Picasso

As part of the Black & Blue chain, Picasso is no original, but has retained the name of its popular former incarnation in a bid to keep its customers. The ploy seems to have worked: King’s Road families & solo Sloanes join forces with passers-by & the occasional tourist in this casual brasserie/bar for drinks & sustaining meaty fodder. There are usually plenty of takers for coffee, wine & cocktails, although most are here for the full gastronomic works – perhaps a half-rack of lamb with mash & green beans, the house burger with all the trimmings, or one of Black & Blue’s signature 28-day-aged char-grilled steaks with fries. The decor reflects Picasso’s arty moniker, with abstract references, multi-coloured geometrical shapes emblazoned on one wall, & the odd framed scribble of a ‘toro’.