Urban Bar & Brasserie

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

Elegance and glamour are evident when you enter this venture owned by the team behind the successful Gamba restaurant. Dark wood flooring, black leather banquettes and white linen table clothes give a classic feel to the dining room, while a centrepiece of the restaurant is an impressive wooden wine rack: built into the wall, it holds over 200 bottles. Little wonder that Urban Bar & Brasserie puts emphasis on good wines. Soft classical music plays quietly in the background while waiting staff dressed in formal attire provide discreet service. Fish – a speciality of co-owner and executive chef Derek Marshall – and meat dishes sit happily together on the varied menu along with the odd vegetarian offering. Of the latter, a red onion and cheese tart features an impressive pastry case that is both crumbly and creamy. Beef is sourced from the Buccleuch estate. A peppered fillet with shitake mushrooms bursts with flavour, surrounded by a spicy peppercorn reduction and accompanied by an abundance of fat home-made chips. Finish with frozen raspberries, covered with a warm white chocolate sauce, that magically melt as you eat them. The evening à la carte selection is a bit dear, but classy bar food (served right through the day) is more reasonable.

• High point: Excellent standards of both food and wine
• Low point: Full dinner can get expensive

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