Thirty Six at Dukes Hotel

Dukes Hotel long lacked a restaurant worthy of its iconic bar, so the arrival of Nigel Mendham from the Michelin-starred Samling in Cumbria looks like manna from heaven. The dining room is as clubby & secluded as ever, with antique silver cutlery & restrained colour schemes, although striking orange chairs add some drama to proceedings. Mendham’s cooking underscores comfort & restraint with the odd quirky flourish, whether it’s a three-part lamb dish (pink-centred fillet & braised shank with a sticky spare rib) or crumbly clafoutis of goats’ cheese cheekily served with celery sorbet. Other dishes substitute fun for intricacy – a surgeon’s hands are needed to fashion the apple-ball fritters & roasted cauliflower florets to go with nuggets of smoked eel & a caramel-crusted scallop. Mendham’s appointment also heralds a glitzy new Champagne lounge.