Le Monde

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops. This review is taken from the 2007 edition.

Behind Le Monde Hotel lies quite a seductive idea: each room exudes the ambience of one of the world's most iconic cities. Got your passport? First stop: Milan. It's Italian-style espresso central, so grab a coffee and lounge to your heart's delight. Next stop is Vienna, which oozes with opulence. Walls are bedecked with ornate frames and an island bar defines European baroque. Third stop: C'est Paris, mes amis. Upstairs, enjoy Parisian art deco glory, grab a champagne flute and get glamorous. For food, you can order from a bar menu common to all the cities - choices include steak and Guinness pie or a lightly-seared tuna steak salad. It's up in Paris, though, where the dining experience takes prominence. Start with the smoked chicken Waldorf salad or a bowl of steaming mussels. For mains, order the lobster cannelloni only if you like things rich, as its creamy bisque tends to overpower. The lamb rump is a great British staple with a mustard potato mash topped with lentil broth. To finish, dig into the sticky toffee pudding with crème anglaise. Final destination: Shanghai. The techno-savvy basement bar was recently reinvented in tribute to the Chinese electro-capital.

• High point: Party attitude in glam surrounds
• Low point: Maybe too garish and boisterous for some