Top of the list for ladies who lunch

As the road curves you'll find a sprinkling of high-ticket shops and the Launceston Place restaurant.

This place sprawls its way through a nest of rooms and is formal but pleasant.

Service is efficient without being in your face and there is a traditional feel to everything.

This is a neighbourhood restaurant, but one that finds itself in a very swish neighbourhood, which makes some sense of the fact that a couple of years after opening here the team went on to create Kensington Place (see p. 100).

The menu changes every six weeks or so and dishes match traditional combinations with fashionable ingredients in an unstuffy way.

Starters range from fish soup with rouille; through twice-baked Gruyère cheese soufflé; to marinated duck salad with mango and orange salsa.

Mains range from roast cod with mushy peas and fat chips; through John Dory with chardonnay vinegar cream; to meatier offerings such as veal escalope with pancetta and sage, or roast chump of lamb with a saffron pea and chorizo risotto.

The dessert menu ticks all the appropriate boxes: there's steamed orange pudding and custard, or a white chocolate tart.

The wine list is strong in traditional areas, so think French, and above all do not expect a modest bill in such an affluent location.

Launceston Place
Launceston Place, London, W8 5RL