Lux

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Housed in a beautiful former Victorian railway station and sitting above its less formal sister venue Stazione (see Italian), Lux offers an elegant dining experience on the fringes of the West End, with white tablecloths and soft candle-light lending the modern interior a sense of occasion. Cordial and efficient waiting staff provide seamless service and are happy to advise on their current favourites from the menu, which is presented in a wonderfully carved block of wood. There's a good variety of local fish, meat and game, with influences from the Far East and Mediterranean indicating a chef unafraid to do something a bit different. For example, mignons of pork are layered with Stornoway black pudding and given a strawberry dressing, while salmon is teamed with a smoked haddock risotto and spinach oil. Lamb loin chops are pink and juicy inside and complemented by sweet mashed yams that are given a lift by spiced crème fraîche with a hint of coriander. Mains also feature plump, moist chunks of pan-fried monkfish piled on a large fluffy island of ham-peppered mash and surrounded by a moat of melting scampi butter. A divine plum and ginger crème brûlée provides a fittingly luxurious finale.

• High point: Heavenly crème brûlée
• Low point: Too much ham mash