Chapter One

With its mock-Tudor appearance, Chapter One is handily located on the A21 and is home to Andrew McLeish's much-acclaimed cooking. The front door opens into a world of refinement, from the spacious dining room with its new metropolitan styling and serene pastel tones, to the suave, professional and welcoming service. Dark wooden floors, elegant tan-coloured seating, stylish food-related photographs, bevelled-mirror wall and crisp white linen continue the sophisticated theme, while a separate brasserie and stylish bar - also refurbished and with a louder buzz and more informal edge - attracts a wised-up crowd looking for culinary thrills at cheaper prices. McLeish's confident and accomplished cooking aptly suits the surroundings and takes a modern European approach based on classical techniques, with dishes displaying plenty of innovation alongside distinct flavours, balanced combinations and high skill. Tip-top seasonal ingredients are handled with consummate integrity here, and perfectly illustrate the maxim 'less is more'. Take pot-roast belly of Berkshire free-range pork served with caramelised apple, potato fondant and pork jus, or perhaps baked halibut with a comté crust accompanied by sautéed pak choi, braised onion purée and smoked red wine sauce, and to finish, perhaps a hot chocolate fondant with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. The appealing repertoire is a fixed-price affair and reads like central London luxury with suburban prices - lunch offering fantastic value at this level. The wine list shows admirable pedigree, too, while its sister restaurant over in Blackheath is perhaps predictably called Chapter Two (see entry) and is well worth checking out.

Situated on A21, 3m from Bromley. From M25 junct 4 onto A21 for 5m.
Nearest station: Orpington

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