Scott's Mayfair

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.