Restaurants

A busy lunchtime destination, Rosemary Lane provides a stress-free retreat for its regular clientele mainly smart City suits. The restaurant overcomes a dreary street location with an elegant interior of dark wood panelling, weighty drapes and white table linen. Its modern French-fusion menu is complemented by an adventurous wine selection; a very berry Californian pinot noir worked well with our meal. Pre-meal teasers impressed: figs, sitting pretty on a bed of balsamic-dressed beetroot and topped with goats cheese, provided a creative contrast of flavours. Equally enjoyable was a zesty first course of rare-cooked wisps of beef, rolled around avocado and cucumber strips and anointed with zingy orange dressing. Our mains were also top-notch: roast pork belly, infused with plum wine and finished with a dark soy glaze, was a showstopper thanks to its meaty succulence and crisp crackling. But its not all about new-wave inspirations; indeed, nothing could be more authentic than a juicy ribeye steak, glazed in rich red wine sauce. If you like ices, finish with the pink guava sorbet intensely aromatic and as light as air. In a virtually faultless meal, our only criticism was that portion sizes were rather on the substantial side.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008