Candy Kitchen and Bar

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2009 – in the shops now or buy online.

This George Street favourite screams class and decadence, with its gleaming wooden floor and tables, smooth leather booths and dinky eggcup-shaped swivel chairs. It also says clearly night-time fun and frolics for the hip and happening. More sedately it murmurs, 'and there is food, too.' This is quietly whispered indeed at the weekend when they finish serving at 7pm. Perhaps it goes unnoticed by some of the rowdier regulars, but those who do decide to eat won’t regret it. Smaller dishes of courgette and feta fritters with tzatziki or coriander and coconut chicken sticks with chilli jam are both excellent choices. The chicken is particularly delicately flavoured and gorgeously soft and succulent. Mains include fajitas, burgers and tempura fish as well as tender steak with generously cut chips and a velvety pumpkin and sage ravioli with fresh tomato and mascarpone sauce. There is not much to choose from on the dessert menu, but you can’t go wrong with the sumptuously creamy chocolate and Baileys cheesecake. It’s best to concentrate on eating as conversation requires raised voices in order to be heard over the stereo, and while the food may be good, consuming it among the masses is not exactly a leisurely affair.

• High point: Trying the rather nice food
• Low point: Trying to make yourself heard