Restaurants for Chelsea Flowers

After a hard day's admiring beautiful flowers and listening to trinkling waterfalls at the Chelsea Flower Show, it's only fair to reward oneself with a little supper. We find the five best places in the area to do just that.

Le Cercle *

1 Wilbraham Place, SW1 (020-7901 9999). Anyone who has ever been to the delightful Club Gascon or Cellar Gascon in Smithfield Market will be familiar with Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie's showcase of the very best in food and drink from their native corner of south-west France. They now also operate this new bar and restaurant in basement premises on a deeply upmarket residential street close to Sloane Square. It's an austere, almost overdesigned venue where the service is stiffer than the drinks.

Manicomio *
85 Duke Of York Square, SW3 (020-7730 3366).

Chelsea's best-kept secret is the new retail complex that has grown up around the old Duke Of York's barracks. (It's surprisingly hard to find, but is directly opposite Peter Jones and through a small alleyway off Sloane Square). Manicomio is a smart Italian deli, bar and restaurant, with a useful outside space on warm evenings. They're still having a few teething problems with the service, but this is the sort of place you can bring your folks to without fear of frightening them with lots of youngsters.

Phene Arms *

9 Phene Street, SW3 (020-7352 3294). This was George Best's hangout during his drinking days. It was always a delightfully tatty, traditional pub, and much loved by locals. However, it recently got a contemporary makeover that has divided opinion in this hostile-to-change part of town. Smooth, clean surfaces and pale pastels have replaced the old-fashioned interior, and plasma screens take pride of place on the walls. The beer garden remains an attractive feature, but there are no longer any ales, sadly. See Gastropubs, page 36.

Trafalgar *
200 King's Road, SW3 (020-7349 1831).

The Trafalgar has always been a boisterous pub, popular with young party people.
In the past year it has undergone a complete refurbishment, the prices hiked, an all-day food menu and retro furnishings introduced. They still expect large crowds - rows of bottles of wine are usually open and ready for consumption behind the bar - but visiting during the day should prove to be relatively tame.

Bluebird ***
350 King's Road, SW3 (020-7559 1000).

The outside terrace of this popular Conran gaff fills up quickly on warm days, and it has garden heaters in the evening - they even provide blankets if it gets particularly cold. This is extremely popular with ladies who lunch, as is the indoor cafe, bar and restaurant. They offer a full range of snacks and main meals along with soft and licensed drinks.