A new basement restaurant in the heart of the City has given a touch of modernity to a 100-year old private members club.

The London Capital Club in Abchurch Lane launched Tavern @15 last month, giving Londoners a taste of its private club experience.

To access you enter through the grand reception area, a luxurious nod to bygone days, and make your way down.

While the rest of the reportedly-haunted, five-storey club firmly screams ‘a blast from the past’, the refurbished contemporary diner has a trendy and city-like atmosphere, boasting elegant concrete and terracotta colours and plush peachy leather seats.

Head chef Jean-Didier Gouges, renowned for his inventive cuisine at the Royal Albert Hall, has been brought in to oversee a menu of British cuisine with multicultural influences.

For starters the traditional pairing of cured duck and blood orange in a chicory salad was absolutely delicious, priced at £9.50.

For main course, I went for the lobster burger, with plenty of meaty flesh packed into the bun, and my friend tried the mushroom tagliatelli.

The desserts are also not to be missed, with a tiramisu to devour and pannacotta.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here, and the club’s adaptation to the modern business demands of the City is welcome.

See www.londoncapitalclub.com.