Best private dining rooms in London

Who else would serve guests chicken liver pâté disguised as a mandarin but Heston Blumenthal? Food masquerading as other food aside, Blumenthal’s first London outpost is all about brushing up on your history: almost all of the recipes come from the British Library archives, with some dishes dating back as far as 1390. The private dining room’s red leather walls, metal boar’s head door knocker and high-back chairs create the ideal medieval, Game of Thrones vibe, while a King Arthur-style round table is on hand, just in case you weren’t quite in the spirit of things yet. Bring your band of merry men and dig into ‘Rice & Flesh’ – or saffron risotto with braised calf tail, to the rest of us – and thank the old gods and the new that your meal is prepared by one of the finest chefs of the 21st century. dinnerbyheston.co.uk

Chef Jason Atherton opened City Social to feed London’s love for high-end dining in high-up places. Safe to say, it’s another mission accomplished for the respected restaurateur, and has assumed its City icon status almost overnight. Located on the the 24th floor of Tower 42, the venue offers those looking to avoid the hordes of date-nighting couples both a chef’s table and a private dining room capable of seating up to 24 guests. Enjoy Michelin-starred British fare including Brixham crab, rabbit saddle and other deceptively simple dishes, as you look down on the twinkling lights of City offices below. The chef’s table also offers a window into the kitchen, as well as the glass-to-ceiling views of the panoramic urban landscape, just in case there wasn’t enough to keep your attention. citysociallondon.com

The limestone cellars underneath The Connaught Hotel house no less than 6,000 vintage wines, as well as an eight-seater private dining room where the oenophiles among you can run amok. Leading French chef Hélène Darroze waves her culinary wand over a seven-course bespoke menu designed to perfectly accompany a wine selection chosen by head sommelier Mirko Benzo. With some of the most venerated wine houses on offer throughout the cellar, Benzo will simply ask you for your favourite styles and grape varietals, and the rest is up to him… His choices will only be revealed at the end of the meal, leaving plenty of room for discussion and guesswork during the blind tasting. It’s all up to your senses to do the hard work, if you indeed you consider such gluttony arduous. the-connaught.co.uk

Inspired by Colonial Indian gymkhana clubs, where members of high society would socialise, dine, drink and play sport, this Gymkhana is sticks to its roots; only this is a place purely for consuming calories, not burning them. Glass lamps from Jaipur and a variety of hunting trophies give the venue its authenticity, while the private dining ‘vault’ celebrates the thrill of the hunt across seven courses of surprisingly gamey Indian dishes. Wild boar vindaloo? Check. Quail seekh kebab? You betcha. Wild muntjac biryani. Yahtzee. Indian cuisine has rarely reached such levels of luxury; that’s before you get to the gold ceiling, and the plush seating is upholstered in a deep red. It’s time you found out why Gymkhana was previously named National Restaurant of the Year. gymkhanalondon.com

The Temple’s very existence was a well-kept secret until blueprints of the hotel revealed an extra room nobody previously knew existed; a wall was knocked through and the hotel’s best-kept secret was uncovered. A century ago, the venue was privy to the covert meetings of Freemasons, but you won’t need a ritualistic initiation to qualify you to dine here. The original Masonic Temple has been restored beautifully, retaining the integrity of Charles Barry Junior’s design (son of the architect responsible for the House of Commons, we’ll have you know). Under the domed ceiling and surrounded by Italian marble, needless to say the room has ambiance in spades. The space even comes complete with thrones and an organ, which we feel are almost always necessary to host a proper shindig. andaz.hyatt.com