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Chapter One Restaurant Hero - Chapter One, Kent,

Chapter One

4.7 (5812)
£41 and over
Modern European
Farnborough Common, Locksbottom, Kent, BR6 8NF

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 12 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for fine wines
  • Neighborhood gem
Chapter One is an award-winning Modern European restaurant with 3 AA Rosettes in Orpington, Kent. Following a major refurbishment in early 2019, Chapter One has relaunched with a more modern approach, tempting guests with greater variety and quality.

Under the direction of acclaimed chef Andrew McLeish, modern European cooking is available in two formats. In the Restaurant, sophisticated seasonal dishes are served in a refined setting with a weekly changing 3-course Lunch Menu du Jour, a seasonally-inspired 7-course Tasting Menu and an a la carte option. In the more informal Brasserie, a selection of favourites are cooked to perfection with the finest ingredients. The drinks offering is as exciting with an AA Notable Wine List, premium spirits, and cocktails. There is also a private dining room for corporate and private occasions.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    £41 and over
  • Cuisines
    Modern European, Contemporary European
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Wed, Thu 6:00 pm–8:45 pm Fri, Sat 6:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    01689 854848
  • Website
    http://www.chapteronerestaurant.co.uk/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Andrew McLeish
  • Private party facilities
    If you’re looking for a truly distinctive experience, our recently refurbished private dining room is ideal. Whether you’re planning a wedding reception a dinner party or a corporate event, your guests will enjoy excellent cuisine in exclusive surroundings.
  • Private party contact
    our Private Event Coordinator: 01689 854848
  • Location
    Farnborough Common, Locksbottom, Kent, BR6 8NF
  • Neighborhood
    Orpington
  • Parking details
    Large private car park for up to 70 cars
  • Public transit
    Nearest BR station is Orpington. There is a black taxi rank at the station and the easiest thing is to get a taxi. It is approximately 2 miles from Orpington station to Chapter One.Trains to Orpington are from Charing Cross or Victoria.Alternatively train to Bromley South and then taxi but this is further away (approximately 4 miles)
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Private dining

Menu

Chapter One's menu was last updated on 6/13/2025.

starters

  • Warm tomato & basil velouté, courgette flower tempura, ricotta cheese (v)

    • Duck raviolo with ginger, spring & sesame salad, sautéed spinach & citrus sauce

      • Tandoori monkfish with courgette tzatziki, scorched cucumber, pomelo & coriander oil£4.95

        • Risotto of South coast squid with braised squid daube

          • Lake District Farmers beef tartare, Cajun ketchup, confit egg yolk & game chips

            mains

            • Poached & roasted free-range chicken, fricassee of girolles & English peas, potato purée, roasted foie gras & chicken jus

              • Mibrasa grilled pork chop, celeriac & mustard remoulade, Anna potato, devil on horseback & pork jus

                • Pan-fried black bream, cassoulet of chorizo, butter beans, datterini tomatoes & aioli

                  • Baked hake, broccoli purée, fish cream velouté with broccoli & Jersey royals

                    • Baked roasted leek tart, emulsion of girolle mushrooms & English peas, poached egg & hollandaise sauce (v)

                      Mibrasa charcoal oven

                      • Australian prime ribeye 350gr with béarnaise sauce£19.00

                        Supplement

                        • Fillet of 30 days aged Cumbrian beef 220gr with béarnaise sauce£19.00

                          Supplement

                          • Grilled South coast Cornish John Dory, sautéed spinach, moscatel & garlic emulsion£8.00

                            Supplement

                            sides

                            • Green beans with shallot butter£5.85

                              • Butter leaf salad with white miso & sesame dressing£5.85

                                • Potato & olive oil purée£5.85

                                  • Chargrilled tenderstem broccoli with miso sesame dressing£5.85

                                    • Crisp Anna potatoes with aged parmesan£5.85

                                      • Buttered Jersey royal potatoes with chives£5.85

                                        desserts

                                        • Manjari chocolate black forest gateaux, cherry sorbet & white chocolate aero

                                          • Bergamot panna cotta, fresh strawberries, pistachio amaretti & strawberry sorbet

