A modern neighbourhood restaurant, the Brompton Quarter Brasserie is conveniently positioned close to cultural behemoths like the V&A and the National History Museum, so even if you don’t live nearby you can stop off after a culture fix and enjoy their excellent cooking.

The Venue
The Brompton Quarter Brasserie sits on Brompton Road, just minutes from tourist favourites like Harrods in one direction and the world class museums in the other. It has floor-to-ceiling glass windows on two sides, which allow natural light to flood into the space during the day, while black signage, canopies and drop down blinds exude a slick, modern and minimal look to the world outside. Inside, it’s an open-plan space with smart furniture, a central servery that’s used to house salads, and there's a glassy black wall with an image of a stately room printed on to it. Beneath this wall you will find a basement space, an area that’s used to accommodate bigger events or even private bookings; the padded booths down here look particularly enticing. There’s also a horsie theme throughout, as the actress Susan George held an exhibition of her photos and prints here. This is set to be replaced by a fashion-themed exhibition in the future.

The Atmosphere
The Brompton is a relaxed affair, with little in the way of noise or bluster from other diners. Staff, in particular the maitre d’, are super-friendly and go about their work in a well-drilled manner. As it has a prime location on the tourist trail, you may well find some weary shoppers in attendance, and American accents are commonplace, but it also has lots of well-to-do regulars from the nearby residential streets.

The Food
In its previous guise as a café, the focus was very much on daytime trade but now the Brompton Quarter is an all-day affair. It’s perfectly capable of sating hunger from morning until night.

Specials are scribbled on a blackboard and may include grilled asparagus with a rocket and parmesan salad. This arrives as everal warm asparagus spears paired with a simple salad drizzled in good-quality olive oil and it’s a lesson in how the simplest things can often be the most delicious, but it’s prohibitive price-tag of £12.95 is way out of kilter with the rest of the menu. A starter that’s permanently on the menu is the open ravioli (more appropriately priced at £8-£9), which mixes earthy mushrooms with pungent goat’s cheese on a base of fresh pasta – it’s a dish that will have you eyeing it up with food envy.

Steaks, lamb and seafood are all present on the main menu but head straight for the pork belly (around £14) for a masterclass in the dish. The pork arrives in a rectangular cut with perfectly crunchy crackling on top which gives way to meat that shreds on impact. There’s not as much fat ratio as some pork belly, definitely a good thing, and the gravy it comes with is a viscous dark brown meaty concoction that perfectly matches the meat and the accompanying tart flavour of a whole roasted apple. Superb.

Puddings (£5-£6) also impress: a sticky bread and butter pudding served with custard and blueberries, plus a lemon tart are both highly commendable.

The Drink
Bottles of wine start from around the £20 mark; glasses from £6. One of the best value options is the Rioja (£25 a bottle), which is a pleasure to drink thanks to its silky texture, lingering oak and tobacco notes and juicy fruit flavour.

The Last Word
Finding somewhere to eat close to so many tourist must-visits is never easy. But whether you’re a Londoner getting a cultural fix at the V&A, a tourist beating a path from Harrods to South Ken, or a local resident or worker, the Brompton Quarter Brasserie is a very good option, indeed.

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