Chiltern Firehouse

For somewhere with such a fearsomely cool reputation, Chiltern Firehouse makes you feel cosy and comforted, even on light, long summer nights. With candles flickering on every table, panelled walls and plush velvet seating, the experience feels relaxed and familiar while retaining a high-end edge.

Staff are, as you’d expect, totally professional and able to reel off their favourite dishes while including notes on flavour nuances and drink-pairing suggestions in the same breath.

With its reputation as a star-spotting-hub par excellence, it feels only right to indulge in the image of an A-lister and dress up (and save up) to come here. The full experience comes at a hefty price, but an evening of multiple courses and cocktails is nearly guaranteed to leave you feeling spoiled, even if you’re footing the bill. 

Snacks are undoubtedly the best part of any menu and Chiltern excels here, so much so that it’s hard to choose. Just to be safe, we ordered nearly one of everything. The famous crab doughnuts are filled with sweet white meat, savoury curry oil and a pinch of crispy fried shallots. Elsewhere there’s corn bread that’s cooked in bacon fat, pillowy and soft like a cake, served with a sour cream dip laced with crisp bacon pieces and topped, of course, with caviar; or there’s the ultimate crowd pleaser: Korean fried chicken (or KFC to its friends).

The meal proper continues in the same luxurious vein. Order some lobster tacos pepped up with green salsa, made with curious vegetal and bright tomatillo fruits, before abandoning yourself to the house special of Iberico pork. Cooked so that the meat still blushes, this is accompanied by two almond-based molé sauces: a simple pairing that conceals the complex flavours of Mexican spices. 

To toast your ordering success there’s a wine list that galivants across the world and throws up bottles from Austria to Argentina (a dry, fruity 2017 Gruner Veltliner and an intense 2016 Malbec respectively). For those behaving themselves, we also enjoyed a ‘Lavender Fields’ mocktail that combined lavender and elderflower with lime and ginger ale for a tart take on the taste of Parma Violets – though really, this legendary party palace is not the place to abstain; excess on all fronts is the name of the game at Chiltz.  

When it opened in 2014, Chiltern Firehouse was the first restaurant since Scott’s to cross over from being a must-visit in the reasonably niche world of upmarket restaurant-goers to become a bona fide cultural event, its name known to the sort of people who might never dream of eating in a posh West End dining room.

The initial tsunami of celebrity may have slowed to a trickle but the hotel upstairs remains a favourite of visiting A-listers and means that you’re still likely to see a famous face in the dining room. But even if your meal isn’t dusted with a sprinkling of stardust, there’s still much to enjoy here.

Punters adore the clever outdoor-themed interiors and the lively atmosphere, which brings an infectious energy to proceedings. We also love the subtle nods to the venue’s original incarnation as a fire station, with ceiling patterns inspired by hoses and a fireman’s pole forming the centrepiece of one corner table.

Right on cue, the open kitchen serves up wave after wave of likeable successes. Snacks such as the famous coral-dusted crab doughnut kick things off nicely, but there are other highlights too: BBQ pork skewers are served with brown-butter mayo, flaky salmon is cooked tandoori-style and complemented by a puddle of cooling lime yoghurt, cucumber and puffed rice, while a plate of burrata is given a summery makeover thanks to piles of juicy heritage tomato and a lively chilli jam.

Early risers pack in for breakfast (courgette and spinach scrambled eggs topped with aged Parmesan), freelancers take advantage of the indulgent lunchtime offers (Ibérico pork with red pepper mayo and barbecued peach on toast, say) and we’d also recommend a pre/post-meal trip to the botanically themed bar for cheekily named cocktails (hotel guests are given priority, but it’s easier to slip in on quiet nights).