Rhubarb

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

Rhubarb is just a ten-minute drive from the city centre but in that short time you are transported into a parallel world of glamour and decadence. After sweeping up the drive towards the stunningly baroque Prestonfield House Hotel, where this restaurant is situated, you enter an elegant salon with golden velvet walls and black lacquer furniture. Here, drinks are served by a team of black-clothed waiters before you make your way into either of the grand oval regency rooms for dinner. You will be invited to choose from an inventive menu that features starters of langoustine in bisque or roasted foie gras, and mains such as lobster thermidor. Starters are on the small side and, despite the evidence of good quality local produce, mains struggle a bit to match up to the glitzy surroundings and Michelin star prices – fillet steak garni at £29.95 is a well-cooked piece of steak smeared with a salty pesto and served with a rather desultory tomato, two fried mushrooms and a small stack of chips. Credibility is just about rescued by interesting desserts, such as pear tart tatin with marzipan ice-cream or a rhubarb and custard parfait, and you can still finish on a high note with coffee and petit fours in one of the many other sumptuously decorated public rooms. Prestonfield House excels at grand luxe surroundings and service, but this demands exceptional and exciting cooking, something that Rhubarb fails to deliver in quite the same style.

• High point: Fairy-tale setting
• Low point: Rather prosaic dining