The London food institutions brought into the 21st century.

The London restaurant scene can be a fickle business. Diners are prepared to queue for hours to try the cult dishes cluttering up Instagram feeds at the city’s latest openings, but when the hype simmers down, many establishments fail to maintain customers’ interest. More than 280 restaurants opened in the capital in 2017, but the number of closures has never been higher. It is difficult to survive in a volatile market, which makes the restaurants that have operated successfully for decades (and, in some cases, centuries), all the more impressive. Some stalwarts have seen off recessions, world wars and countless fleeting food trends. The best in the business are masters of reinvention, managing to remain relevant without losing their charm. Below, we look at three classic restaurants that have recently reopened after a refurbishment with exciting new chefs on board.

The Square has long been the glitziest jewel in Mayfair’s dining crown. Opened in 1991, it retained two Michelin stars for 19 years, thanks to head chef Mr Phil Howard’s immaculate, season-led cooking. But when he left, the restaurant lost one of its stars, and some of its sparkle. Restaurateur Mr Marlon Abela bought The Square and reopened it in late 2017, complete with a modern new design (moody grey walls, parquet flooring and in-house art exhibitions) and a sought-after chef at the stoves. Mr Clément Leroy is part of a growing movement that aims to reinvigorate French fine dining, favouring lighter dishes in place of the usual butter- and cream-laced fare – a philosophy developed during his time at Guy Savoy in Paris. Dishes such as seared Orkney scallop with hazelnuts and green coffee beans, and Yorkshire roe deer with mushroom praline, showcase top British produce. Mr Leroy’s wife, Ms Aya Tamura, heads up the pastry section and injects French favourites with Asian flavours (think chocolate grand cru with pistachio and red shiso). A Franco-Italian wine list boasts a boggling 2,000-plus bottles, and the service is as slick as ever.

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Simpson’s In The Strand has been keeping Londoners sated since 1828. Initially a chess and cigar club, its signature carving trolleys were designed to be wheeled through the cavernous Grand Divan dining room so as not to disrupt the games. Almost 200 years later, the shiny domed trolleys are still moving, but the place itself had felt a little tired in recent times – until it reopened in July last year following a painstaking restoration. The place has got its shine back, thanks to red leather banquettes, chandeliers and a grand piano in the corner, while new head chef Mr William Hemming has created a “bill of fare” that’s unwaveringly British. London smoked salmon is served with tangy curd cheese from Tottenham-based producer Wildes, Yorkshire fishcakes come with smoked Lincolnshire eel and a pink-in-the-middle Wellington is made with 28-day dry-aged British beef. There’s a second trolley, too. Negronis and martinis, made with the restaurant’s bespoke Old Tom and London Dry gins, are mixed tableside. Simpson’s has lost none of its nostalgic appeal. Regular visitor Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite table by the fire remains.

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If the walls at Kettner’s could talk, they’d tell some cracking stories. Said to be London’s original French restaurant, it was opened by Mr Auguste Kettner, chef to Napoleon III, in 1867. Since then, it has played host to high society, from Mr Oscar Wilde to Mr Bing Crosby and King Edward VII (he courted actress Ms Lillie Langtry at Kettner’s and supposedly installed an underground tunnel from the restaurant to the Palace Theatre where she worked). Soho House & Co acquired the building in 2015 and will reopen the Soho landmark later this month under the name Kettner’s Townhouse. Downstairs, the restaurant nods to its French heritage, with mahogany furniture and ornate vintage mirrors, while an Art Noveau champagne bar encourages diners to linger. The former dining area upstairs has been transformed into 33 Georgian hotel rooms, complete with all the trappings you’d expect in a Soho House hotel: 1920s chandeliers, antique vanities and Mr William Morris wallpaper. The kitchen team have been inspired by Kettner’s historic recipes to create a menu of French classics made with the best British ingredients. Here’s to the next 150 years.

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For more recommendations, visit MR PORTER’s Style Council

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