Descending into the basement, my disappointment at being housed "beneath" gave way to joy at the sight of our dining companions; Su and To. This state of joy increased as I caught sight of an abundance of red heavy drappery and velvet banquette. Sadly our table was by the staircase which did put me in a slight draught which persisted throughout the meal. Nevertheless my apple and rhubarb champagne cocktail was a delight to behold as was the "amuse gueule" of liquid mousse of "foie de..je ne sais pas trop quoi", although my pleasure was somewhat diminished by the long delay in the arrival of the aperitifs. I should say that butter on the table was delicious; so creamy with crystals of salt therein embedded and the water glasses seemed particularly elegant.
My starter was the deep fried lamb's tongue on a salad of lamb's lettuce; the smooth delicate texture of the meat contrasting rather fabulously with the the light, crispy exterior. Very satisfying. Sadly we had delayed ordering our wine because we all got caught up in a debate about the vilification of social workers by the tabloids. After a long delay, it turned out that that the red we'd chosen wasn't available and as a result I ended up drinking Sancerre with first course ! However, the wine was so delicious that I found I didn't mind at all. My main course, was the fish stew. A generous and tasty collection of fish and prawns in a red pepper based sauce with fennel and a hint of chilli. Most welcome. Then to crown it all, Susannah and I shared a treacle suet sponge pudding of unparalled lightness with vanilla custard. All in all, I thought the food was very good but my experience was marred by disorganised and indifferent service and ill-trained staff. Delays in the kitchen and a sense of chaos in the air are an anathema to good dining. All in all 7/10
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