With a huge stained glass window featuring the Michelin Man in the centre of the dining room, Bibendum has been a temple to fine dining for the past thirty years. Originally Michelin’s London headquarters, it was turned into a restaurant by Sir Terence Conran in 1987. Clause Bosi took over the kitchen after closing his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Hibiscus, wanting to get away from the complexity and necessities required to run a business operating at such a high level. Instead, he is cooking the bold, flavourful food he became famous for, but has evolved his style to focus more on simple, clean cuisine. The switch proved to be an instant hit, and in 2017 he was awarded two Michelin stars once more. In 2018, he transformed the ground-level next to the Oyster Bar into La Maison Rémy Martin, which serves seasonally changing cocktails with matching food pairings (go here to learn more about becoming a member).

The upstairs dining room is full of natural light thanks to the large windows, pristine white tablecloths and modern, scandi-inspired seating. Rather than following the trend for super-casual bare bricks and wood, Bibendum pays homage to the formal service Michelin was originally associated with – although without any of the stiff snobbishness that sometimes came with it. Smartly dressed waiters wheel around silver trollies, serving desserts tableside and bringing out vast selections of cheeses at the end of the meal. Little amuse bouches, petits fours and canapés are served as part of the à la carte (there is no tasting menu available), including a very beautiful bonsai olive tree complete with what looks like olives, but is in fact an anchovy and onion-filled shell.

The menu contains many unashamedly French dishes, inspired by Claude’s Lyon upbringing. Ingredients such as tripe, frog’s legs, sweetbreads and brains are given a fine dining twist, sitting alongside more luxurious items such as foie gras, Dover sole and turbot. The wine list is, as you’d expect, extensive, covering practically every region of France as well as famous appellations from across the world. This is a restaurant to go to when you’re celebrating something – the combination of classical service, tableside theatre, incredible wine and the inimitable cuisine of Claude Bosi will make it something to remember.