Gordon Ramsay

'It's supposed to be fun.' The words came from a senior waiter when we praised the service that makes eating here such a profound pleasure. The staff treated us royally, even though we were clearly the lowest-spending customers in the place.

The carte is replete with luxuries, but the set lunch menu creates splendour from relatively humble ingredients. Ravioli of smoked potato and a poached egg, served on crushed peas and broad beans, was startling and sublime. Shin of beef was braised to melting tenderness, shredded, and served inside a cylinder of paper-thin pastry with layers of confit potatoes and a topping of creamed mushrooms. Slow-cooked belly of pork came with heavenly garnishes including choucroute and a wedge of the best black pudding on earth. A dessert juxtaposing banana parfait with peanut butter mousse, bitter chocolate and caramelised bananas created perfect harmony from contrasting flavours and textures.

In a league of its own: a starter combining Sichuan pork, prawns and tiny morsels of assorted vegetables - each ingredient had thrillingly intense flavour. The atmosphere in the small, quietly elegant room was jolly, not hushed or reverential.

Staff chatted with customers; customers chatted across the tables. The complaint, as ever, is the wine list: hardly anything under £40. Apart from that, we found nothing to fault. This is a great restaurant, and it's fun.