The Savoy’s star-studded history includes stories of Fred Astaire dancing on the rooftop and the entire courtyard being flooded to resemble a Venetian canal for a particularly fabulous party in 1905. It also features Kaspar the Cat, a three-foot-high sculpture created in 1926 to occupy the extra seat at unlucky tables of 13. Winston Churchill always reserved a spot for Kaspar whenever he ate here, and the sleek feline fits right in amid the glamorous art-deco surrounds of its riverside restaurant – all polished marble, silver leaf and Murano glass.
Seafood is the kitchen’s speciality (Kaspar would surely approve), with lots of luxury ingredients on offer and decadent fruits de mer platters available from the handsome seafood bar, which also serves up intricate sushi and sashimi. We love the reliable fixtures too: seafood pie and Dover sole with glossy brown butter, for example.
Carnivores will find steaks and grills among the fishy fare, while desserts are mostly modern takes on the classics – although our deconstructed peach Melba (a Savoy classic created here by legendary chef Escoffier) failed to hit our sweet spot. Wines perfectly complement the food and service is “excellent” – as you'd expect at The Savoy.