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Arlington

London, St James's - Modern European - Restaurant - £££

Jeremy King returns to the location of his very first hit

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

More than three decades ago, there was nowhere quite like Le Caprice in London for high-glamour celebrity-spotting. With Jeremy King’s return to 20 Arlington Street comes a new iteration with a new name – ‘it's now touted as “not Le Caprice”, but you could have fooled me,’ noted a confirmed regular from the old days. The predominantly monochrome ‘Parisian brasserie’ look has been faithfully restored: the walls are still lined with David Bailey's iconic monochrome photos of (now half-forgotten) stars, and the piano continues to tinkle in the evening. Even Le Caprice's culinary legends still queue up on the menu, all delivered with great proficiency. The crispy duck salad, the calf’s liver with bacon, the house burger ('chopped steak Américain’ in Arlington-speak) and, of course, the iced berries with white chocolate sauce all have a legion of followers. Ditto the famous bang-bang chicken and the big-on-comfort salm...

More than three decades ago, there was nowhere quite like Le Caprice in London for high-glamour celebrity-spotting. With Jeremy King’s return to 20 Arlington Street comes a new iteration with a new name – ‘it's now touted as “not Le Caprice”, but you could have fooled me,’ noted a confirmed regular from the old days. The predominantly monochrome ‘Parisian brasserie’ look has been faithfully restored: the walls are still lined with David Bailey's iconic monochrome photos of (now half-forgotten) stars, and the piano continues to tinkle in the evening. Even Le Caprice's culinary legends still queue up on the menu, all delivered with great proficiency.

The crispy duck salad, the calf’s liver with bacon, the house burger ('chopped steak Américain’ in Arlington-speak) and, of course, the iced berries with white chocolate sauce all have a legion of followers. Ditto the famous bang-bang chicken and the big-on-comfort salmon fishcakes with sorrel sauce, which we enjoyed. For something more interesting, look to the daily specials – maybe vitello tonnato, followed by chargrilled squid with pepper salsa and bacon.

But it was desserts that hit the top note for us. Two could have made short work of our rich, buttery and delicious tarte tatin, while a light, delicate elderflower jelly with summer fruits was sublime in its simplicity. It's all matched by a wine list that leans towards Europe but offers little choice under £50. However, there’s a reasonable selection by the glass (from £9) and carafe (from £27).

Arlington may serve a city vastly different from the one that its predecessor dazzled back in the day, but it can still deliver classy modern brasserie fare and it still has a certain ‘something for everyone’ appeal, while a seat at the bar by the entrance looks like a great spot for solo diners.

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VENUE DETAILS

Arlington House, Arlington Street
St James's
SW1A 1RJGB

020 3856 1000

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OTHER INFORMATION

Separate bar, Wheelchair access, Family friendly

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