The best power restaurants

Wiltons is how power-lunching must have been back in the days when captains of industry were still educated at Eton, Oxford and the Guards and were driven to their offices in Rolls-Royces. Wiltons reeks of tradition. It predates the foundation of an independent United States of America by a comfortable margin of 34 years and if Britain had to choose between the two institutions I daresay we could muddle through without our transatlantic neighbours. As well as the celebrated oysters and piscine classics such as grilled Dover sole and poached turbot, this is the place to eat game in season, roast grouse, roast grey-leg partridge and so on. I was a little worried when it closed for a few weeks during August to allow for a spot of redecoration. Mercifully, when the dustsheets came off and the place reopened, I was unable to detect any great changes - but then that is the Wiltons way. The staff and many of the customers give the impression of having been born here, and indeed, eating at Wiltons is one of those English rituals to which one is born - and it helps to be born rich.
55 Jermyn Street, SW1 (020 7629 9955)
Review

Mark's Club

This really ought to have been listed under my five favourite restaurants, as it is one of the few places in London at which I eat purely for pleasure. In this I am, however, in a minority, especially at lunch, when the air buzzes with the subdued hum of deals being finessed. This Mayfair club is quite simply one of the best gastro-hospitality experiences around. Staff have their spheres of influence: Terry runs the lobby, tail-coated Bruno's domain is the brace of elegant dining-rooms, while Barry and Roy reign in the first-floor bar and drawing-room. Food is classic, largely English and proud of it: game terrine; whitebait; roast chicken, chipolatas and bacon; lobster Thermidor; roast lamb; and roast grouse. The chocolate ice-cream is one of the gastronomic wonders of the world. The dining-room features a vast Perspex humidor in which are kept some very interesting vintage Ramon Allones cigars.
46 Charles Street, W1 (020 7499 2936)
Review

The Savoy Grill Room

The Savoy Grill is the spiritual home of the roast beef of Olde Englande. Simpson's-in-the-Strand may try and claim this particular laurel, but despite its antiquity, standards are so variable that I would recommend anyone in search of a well-prepared slab of roast flesh to come to the Savoy Grill. This used to be power-lunch central and although this mantle may have moved over to The Ivy, this is not so much a comment on the Savoy Grill but rather the nature of power. Nevertheless, the Savoy Grill still has a lot going for it in terms of service, ambience and classic lunching or dining. This is, however, not the sort of place to expect to be out in under an hour; the Savoy Grill is built for comfort rather than speed and should be treated with the respect it deserves.
The Savoy Hotel, The Strand, WC2 (020 7836 4343)
Review

Christopher's

This eponymous Covent Garden restaurant finds itself at an interesting crossroads, politically, geographically and socially. The Hon Christopher Gilmour is the son of the patrician Tory wet Lord Gilmour, a former owner of The Spectator, hence its popularity with politicians and political journalists. Then there is its location: it is the first West End restaurant many journalists encounter on their way from Canary Wharf. Food is based on an American model: Nantucket lobster cake, Maryland crab cake, New England clam bake. Over the years this superior surf'n'turf operation has expanded to fill its splendid edifice. Now, as well as a graciously proportioned first-floor dining-room, there is a salon priv? on the ground floor and a 21st-century take on a speakeasy bar in the basement. In fact, so popular is the Christopher's formula that it has been rolled out in Victoria Station: Ian Burke, CEO of the Thistle Group, has persuaded Gilmour to open a branch in the Grosvenor Hotel.
18 Wellington Street, WC2 (020 7240 4222)
Review

One Lombard Street

There is something convenient, if soulless, about restaurants that name themselves after their address, but never mind that - One Lombard Street is one of the new breed of City restaurants that has brought fine dining to the Square Mile. It is really two restaurants in one: a large brasserie with a big circular bar, and a smaller, Michelin-starred restaurant. Owned by Soren Jessen, it seems to go like a bomb. Food is modern yet sufficiently substantial for City boy appetites - among the dishes on offer in the brasserie are paella and roast suckling pig - while food and concomitant napkin etiquette in the smart restaurant at the back make for a good place to schmooze.
1 Lombard Street, EC3, 020-7929 6611
Review