                                            • Lemon & poppy seed cake, vanilla crémeux, lemon curd, sablé Breton & calamansi sorbet

                                              • Honey roast apricot, cheesecake crémeux, hazelnut sablé crumb, honey jelly & apricot sorbet

                                                • Selection of five cheeses from the trolley with fruit toast, sourdough crackers & spiced apple chutney£5.95

                                                  Supplement

                                                  Uncategorised

                                                  • Three courses£64.95

                                                    Last updated: June 13, 2025

                                                    What 5,812 people are saying

                                                    Chapter One reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

                                                    Overall ratings and reviews

                                                    Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

                                                    4.7
                                                    4.7 based on recent ratings
                                                    • 4.7Food
                                                    • 4.7Service
                                                    • 4.6Ambience
                                                    • 4.3Value

                                                    Noise • Energetic

                                                    Loved For

                                                    • Kent

                                                      Great for creative cocktails

                                                    • Kent

                                                      Great for fine wines

                                                    Review summary

                                                    AI-generated from verified diner reviews
                                                    Chapter One delights with "superb food, ambience and service" and offers "exceptional staff interaction and customer service." Patrons appreciate its "sublime food" and "wonderful dining experience." Ideal for special occasions, it combines "excellent service" with a "beautiful atmosphere." Chapter One continues to be a "favourite" for many, despite occasional minor service hiccups.
                                                    5,812 Reviews

                                                    1. Ted

                                                      London1 review

                                                      5.0

                                                      Dined 3 days ago

                                                      1. Overall 5
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 5
                                                      4. Ambience 5
                                                      Great meal as always, love this place, it’s our ‘go to’ for special occasions.

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                                                    2. Laurens

                                                      Montreal / Quebec5 reviews

                                                      4.0

                                                      Dined 3 days ago

                                                      1. Overall 4
                                                      2. Food 4
                                                      3. Service 5
                                                      4. Ambience 5
                                                      In person service at reception and at the table was absolutely impeccable. For once, the food was not perfect - 2 of us ordered the skate wing and while one was perfect and slid off the bone, the other fell apart on the plate and had to be carefully picked through to debone. In spite of that the flavour was still fabulous, and the presentation of the plates was, as usual, super. The pork terrine starter, the tomato steak starter and the courgette blossom main were all wonderful. The mini Pavlova desserts were a joy. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon outing and a great treat.

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                                                    3. Peter

                                                      London6 reviews

                                                      4.0

                                                      Dined 7 days ago

                                                      1. Overall 4
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 4
                                                      4. Ambience 4
                                                      Lovely restaurant, with good attentive service and delicious food.

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                                                    4. Kin Yu

                                                      Sydney2 reviews

                                                      3.0

                                                      Dined 7 days ago

                                                      1. Overall 3
                                                      2. Food 4
                                                      3. Service 3
                                                      4. Ambience 3
                                                      Very pricey for what we get, feels more like a gastropub meal than fine dining experience given what we paid for. The portions were small but trying to fill us up with carbs and fat (bread, potatoes and butter in main and very heavy desserts) Unfortunately we will not come back, there’s a lot more better options whether it’s menu, food, service quality out there for this price range.

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                                                    5. Claudette

                                                      London7 reviews

                                                      4.0

                                                      Dined 7 days ago

                                                      1. Overall 4
                                                      2. Food 4
                                                      3. Service 4
                                                      4. Ambience 4
                                                      Service and food amazing as always. The only negative is that we waited and waited to get someone’s attention after our coffee and dessert but in the end had to go to the bar to pay. Attention throughout our actual meal was faultless.

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                                                    6. Geraldine

                                                      London1 review

                                                      5.0

                                                      Dined on June 6, 2025

                                                      1. Overall 5
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 5
                                                      4. Ambience 5
                                                      Feels like a real treat, excellent food and service as always , will definitely be going back.

