The Goring Dining Room

Old-school restaurants can get overlooked in London in lieu of trendier new openings serving sharing plates and natural wines, but The Goring puts up a convincing fight for why the classics will never die. Following a major refurbishment in 2024, The Dining Room 2.0 is all majestic proportions and elegant furnishings. It’s still old-school as hell, with service that never misses a beat and a Champagne trolley that does the rounds all evening, but the restaurant’s undeniable beauty and unapologetic luxuriousness will have you eating out the palm of its hand before you can say oysters and Champagne.

Languishing in the gorgeousness of this palatial room is a major part of the experience. Take stock: sage green draped curtains hang from soaring ceilings, glistening chandeliers sparkle above starched white tablecloths, while regal furnishings span sweeping red sofas and upholstered armchairs. Chairs are pulled out for you, napkins draped over your lap, and water poured before you’ve had a chance to take a breath. This is seamless luxury dining with bells on it, and we're more than happy to be taken along for the ride.

Executive chef Graham Squire (ex-Claridge's) takes seasonal produce and classic British ideas, and injects them with freshness and creativity. His food is truly delicious. To start, two soft scallops find friends in a verdant sweet pea puree, crisp pear and a rich nut-brown butter sauce. A fantastic chicken dish featuring the tasty, pulled brown meat, mellow sweetcorn, truffle shavings, popcorn, a glossy confit egg yolk and the glue that holds it all together – butter – was so irresistable it had us smiling ear to ear. And finally, a candy-pink, rhubarb and lemon tart offset by intentionally sweet vanilla-flecked ice cream was faultless.

Intention is the key word here. Squire’s menu is thoughtful, polished and perfectly-executed across every element. It’s expensive yes - our meal would have cost over £80 a head before wine – and its audacious setting won’t be for everyone, but a meal here will undoubtedly rank amongst your all-time favourites. It certainly does for us.

The Goring is a beautifully designed, luxurious and historic hotel that is located in Belgravia. Whilst the hotel is of course known for its lovely rooms, it is also well known for its incredible food, serving traditional British cuisine with a triumphant twist.

The Michelin-starred restaurant has relaunched with the most exquisite interiors that were designed by Russell Sage Studio, and with it incorporated new, seasonal menus and an equally special dining experience. For the first time in the hotel's century-long history, the executive chef, Graham Squire has now got a state of the art kitchen to work with. Squire and his team livened up the space to be somewhere that you can visit for a guaranteed delicious meal that has been crafted with a seasonal, ingredient-led focus in mind.

The restaurant also showcases an impressive wine list that includes bottles from some of the most renowned estates in Bordeaux and Burgundy, along with smaller and more independent wineries that are equally as delicious.

Start your a la carte dining experience with a selection of caviar served with lemon blinis and traditional garnishes, or some Jersey rock oysters served on ice with lemon and shallot vinegar. Next up, the starters will undoubtedly impress you, with choices of spiced duck liver with oak church strawberries, kampot, yoghurt and pistachio brioche, along with acquerello risotto made with spring vegetables, crisp comte and pickled walnut.

You can choose your main dish from the likes of Dover sole with globe artichoke in barigoule with warm tartare and crispy beer batter, and the Rhug estate lamb with hot pot pie. If you're dining with another, choose a dish for two from the trolley, such as the longhorn beef Wellington made with slow cooked short rib, pickled horseradish and onion marmalade.