Damask at The Athenæum

With its soft & elegant decor, described by one reader as ‘boudoir girliness meets BA first-class’, the Athenæum’s dining room attracts a mix of ladies who lunch & business types to its curved, high-backed banquettes. A ‘great value’ £20 set lunch comes in for particular praise, its three courses including a selection of perfectly pleasant salads, charcuterie & crustacea from the buffet, plus mains such as a moist grilled salmon fillet in a buttery crab-meat sauce with char-grilled asparagus. Alternatively, the a la carte menu offers sophisticated comfort food: a flavoursome rib-eye steak with a neat little pot of hand-cut chips & a rich bearnaise sauce, say. Staff are smiling & attentive.