"Consultant chef Nuno Mendes’ Chiltern Firehouse is a totally extravagant celeb-magnet of a restaurant. It sits inside one of London’s most prestigious hotels, and is the kind of special occasion place that delivers on a the promise of feeling special, even when the food is often merely meh. Brunch is a good time to visit — where fruits de mer, XO lobster fried rice, or Philly cheesesteak sandwich — adequately and decadently service a hangover. Or, dinner, when the lights dim, and the room comes into its own. But eye-wateringly expensive dishes like iberico pork, red pepper, barbecued peach, and fennel cream; or roasted turbot, baby artichokes, seaweed, and black truffle are pretty much just the side-show in a spectacular overall production." - Adam Coghlan, Emma Hughes, James Hansen