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                                                    7. Iuliana

                                                      London1 review

                                                      3.0

                                                      Dined on June 6, 2025

                                                      1. Overall 3
                                                      2. Food 3
                                                      3. Service 2
                                                      4. Ambience 5
                                                      We came for lunch to celebrate my 35th birthday, and I asked for food to be cooked/well done because of the pregnancy, however the starter was undercooked, and I had to ask to be cooked a bit longer and its still came undercooked inside ( my husband had it instead) while the main course fish & peas was very salty. When dessert arrived there was no candle or anything, which usually restaurants would prepare if you write that it’s a birthday celebration in special requests when booking. When we were leaving and we were above to pay the waiter brought us some “happy Birthday” cake and suggested we put in the box with hands, after I asked for a fork to be brought. We noticed towards the end that we were offered only 2 lunch set menus and no a la carte menu at all to choose from. So overall was an ok experience, but for the price vs experience plus reputation, I was expecting for more of a “refined dining” experience. Probably will not be our go to choice next time.

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                                                    8. Keith

                                                      London18 reviews

                                                      5.0

                                                      Dined on June 1, 2025

                                                      1. Overall 5
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 5
                                                      4. Ambience 5
                                                      Lovely food and impeccable service . Prices have lifted quite considerably and restaurant did not promote a Sunday fixed price menu which is showing as available on the Website. If it is available seems you have to ask. Having said this it was still a smashing visit and Chapter One still sets the standard locally.

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                                                    9. Jennifer

                                                      London7 reviews

                                                      4.0

                                                      Dined on June 1, 2025

                                                      1. Overall 4
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 4
                                                      4. Ambience 4
                                                      A good experience as usual but for some reason we had a 35 minute delay in ordering desserts despite prompting waitress.

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                                                    10. Libby

                                                      London4 reviews

                                                      4.0

                                                      Dined on May 31, 2025

                                                      1. Overall 4
                                                      2. Food 5
                                                      3. Service 5
                                                      4. Ambience 4
                                                      We booked a table for 7.45 pm, upon arrival we were asked to have a drink in the bar. Unfortunately, we then waited 45 minutes to be seated at our table. Upon being seated and starting our order we were told that neither the steak tartare or the filet steak were available, they had just finished. This was very disappointing as if we had sat down at the correct time this would have be available. However, we spoke to the manager and he was able to order these dishes for us. The service and food was excellent thereafter and enjoyed our anniversary dinner.

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                                                    FAQs

                                                    Chapter One is rated 4.7 stars by 5812 OpenTable diners.

                                                    Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

                                                    1. Home
                                                    2. United Kingdom
                                                    3. Kent
                                                    4. Orpington
                                                    5. Orpington

                                                    Make a reservation

                                                    2 people
                                                    7:00 PM
                                                    Booked 12 times today
                                                    Google Map for Chapter One

                                                    Farnborough Common, Locksbottom, Kent, BR6 8NF

                                                    Dining areas

                                                    Additional information

                                                    • Neighborhood
                                                      Orpington
                                                    • Hours of operation
                                                      Lunch Wed–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Wed, Thu 6:00 pm–8:45 pm Fri, Sat 6:00 pm–9:30 pm
                                                    • Price
                                                      £41 and over
                                                    • Cuisines
                                                      Modern European, Contemporary European
                                                    • Dining style
                                                      Fine Dining
                                                    • Dress code
                                                      Smart Casual
                                                    • Parking details
                                                      Large private car park for up to 70 cars
                                                    • Public transit
                                                      Nearest BR station is Orpington. There is a black taxi rank at the station and the easiest thing is to get a taxi. It is approximately 2 miles from Orpington station to Chapter One.Trains to Orpington are from Charing Cross or Victoria.Alternatively train to Bromley South and then taxi but this is further away (approximately 4 miles)
                                                    • Payment options
                                                      AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
                                                    • Executive chef
                                                      Andrew McLeish
                                                    • Additional
                                                      Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine
                                                    • Website
                                                      http://www.chapteronerestaurant.co.uk/
                                                    • Phone number
                                                      01689 854848
                                                    • Private party facilities
                                                      If you’re looking for a truly distinctive experience, our recently refurbished private dining room is ideal. Whether you’re planning a wedding reception a dinner party or a corporate event, your guests will enjoy excellent cuisine in exclusive surroundings.
                                                    • Private party contact
                                                      our Private Event Coordinator: 01689 854848
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