Villandry is one of the best French restaurants in London because you can get your assortment of French groceries after you dine. Named after France’s Chateau de Villandry, it’s true that it is something of a castle to cuisine – all cream stone floors and tall, whitewashed walls, it’s an emporium of gourmet delicacies from around the world. With three kitchens catering variously for those who want to enjoy their food slowly, fast or offsite, there’s a crisp, airy 100-seat restaurant with a daily-changing European-flavoured menu and an extensive, largely French wine list, frequented by discerning corpo-media types, there’s a 50-seat all-day bar area that whips up lighter, less formal meals and sharing tapas with more wallet-friendly price tags to match, and a vast food hall, resembling a (glorified) old-fashioned food market, with its counters of charcuterie (bresaola, Bayonne and Iberico hams etc) and fine cheeses (e.g. handmade Roquefort and Neal’s Yard), cakes, fresh bread baked onsite and three-course meals from its takeaway kitchen. Bespoke picnic hampers are also available, and there’s even an outside catering service, should you have a castle-sized budget. In 2009, the smaller Villandry Kitchen opened (95 High Holborn, WC1; 020 7242 4580), featuring an all-day cafe?, bar and deli – the same three-tier class system.