Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

With its elegant dark-wood panelling, crisp linen and precise combination of class and conviviality, this is one of London's best renderings of a classic Parisian bistro - equally well primed for a business lunch, a treat for two or a get-together with friends.

Exceptional service, charming and responsive, adds to the experience, and the wine list offers an impressive, predominantly French selection at quite hefty prices. At its best, the cooking is both refined and deliciously enjoyable.

In a terrine of chicken confit, foie gras and globe artichokes, flavours and textures were finely intertwined. To follow, saddle of rabbit was ideally matched with an exquisitely subtle curry sauce. Our gripe is with the oddly uninformative menu. Ordering a 'gazpacho andalou', we expected - as you would - a refreshing summer soup, but what came was unusually acrid and had a fierce, entirely un-gazpacho back-taste of hot spice. Cod with mussels and a courgette and saffron ragout sounded like an original stew, but was only a pretty conventional piece of fish with a non-ragout-like light sauce and (unannounced) peas. Creative variations on classic dishes, fine, but if you don't tell diners what they're ordering it's no surprise if some complain.