Prince Arthur, Belgravia

"When is a pub not a pub? Probably when it has a fishmonger counter and its own caviar. Prince Arthur is a big Belgravia opening that, not unlike The Devonshire, has a fancy pub downstairs and an even fancier restaurant upstairs. It also claims to have ‘one of the finest Guinness pours’ in the city. In ‘The Pub Below’ it’s all pigs’ ears and pickled mussels. In ‘The Restaurant Upstairs’, ex-Brat and Sessions Arts Club chefs cook Basque dishes like lobster rice with saffron aioli. And yes, there will be Basque cheesecake." - team infatuation

"Prince Arthur calls itself a pub-Basque restaurant, but that’s about as accurate as describing a neighbouring Belgravia townhouse as modest. Beer mats have been replaced with white tablecloths, the marble-look bar has never seen a spilt pint, and the closest to crisps you’ll get here are turbot-dripping potatoes used to scoop up Siberian Baerii caviar. This sleek spot is beautiful, with caramel leather banquettes and a blue and white tiled seascape mural. Even the baby eels on the fish counter look like sculptures. But there are cosier, livelier places to go for a pint, and there are restaurants that feel fancy but without the stiffness. Even on a Friday night, it’s too big and empty, with a staff to diner ratio that makes you feel like you’re under observation. The dishes also leave you wanting—particularly the underwhelming lobster rice, with not enough meat and too much aioli. photo credit: Lateef Photography Food Rundown photo credit: Sinéad Cranna In-House Caviar, Siberian Baerii Royal Imperial 10g You can choose to have your caviar with turbot-dripping potatoes or cucumber and crème fraîche, and you should definitely go for the potatoes. They’re buttery and have nice, crispy layers and the potato inside is soft and fluffy. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna House Chorizo Scotch Egg, Beer Mustard The chorizo flavour isn’t very strong and the sausagemeat is dry. video credit: Sinéad Cranna Marinated Olives Usually we wouldn’t suggest messing around with olives when there are small plates, caviar, wood-grilled mains, and desserts. But these olives are delicious: plump and citrussy. We polished off the lot. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Lobster Rice, Saffron Aioli Holding Prince Arthur’s Instagram photo of this dish up against the real one sitting in front of us, we suddenly understood what it is to be catfished. There’s less lobster, and even then it’s bland and not particularly tender. The rice is OK, but the saffron aioli overpowers everything. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Basque Cheesecake This is a solid Basque cheesecake. The berry fruit compote is tasty and the cheesecake itself is creamy and light." - Sinéad Cranna