Flor

Given the acclaim that modern British restaurant Lyle’s has won, it was no surprise that Flor has remained popular since the day it opened. The team behind both is restaurateur John Ogier and chef James Lowe, who have won plaudits from Michelin, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and more for their sensitive approach to cooking and sustainability.

Where Lyle’s is big, open and airy, Flor is nothing if not intimate when it comes to interiors. There are a couple of tables and seats around the bar counter on the lower floor, and a tiny post-industrial-style spiral staircase reaches a slightly bigger room on the first floor. It’s full of personality, though, and feels right at home, taking its place among London’s best food-forward wine bars.

Flor is designed to be a more casual dining experience than Lyle’s, which offers à la carte alongside its tasting menu. Here, diners order from a compact menu of thoughtful sharing plates and a wine list that leans towards natural and low-intervention. Standout dishes include delicious prawn crudo, served with a yuzu ponzu and bright red prawn heads for diners to suck the juice out of. The menu also features an exquisite brown butter tart, a sumptuous closer that’s rich and decadent but small enough to justify even after a big lunch.