Channings Restaurant

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

Tucked away down a small cobbled street, Channings Hotel is not the sort of place you'd stumble across by chance. Just a few steps down from the street there's a low-lit oasis of quiet elegance waiting to be discovered. While in truth it may not be quite as sophisticated as it thinks it is, Channings Restaurant certainly scores highly for trying: the service is incredibly gracious (ask for more bread or water and you'll get a 'thank you') and the tables are beautifully prepared – all shining silverware, gleaming glassware and crisp white tablecloths. It's an intimate place to dine, not least since the other tables are barely distinguishable in the low light, and the menu teases the palate with a selection of small but perfectly formed dishes. Starters include scallops on a piquant merguez-spiced black pudding and a taster of herb-encrusted salmon. If the latter is a little dry, the main courses more than make up for it. Meat lovers in particular will be in seventh heaven with the succulent rack of lamb or fillet of Buccleuch beef, both dishes about as near to perfection as you're likely to find.

• High point: A gorgeously gooey caramelised banana tarte tatin
• Low point: Entrance to the restaurant is via the outdoor smoking area