The Grazing Goat Hotel

6 New Quebec St. London

The most recent addition to the Cubitt House stable, which includes The Orange in Pimlico and a couple of Chelsea public houses, the Grazing Goat, in Portman Village, is a great find. Located on the site of a 19th-century grazing ground, there may no longer be any goats in sight – aside from a few sets of horns in the bar – but being on quiet New Quebec Street, with a country-chic decor, you could (almost) believe you’ve escaped the hubbub of central London. The eight bedrooms are all very charming (though admittedly, not hugely spacious) and have roll-top baths, sturdy wooden beds and thick Jacob’s wool blankets – and for the location, the price is a bargain. Vilmorin-Andrieux fruit and veg prints, and Standford’s 1863 maps of London add a nostalgic, 19th-century touch. Rooms occupy the top two floors, with the restaurant below and the spacious bar on the ground floor beneath that – so you can enjoy a meal without needing to sit cheek by jowl with those out for a post-work pint (though of course, considering the neighbourhood, the clientele is hardly offensive). Food is fresh, seasonal, British: there are solid classics, such as beer-battered fish and chips, and more innovative takes, such as asparagus with crispy duck’s egg, cheese, tomato and caper dressing or scallops with nettle dumplings, wild garlic and sherry vinegar. Dishes are flavourful without being heavy: Shetland salmon with Jersey Royals, purple sprouting broccoli, and caper and brown shrimp sauce is delightful. Don’t miss the cocktails – the lavender Collins tastes of summer. AEM. Doubles from £195.