Chapter One Restaurant

Well established and ever popular with the locals, chef-patron Andrew McLeish's upmarket Chapter One Restaurant has wide appeal. Located on the busy road connecting the Kentish towns of Bromley and Orpington, whether you go for the relaxed brasserie and its covered terrace, or the more formal restaurant with its crisp linen tablecloths and vibrant gastronomic artwork, a meal here will live long in the memory. The ambience is friendly, with a well-drilled team in smart black waistcoats and aprons. You could go for the carte, or the wallet-friendly menu du jour, but either way McLeish strikes an inviting balance between assured modern European cooking and the desire to offer value. Classic techniques deliver finely tuned dishes, while seasonal ingredients from a network of high-end suppliers mean that the menus change all the time, depending on what arrives in the kitchen. An early summer meal chosen from the à la carte menu might begin with velouté of sweetcorn, ballotine of chicken, sweetcorn and spring onion, or risotto of saffron and courgette with braised and stuffed guinea fowl wing. Main courses bring further evidence of intelligent flavour combinations via a poached and roast loin of rabbit, pancetta, girolle mushrooms, silverskin onions, braised rabbit leg tart and masala sauce. And if fish is your thing, try the pan-fried hake, confit potatoes, piquillo pepper piperade and salsa verde. For diners looking for something a little more straightforward, perhaps, the Josper grill comes into its own with prime Angus rib-eye steaks served with béarnaise sauce or grilled John Dory with moscatel vinegar and garlic emulsion. Desserts continue the form with a delicately constructed cherry millefeuille, vanilla crémeux and pistachio ice cream, or a seasonal dish of English strawberries with sable Breton, verbena jelly, vanilla crémeux and strawberry sorbet.

Awards, accolades & Welcome Schemes

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence

AA Notable Wine List