The Greenhouse

You enter this perennial bastion of sophisticated dining on a suitably botanical note, via a verdant urban garden tucked into a swish Mayfair mews. The suave interior sports a neutral beige and mushroom palette that doesn't upstage the sleek Philippe Hurel furniture. It's the very picture of Mayfair-minimal restraint and serenity, with an artistic arrangement of branches and twigs on a feature wall to break the neutrality with natural textures. Expert service is formal but far from frosty, delivering a smooth flow of immaculate appetisers, moreish bread and artful petits fours with barely a ripple between the courses. Lyonnais chef Antonin Bonnet came to The Greenhouse in 2006 with an impressive CV and has stamped his brand on the cooking. He clearly harbours a passion for Asian flavours, which add inventive fizz to his cerebral take on modern interpretations of French and Mediterranean classics on menus that are full of surprise and intrigue. The highest quality produce is garnered from around Europe; this is not a kitchen that appears to wring its hands over food miles. An appetiser sets the tone, showing razor-sharp technique and entertaining flavour combinations from the off, in a carrot cigar filled with coconut cream and carrot juice with celery jelly. Simmental beef tartare with bone marrow, black truffle and purple Vienna kohlrabi is an excellent modern interpretation of a classic. Main courses such as slow-cooked Brittany monkfish with a delicate nora pepper crust, cauliflower and almond purées, and potato croquettes with chorizo, are equally refined. By the time dessert comes along, you have come to expect flair and top-level technique, so a Sicilian pistachio millefeuille with rubinette apple and yuzu lime marmalade is another triumph. The wine list is an impressive piece of work, but predictably, you need to be on good terms with the bank manager to explore its depths.

Behind Dorchester Hotel just off Hill St
Nearest station: Green Park, Hyde Park, Bond St

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