Café Clement: a Polished All-day Spot at St Clement Hotel in France

Café Clement, the all-day restaurant inside Nick Jones' new St Clement Hotel at 180 The Thames in central London, opened with a bang in June and immediately rocketed to the top of every "sell your grandmother for a terrace table" list in London. Within days, Stanley Tucci, Nick Grimshaw and Paul Mescal were all there, tucking into oeufs mayonnaise and lobster omelettes while politely ignoring the fact that the place was still, in many ways, a building site. The hotel itself isn't due to open fully until early autumn, when a rooftop restaurant, Lunette, will also arrive with some of London's most wondrous views and Florence Knight at the helm.

Still, Café Clement opened to frothy praise, and the reviewer was curious as to how these kind of sizzling places feel on a normal Tuesday two months in, when the celebrities are all off sunning their bottoms in Tuscany and, frankly, lunch is not free. Café Clement is elegant but not overdone: white linen, vintage Cassina chairs. The staff, of whom there appear to be about 345, are a joy: everyone seems to have been hired for their personality and for having the chops to nail a busy service.

The menu balances savory and sweet, with classic French dishes like oeufs mayonnaise and lobster omelettes alongside pastas, grills, and desserts that are both chocolatey and tarty. Two months in, the restaurant remains elegant and well-staffed, offering a polished yet unpretentious experience that makes it a reliable choice for any day of the week.