Secret Garden at the Gate

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

Take little notice of the name: this place is not about any cosy pastoralism or cream teas, as its moniker might suggest. At the rear of a contemporary, slightly minimalist Merchant City bar (the Gate), the dining room (Secret Garden) rather looks more like a VIP lounge in a nightclub – all cream-coloured leather upholstery, darkened little enclaves and wooden screens with curving carved motifs that allow teasing glimpses. Sade-a-like soul provides the soundtrack. There's aspirational modishness, too, in the menu's heralding of 'Asia-Pacific fusion tapas'. Chicken laska is a Thai curry in which coconut creaminess trumps the kick of chilli and coriander; pork saag is marinated with green chilli and cumin – the spices again kept enough in check for delicate palates – and cooked with a little spinach. Korean beef is a soya salty fillet bursting with ginger and garlic, but arguably a touch too char-grilled. Sweet potato bravas with a perky chilli glaze is a highlight, while huge crunchy prawn tempura greedily soaks up a dainty dish of sweet soy and ginger. The dessert menu makes a trans-continental diversion to offer up Eton mess and a huge sticky toffee pudding that rates highly for syrupy moistness. Service is well-meaning if a little overly-attentive.

• High point: Stylishly moody setting
• Low point: Inconsistent quality of tapas