Texture Restaurant

Texture is a stand-alone restaurant within the Best Western Mostyn Hotel - a large Georgian pile of impressive proportions not far from Oxford Street. Chef-patron Agnar Sverrisson and co-proprietor and sommelier Xavier Rousset met whilst in the employ of one Monsieur R. Blanc and went on to create this restaurant of genuine individuality and style. The plan was to put equal importance on food and wine, and given the divertingly appealing, refined and intelligent food that comes out of the kitchen, and the fabulous wine list which includes 88 different champagnes, including five by the glass, the pair did not miss a trick. The room is on a grand scale with those high ceilings beloved of the Georgians, the ornate plasterwork intact, large windows and polished wooden floors. There's nothing old-school about this space, though, for this is a very modern restaurant with darkwood tables (no starchy tablecloths here) and caramel leather chairs of a rather retro-cool design, plus an à la mode champagne bar where you can lose yourself in the wine list. Sverrisson hails from Iceland and there are some Scandinavian elements in play, but his modish food is broadly European, and of the highest order. There is a lightness in his food due to the absence of butter and cream in the savoury courses - it is tangible but not at the expense of flavour - and the promised textures are duly delivered. Anjou pigeon comes in a first course with bacon 'popcorn', sweetcorn and red wine essence, or there's yellowfin tuna with quail's egg, basil olives and peppers. Main-course breast and leg of Gressingham duck comes with blood orange to balance the richness, finished with a duck jus, while Icelandic cod is lightly salted and served with a barley risotto, prawns and a shellfish jus. Icelandic skyr (a strained yoghurt) comes with rhubarb, muesli and granité for dessert, or go for Valrhona white chocolate mousse and ice cream with the flavours of dill and cucumber. There's a sister restaurant - 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen - in the City (see entry).