London Takeaways

Carlos Place Mayfair, London, West London, W1K 2AL

Hélène Darroze at The Connaught on Carlos Place in Mayfair W1 is a three Michelin star restaurant by Basque-born French chef Hélène Darroze, operating within the landmark Connaught hotel. It is one of only a handful of three-Michelin-star restaurants in London, and among the very few run by a woman. Darroze's cooking is rooted in the Basque-Gascony tradition but interprets it through the finest seasonal produce from Britain, France and Spain. The experience is deeply personalised: guests indicate their preferences and the menu is built around them, with a signature baba au rhum trolley at the end. Hardens describes it as "an incredibly personalised experience — one of London's great gastronomic destinations." The Connaught hotel has stood on Carlos Place since 1897, and the dining room is one of London's most beautiful.

Available for dine-in at The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair W1K. Phone 020 3147 7200. Book well ahead. Own website: the-connaught.co.uk.

20 Mount Street Mayfair, London, West London, W1K 2HE

Scott's at 20 Mount Street in Mayfair W1 is one of London's most storied seafood restaurants, trading since 1851 — originally as a shell fish warehouse in the Haymarket, then on Mount Street since 1967 under Richard Caring's ownership. Hardens describes it as "an old-school seafood institution that has thrived under Richard Caring." The oyster bar at the front is one of London's great informal pleasures: a glass of champagne and a half-dozen native oysters shucked to order. The menu covers the full British and European seafood repertoire: Dover sole, lobster, turbot, whole plaice, native lobster. The celebrity clientele — famously including James Bond author Ian Fleming, who would have his Vesper martini here — gives Scott's a glamour that has never diminished. The Art Deco interior with its mosaic floors and dark wood panelling is one of Mayfair's finest.

Available for dine-in and oyster bar at 20 Mount Street, Mayfair W1K. Phone 020 7495 7309. Own website: scotts-restaurant.com.