Mildreds is a casual, vegetarian restaurant in Soho, with an intimate air and popular following. 1950s diner-style Formica furniture and vibrant wall paintings rustle up a relaxed atmosphere. Healthy and wholesome, the inspired variety of international veggie and vegan dishes, in hearty portions, will keep you coming back. The energizing detox salad with chick peas, bean sprouts, organic carrot and raisins is deliciously filling. Veggie burgers are garnished with black olives or white beans. The menu also features rejuvenating juices such as watermelon, pineapple and pear. As lunch hour looms, the restaurant becomes squashed with Soho suits, so takeaway is an advisable option. Two tables are placed on the pavement, where you can catch a little sun.
Tucked away in the plush Fetter Garden Square, Natural Kitchen is an industrially stylish yet rustically furnished cafe and restaurant serving organic food stuffs. Part modern cafe and gift shop, its unusual appearance is set off with large wooden tables covered in thin silver foil. The open space is crammed with tables surrounded by a wicker fence, the kind that you might expect to find in an allotment. Aside from the hot food dishes, salads, sandwiches and paninis, you can savor tasty toffee, miniature packets of biscuits and small pots of homemade jam.
This discrete, long-standing Kensington restaurant is famous for its prix fixe menu and creative food. The food at Clarke's may be unpretentious, but it is also rather expensive. The set three-course dinner menu changes daily. From grilled lamb to venison with polenta and red cabbage, you can expect contemporary British favorites. The first floor leads out on to small courtyard garden and the ground floor is brightly filled with modern art and huge floral displays. It's a buzzy rather than a raucous place that usually attracts the older set. You also buy tarts and bread from the shop next door.