Bites: Historical eating
Heritage dining without disappointment; these old stagers have history on their side and vitality in the kitchen
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The Art Deco interior is a sight to behold at Glasgow's longest-running restaurant. Rogano continues on its luxurious cruise – it launched in 1935, the same year as the Queen Mary – offering classical French cooking using fine Scottish ingredients. Grilled lobster thermidor, for example, and a shellfish assiette for two. Prices are all too contemporary: these two are £33.50 and £34. A table d'hôte menu is £16.50.
11 Royal Exchange Place, Glasgow (0141 248 4055)
Rules
London's oldest restaurant is better than you'd expect from a place that could just rest on its laurels and rely on tourists. Game is what it's famous for and prices are extremely fair. Start with hare soup or potted shrimps, follow with game or steak and kidney pie (£14.95 each), venison braised with fennel and saffron or Dover sole. Puddings are £6.25. Leave as sated with good British cooking as the place is stuffed with memories and pictures.
35 Maiden Lane, London WC2 (020-7836 5314)
Sweetings
A lunchtime City institution since 1889, this unchanged seafood bar and dining room is cherished by customers old and new. Menu stalwarts include potted shrimps, smoked haddock with a poached egg, salmon fish cakes, grilled Dover sole and dressed crab. Service is seamless and speedy. Jam roly-poly and spotted dick for afters. Black velvet comes in pint-sized silver tankards.
39 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4 (020-7248 3062)
Veeraswamy
In a sleek makeover that doesn't suggest ethnicity, sepia photographs are reminders this is London's oldest Indian restaurant. An imposingly uniformed doorman shows you upstairs; staff are multi-lingual and wines prominently displayed. The tandoori oven is used to good effect on venison chops, and two types of chicken tikka – with white and pickling spices. Otherwise, order sea bass in red Kerala masala or lamb korma with fennel seeds for around £25 a head.
Victory House, 99-101 Regent Street, London W1 (020-7734 1401)
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