Chucs Restaurant Belgravia

This is the third London restaurant for swish Italian brand Chucs and its sixth site in the capital overall (the other three are billed as cafés), with locations spanning Chelsea and Mayfair.

At this Belgravia outpost, you can expect to find an intimate dining room that effortlessly achieves Chuc’s signature air of easy elegance – wood-panelled walls and art deco-inspired light fixtures are complimented by ocean blue banquettes and mustard-hued tub chairs, while an indoor tree in the centre of the room helps to bring the outside in, although those who prefer the real thing can always head out onto the wraparound terrace for a cocktail in the sunshine.

Open all day (and for brunch on the weekends), Chucs Belgravia is well equipped to cater to diners’ every whim. The menu follows the traditional four-course Italian format and is replete with luxury touches – an avalanche of truffle acts as a topping for everything from fries to pizza. It’s not all so decadent though, with lighter options balancing out the comfort food, and health-conscious diners able to opt for a Cobb salad topped with salmon or a colourful Mediterranean salad.

On our lunchtime visit, we chose indulgence all the way. A portion of warm crumb-coated arancini flecked with black truffle shavings provided an appropriately luxurious start, while linguine topped with sweet and zesty Cornish crab is given a crunchy edge via a handful of pangratata (sautéed breadcrumbs). A side of moreish zucchini fritters in a lacy batter also impressed.

Since 2014, the Chucs restaurant collection has been one of the chicest names in London's hospitality scene. Inspired by 1950s glamour and a Slim Aarons aesthetic, its restaurants are a feat of elegant interiors and authentic Italian cuisine, and none more so than the Belgravia branch.

With 55 covers, Belgravia is one of the largest sites with a wrap-around terrace, perfect for drinks and cicchetti on a summer's day. Inside, scallop-edged lighting and pale pink bar stools give the interiors a feminine nod, while cafe curtains, tiled flooring and marble-topped tables exude vintage charm.

Menus are split up into breakfast, brunch and all day dining. Breakfasts offer something for everyone with crowd-pleasers such as eggs any style, chalk farm smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and sourdough, while breakfast bowls are filled with homemade granola, strawberries and mint or traditional porridge oats and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Brunch offers further flexibility with pasta dishes like lobster linguine, tomatoes and garlic, next to rigatoni bolognese and bigoli cacio pepe. There's also a mix of small plates like grilled prawns with chilli and garlic, as well as steak tartare with caviar and radishes, alongside larger dishes including roasted var salmon and grilled lamb cutlets.

On the main menu, you'll find a cascade of classic Italian courses starting with cicchetti such as truffle arancini and olives, starters such as burrata with tomatoes and pastas in the form of fusilli genovese and bigoli cacio pepe. There's also a great selection of hearty pastas, mains such as chicken milanese, rosemary and lemon and roasted sea bass, and even Chucs classics like club sandwiches and the Chucs burger.

In terms of drinks, Chucs signatures sound tasty; we would try a Chucs 71 which mixes Ketel One, lime, passion fruit, mint and ginger ale, but if that's not your thing there's a long list of classics as well as an expertly-curated wine list, too.