Winter Garden

The Winter Garden restaurant is situated within an opulent Victorian atrium inside the Five Star Landmark hotel. This hundred-year-old hotel is one of London's finest and upon arrival at 8.30pm on a Monday evening we certainly weren't disappointed. The eight-story glass roof, giant palm trees and views around the hotel are set off by a calming ambiance created by the soft lighting and comfortable mix of modern and period furniture.

Once seated our charming waiter swiftly approached the table to deliver a delicious basket of assorted breads and recommended a couple of glasses of 2005 Italian Pinot Grigo, Provincia di Pavia, which was crisp, light and subtle. We then moved onto their recommended red to accompany our main meal, which was understated and smooth. There is a good range and mix of old and new world wines on the menu, which should satisfy most wine lovers.

The chef has created a delicious menu combining modern European cuisine and comforting British classics. I found myself spoilt for choice with the range of appetising starters which included Beignet of Cornish crab with a pink grapefruit and avocado salad served with a cucumber dressing along with seared hand dived scallops served with puy lentils, roasted vegetables and a parsnip foam. I opted for the duo of fois gras and I wasn't disappointed. A plump lobe pan-fried to perfection partnered with a portion of confit de fois gras served with raisin chutney was delicious. My companion enjoyed the lightly dressed Caesar salad with large, succulent tiger prawns. Both dishes were memorable in their own rights and worth returning for.

For main course we chose the highly recommended Winter Garden's signature dish of Dover sole and the Buccolech of beef (the meat arriving daily from their suppliers in Scotland). Both dishes impressed us despite the generous portion of Dover Sole being slightly over cooked to our taste.

To finish we opted for the selection of six small desserts, our favourites undoubtedly being the Valrhona chocolate fondant and the ever-delicious sticky toffee pudding.