Brown's Hotel, HIX Mayfair - Mayfair

The re-opening of Brown's was like a 'welcome home' for one of London's most respected and highly valued friends. It was also nothing short of a personal triumph for Sir Rocco Forte, and a great relief for anyone with fond memories of the hotel's special place in the London scene. 'All is well with the world,' proclaimed its adoring fans.

That said, there have been some changes along the way. The restaurant HIX at the Albemarle has been relaunched as Hix Mayfair and it's been given a makeover by celebrated interior designer Olga Polizzi with colourful banquettes and a stunning collection of artwork by leading artists, including Tracey Emin, Michael Landy, John Rankin, Fiona Rae, Tim Noble and Sue Webster. The wooden panelling has been left intact and there is a small cocktail bar to enliven the atmosphere of the restaurant.

With help from British food champion Mark Hix and Executive Chef Lee Stretton, high-end haute cuisine has been ditched in favour of a new menu of British classics to appeal to a wider spectrum of diners in a more relaxed style. Expect starters like Dorset snails with Peter Gott's wild boar bacon and black pudding or Yorkshire Dales wood pigeon on toast with elderberries, with main courses taking in roast North Yorkshire grouse with bread sauce and rowanberry jelly or chargrilled Orkney lobster with garlic butter and chips. When it comes to desserts you might see Amedei chocolate mousse with Julian Temperley's eau de vie cherries and hazelnuts or roasted Evesham Victorian plums with cobnuts and clotted cream.