The Thomas Cubitt

Victorian master builder Thomas Cubitt helped shape Belgravia, & the gastropub named in his honour continues to enhance its reputation for modern British cooking. Affluent locals flock to eat & drink in the gloriously restored Georgian residence, which boasts a country house-style interior with a striking central solid-oak bar. Here you can quaff Adnams ales, cocktails & wines, & fill up on pork belly with crackling & mash, fish or the much-lauded ‘pie of the day’. Upstairs, a pair of chic dining rooms provides a touch more formality, with menus celebrating home-grown flavours – perhaps seared Loch Crinan scallops with garden-pea purée & potato wafer, followed by roast saddle of rabbit with braised leg cottage pie, new season’s carrots & curly kale. Finish with dark chocolate marquise with hazelnut parfait, or ginger semifreddo with honeycomb ice cream. ‘If only more pubs were like this,’ sighs one satisfied soul.