergine

After Gordon Ramsey's infamous departure, chef-patron William Drabble has masterfully maintained the high standards, which has kept this restaurant at the top. It's not easy to get a table here because of its reputation as one of the best places to eat in London and also because of its limited capacity. The dining room is elegant and understated and the service, expert and attentive. The menu changes regularly, but expect dishes like ravioli of langoustine, warm salad of vegetables covered with truffles and asparagus puree, and fricassee of poulet noir. Set menus for lunch and dinner offer excellent value and there's a more expensive, but supremely sumptuous seven-course gourmand menu, too. It's a small price to pay for the consummate dining experience.

Nikita's

If your knowledge of Russian culture doesn't extend past communism and babushkas, then an evening here will do you some good. The decor is appropriately quaint, with imperial mementos and Byzantine patterns. As the vodka flows, the crowd warms up, making this place ideal for a large group of friends to get together, perhaps as a prelude to a night on the town. The dishes are creative and well-executed, although they can be a bit heavy, as is the case with most Russian food. Particularly recommended are the pirozhkis, blinis and of course, the Oscietra and Beluga caviar. There are six distinct menus at Nikita's - four prix-fixe menus (which each offer a starter, an entree, dessert and coffee), a caviar menu, and an a la carte menu. Note: Nikita's is also open for lunch by prior arrangement.

Cambio de Tercio

This restaurant offers modern Spanish cuisine in warm, chic surroundings. There is a bullfighting theme here, which is reflected in the name of the place - Cambio de Tercio is the shift from one phase of the fight to another. It is an appropriate name given that most of the clientele seem to make this their shifting point between sobriety and intoxication in the bars of Chelsea. Dishes such as roasted skate wings with green rice risotto and roast suckling pig are a cut above the usual standard. Other, more exotic, dishes include the “infusion of red fruits with yogurt foam”. House wine is accompanied by a good selection of Spanish varieties.

Shop (Le)—The Veritable Creperie

Buckwheat pancakes (gallettes) and sweet crepes, tossed by the chef in full view, are de rigueur at this spacious brasserie-style restaurant. Order a crepe with ice-cream scoops or deviate from the theme with a sticky chocolate pudding; whether you have a sweet or savoury tooth for all things pancake it will be catered to here. Children's portions are available at reduced prices. Brunch, consisting of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and toast, with a glass of champagne no less, is served during weekends and is extremely popular.

The Bombay Brasserie

This Indian restaurant was one of the first upper class restaurants of its genre, but sadly it is no longer the exclusive trailblazer it was, though the decor remains smart, and a little old-fashioned in the colonial style. Remember to duck when walking through the restaurant - stray palm leaves are likely to catch you! Bombay Brasserie's specialties include Goan, Tandoori, Parsi and Moghali dishes - sample some gourmet Indian delights such as Masala-fried Lobster. Lunchtime is a buffet; dinner is more expensive, but you get a better choice of dishes. Don't even think of leaving the restaurant without sampling a Cobra Coffee - makes you wonder if they need to keep the fire brigade on full alert!

Blue Elephant

Don't let the elaborate surroundings distract you from the finely prepared and wonderfully spiced dishes. Quality is paramount here, so much so that some ingredients are flown in fresh from the motherland. Particularly recommended is the Thai beef salad, which blends the fresh flavors of mint and coriander with the succulence of the meat. There's also a comprehensive vegetarian set menu. It's not cheap but if you are worried about leaving with a startlingly light wallet, try one of their set meals from their elaborate lunch menu. Children are welcome - high chairs are available and the staff are willing to provide child-size portions. A great place for parties, as you can enjoy snacks and cocktails at the Blue Bar before heading towards your table to enjoy an elaborate buffet.

La Famiglia

This classic Italian restaurant is very popular with the local Chelsea residents, and was frequented by the late Princess Diana. The owners have hung a tribute photo over her favorite table. The large, bustling trattoria is neither rustic nor slick - the decor is white and the tables are simply decorated with starched tablecloths. The excellent, authentic, mostly Northern Italian menu eschews fads. Bear in mind that this may be a local, but it's a Chelsea local, so prices are steep, although the food is worth it. Try any of the risottos (never gluey or too al dente), the wild boar, or the selection of pastas. Finish off with a traditional pudding from the dessert trolley.

Star of India

Lovers of Indian food will enjoy this popular, well-established eatery in South Kensington. The elegant surroundings have the feel of a Victorian banqueting room on a small scale. Their impressiveness matches the quality cuisine on offer. Their customers are usually made up of affluent locals who come to enjoy luxurious specialties such as Samundri Rattan (scallops with coriander) and Machli Manpasandi (oven-baked red mullet marinated in garlic, prawns and chillies and wrapped in banana leaves), as well as more "traditional" Anglo-Indian fare. The wine list is limited but it's a fairly safe selection, and there's always trusty Cobra beer on the offer.

La Brasserie

This original and long-standing French brasserie claims to have served over three million meals since it started. Most of the clientele seem to be the Brompton Cross shopping brigade and Chelsea girls rather than the large French community in South Kensington. It is surprising that prices are still reasonable.The food is very good, and the atmosphere is as Parisian as it can get this side of the Channel. The popular breakfast dishes include eggs, continental breakfasts and the like, as well as croque-monsieurs and goats' cheese salads. The more substantial brasserie dishes tend to be fish or grilled meat.