The Cadogan Hotel

5 Sloane St, London

We think of The Cadogan as a discreet establishment, a Sloane Street hideaway. Back in 1895 when Oscar Wilde stayed here (alternating with The Savoy), it was a cutting edge hostelry, prequel to a thousand boutique hotels. Panelling front-of-house, patches of tessellated marble floor and a rattling good cage-lift wink back at the past. The cross-keyed concierge by the front door has the calm assurance of a man who can find the hottest tickets or a seat at any restaurant in town. Only the Victorian plush has vanished —and good riddance. ‘Jersey Lily’ Langtree, another of the hotel’s ghosts, has given her name to its restaurant. Her tables d’hôte were exclusively French, but now the current Great Taste Awards menu (£28 for three courses) draws on a British larder, from wagyu beef dripping to St George’s mushrooms with a rabbit ravioli – combinations all put together by well-known British chefs and food writers. It is the kind of cooking a guest wanting to ‘eat in’ can enjoy without feeling pressured: simple, fresh and tasty. MR. Doubles from £189.