Of his restaurants in London, Tom Aikens’ eponymous one is of the shining lights of contemporary cheffy cooking (nearby at 43 Elystan Street; 020 7584 2003). His attempts at more relaxed eating have been varied (his chippie bombed), but Tom’s Kitchen, a chic, marble- and oak-dressed spot on a village green off the King’s Road, is thriving, serving homely favourites like fish pie and macaroni cheese (with optional black truffle), alongside well-sourced meat dishes served simply with salads, classic sauces and decadent truffle chips with parmesan. But this is the brooding perfectionist’s version of comfort food, so never expect the ordinary, and there’s more fois gras than you’d expect from a brasserie-style dining room, but, hey, this is Chelsea (the prices reflect this). So do the customers, a mix of upper-class oldies up from the country, splashy young royals and their crew, and bankers en famille (book ahead for weekend brunches, or anaesthetise the hunger at the upstairs bar). In summer 2010, Aikens opened Tom’s Kitchen at Somerset House, featuring the same menu (The Strand, WC2; 020 7845 4646). The success of Tom’s Kitchen’s is a sign of the times.