Tatler 2009

Mark Hix is the former chef-director of Caprice Holdings. The menu at his new Farringdon chophouse - utilitarian wood and white tiles - is right-on seasonal and effortlessly low on food miles. It's a whistlestop tour, best-of-Britain safari where provenance is key.

St George's mushrooms, Peter Gott's black pudding and Judt Goodman's asparagus ('Don't they want then back?' you may be tempted to ask) have all featured on the daily changing menu. This place is a triumph, with a sister restaurant, Hix Oyster and Fish House, now open in Lyme Regis.