Art Yard Bar & Kitchen, Bankside Hotel's retro cool dining room

Living up to its name, the design of Art Yard Bar & Kitchen is swoon-worthy. Expect masses of modern art, sustainably sourced mid-century furnishings, plus black and white geometric-style tiles and witty installations. It really is a joy to behold. Art Yard has brought in chef Lee Streeton (of 45 Jermyn Street), who combines Mediteranean inspired recipes with mostly British ingredients.

The menu rotates with the seasons. Current standouts include: chargrilled cuttlefish with black rice and chorizo; baked bone marrow with curry sauce; and, most exceptional of all, the cataplana, a beautiful, deeply aromatic Portuguese recipe of monkfish, shellfish, saffron and potato cooked in a beautiful copper cataplana. Bring your whole gang (and appetite) at the weekend when Art Yard fires up their wood-fire oven and roasts large sharing cuts of meat

Breakfast is decidedly lighter, with contemporary vegan offerings such as buckwheat tabbouleh with tahini yoghurt, as well as sinful sweets like waffles with fruit compote and crème fraîche.