Sketch (Lecture Room & Library)

Remarkably unassuming from outside, with its white-shuttered windows and iron railings, the un-savvy might easily walk on by, save for the evening doorman outside to catch the attention. Once inside though, this one-time HQ of Christian Dior comes brimful of surprises, outrageous flamboyancy and refinement. A collaboration between Mourad Mazouz and Parisian super-chef Pierre Gagnaire that offers a multi-level food-based extravaganza, which includes the vibrant, ground-floor Gallery brasserie (opulent, exciting and bursting with signature art deco), plus the cool Parlour tea room by day, hyper-trendy bar by night. Throughout, fashionable international designers have created specially commissioned signature pieces that catch the eye; think jewel-encrusted toilets 'that feel like the inside of a Gucci handbag', for openers. The fine-dining Lecture Room and Library upstairs - two parts of the same space - is elegantly decorated in shades of orange, with ivory walls of studded leather and high ceilings, while thick-piled, brightly coloured carpets and long dangling lampshades cut a somewhat Middle Eastern edge. Well-spaced tables with crisp white linen and feather-cushioned armchairs - in purple and crimson - add comfort, while service is professional, attentive and necessarily knowledgeable of the elaborate dish compositions, and there's also a small lounge to enjoy the champagne trolley. Dishes bear the unmistakable creative genius of consultant Pierre Gagnaire's distinctive culinary style (delivered here by head chef and Gagnaire protégé, Pascal Sanchez); it's stunning, exciting, innovative and technically superb. The very best quality fresh produce is transformed into an enormous range of textures and flavours, ensuring a surprise at each turn. It's complex and deeply French, with dishes combining many elements, like a signature starter 'Langoustines Addressed in Five Ways', perhaps a main course of poached fillet of Simmenthal beef in a port bouillon, braised lettuce with beef marrow and pochas beans, condiment, vinegar and sea salt wild mushrooms, while to finish, perhaps another signature offering 'Pierre Gagnaire Grand Desserts' which could arrive as five miniatures. So dig deep into the pockets and be prepared to be wowed by the experience and sheer theatre of the place.

4 mins walk from Oxford Circus tube station, take exit 3, down Regent St, Conduit St is 4th on right
Nearest station: Oxford Circus

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