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Summer in London means an influx of garden terraces, all promising to be the city’s next best al fresco dining destination. How can one hope to stand out amongst the flurry of outdoor restaurant spots at this time of year? The Terrace at the Royal Horseguards Hotel has your answer: keep it simple and elegant, with a focus on truly good food, top-class service and comfort.

Recently debuted and nestled beside Whitehall Gardens, the Terrace is styled as an English country garden, replete with wicker sofas, a growing tomato wall and country garden décor. The overall vibe is one of a secluded haven at the heart of city life, where everything in the noisy capital seems to slow down a little.

For drinks, it was recommended to us to try the Les Volets Chardonnay, a gloriously dry and light French white, which paired excellently with our starters of burrata and heirloom tomato with pesto dressing, black olive crumb and basil cress, and bresaola ‘Della Valtellina’ and parma with artichoke, sun blush tomato, truffle mushroom, pecorino and wild rocket. Both starters were divine; the burrata wondrously creamy and the tomatoes fresh and full-flavoured. Every flavour worked perfectly and we enjoyed mopping it up with servings of fresh bread.

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When it came time for the main course, I opted for the pan-seared seabass fillet, which arrived beautifully presented on a bed of samphire, baby potatoes, chorizo and shallot salsa. The seabass was seared to perfection, cooked just enough to give it a great grilled texture, and the baby potatoes were each a little pocket of brilliant flavour. My partner had settled on the chicken supreme with potato puree, glazed carrots and wild mushroom crème reduction, which he reliably let me know he thoroughly enjoyed too.

We found we still had room for dessert, so an earl grey pana cotta and a coconut & chia rice pudding were brought out to us. Unlike many restaurants, the dessert portions are generous. The pana cotta was paired well with a berry coulis, pistachio praline and meringue, and the rice pudding was a serving of creamy coconut goodness.

The service is lovely, professional and attentive, and there is a real sense of peace and tranquillity in this cosy hotel garden. It’s a lovely spot to go to eat on a warm evening – and even if the evening is not so warm, you need not fear: they have built-in heaters.

Well worth the visit.

https://www.royalhorseguardshotel.com/restaurants-and-bars/the-terrace