Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

It's hard to over emphasise just how good this restaurant is. Not just the food and wine, which speaks for itself, but the flawless service, charming front of house and general sense of well being which settles itself on you like a cashmere shawl for the rest of the day.

The secret of extracting this much money so willingly from diners is the way in which every diner is treated as the most important table in the room. Whether you choose the gastronomic heights of the tasting menu at £115, or stick to the astonishingly good value set lunch menu at £40, the attention is just the same. Service is very French - lots and lots of immaculate waiters shimmer up to do everything from taking your order to bringing you the truffle of the day to admire - but you never feel 'bothered', and staff can read tables well. If you want the full flourishing experience, it's yours; if you'd prefer a lower-key meal, you'll barely notice the magical way plates appear and disappear.

And the details! The explosion of flavours in the amuse bouches, the strawberry ice cream chocolates on a cloud of dry ice, the little silver tree of truffles... Admittedly, options on the set menu are limited if you're a veggie, but that's about the only drawback I can think of.

My boyfriend and I reward ourselves with lunch here as often as we can persuade ourselves we really deserve a treat. It might end up costing the same as a cheap European minibreak, after he's had a go on the astonishing winelist, but by the time we leave, Chelsea has taken on a rosy glow that makes us feel as if we ARE abroad. In short: the most expensive place we eat at in London, but the only one that I come out of feeling it's been money well spent.