The Montague on the Gardens

The Montague's Blue Door Bistro sits in a quiet corner of Bloomsbury by the British Museum. It is everything you'd expect of a classy boutique hotel venue: a discreet brass name plaque and bowler-hatted doorman at the entrance, and a cossetting feel of upmarket elegance backed by polished service inside. The feel-good factor extends to the contemporary, clean-cut looks of the bistro, where leather director's chairs at linen-clad tables, mahogany panelling, and a wall frieze of Dickensian London set the tone for a menu of unfussy modern comfort food classics. To start, there may be beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan biscuits, followed by roast duck breast with dauphinoise potato and rosemary fondant, or served sizzling from the grill, pork chops with bubble-and-squeak, and sage and pine nut butter.