Seven Park Place restaurant

Is this London's best kept gourmand's secret? The incredible clarity of modest chef William Drabble's wonderful neo-French haute cuisine is turning foodie blogger heads at the St. James's Hotel and Club (near Clarence House and Buckingham Palace). Serious foodie-trekkers squeeze into a diminutive and Diana Vreeland-esque opulent wonderland of black-and-gilt patterned wallpaper and striking ladys' portraits for Drabble's three- to six-course set-meal extraganzas, which might include sublime slithers of scallops ceviche with Jerusalem artichokes or pink and unbeatable Lune Valley lamb with rosemary and garlic purée. Immaculate desserts like burnt lemon cream with blackcurrents are miniature works of art.