Lowndes Bar & Kitchen at Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel

This hotel eatery serves its purpose as a no-brainer for tired, disorientated travellers not wanting to stray far from their room. The inoffensive decor of marble & cream-leather chairs is pleasant, if forgettable, while a heated front terrace gives a ringside view of one of Knightsbridge’s more bustling streets. The menu pulls together a hotchpotch of anodyne 1990s’ hits, cruising its way through salmon fishcakes with creamed horseradish, the obligatory house burger & chicken tikka masala. Occasionally the chef sticks his head above the parapet for, say, goose & Sauternes pâté or a dish of pan-fried sea bass with potato & courgette ‘noodles’ (that worked despite its unnecessary cream & tomato sauce), but it’s back to comfort food for desserts such as sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce.