Rhodes W1 Restaurant

The multi-coloured effect of lights shining through the tendrils of Swarovski crystals that hang in bunches above the dining room will emerge as many people's abiding visual impression of Gary Rhodes' ineffably elegant dining room at The Cumberland Hotel. Accessed through a huge triumphal arch, it's certainly a striking venue, possibly Rhodes' most opulent to date, in a career that began a generation ago at the Castle, Taunton. His culinary style has settled here into a productive compromise between the reinterpreted British heritage food of which he has been such a tenacious champion and a more consciously refined French sensibility. So, among openers, there may be a mackerel fillet with squid, sea purslane and puffed rice, almost a breakfast dish, but also potted foie gras mousse with cured duck, figs poached in red wine, a slice of brioche and some quince. It's interesting to trace a zigzag course between the two poles, so that one main course might be Cornish lamb saddle with shepherd's pie and braised red cabbage, while the other is steamed lemon sole with mussel ragout, celery and herb gnocchi and cucumber. At the final stage, there could be prune and Armagnac soufflé or mandarin Arctic roll, and even the cheeseboard reflects the balance, with both French and British offerings. There is also a Brasserie (see separate entry).