Odette's

The grand dame of Primrose Hill sits comfortably on her laurels, having long been considered one of the capital's most romantic restaurants. More recently, it was the showcase for TV chef Bryn Williams, whose Great British Menu-winning dish of turbot and oxtail has become a menu staple.

A recent refurbishment puts us in mind of a Welsh stately home, with the intimate series of rooms decked in moody blue-greens, black and grey - the colours of Snowdonia in the rain. Service and food have a formality that is more Mayfair than Primrose Hill, but the cooking doesn't quite live up to the prices, and the fiddly presentation seems pretentious rather than elegant.

Wood pigeon with foie gras, cherries and chocolate sounded good, but failed to achieve harmony, thanks in part to having too many cold elements on the plate: the best element was the little pastry parcel of shredded pigeon. Do less, achieve more, might be our advice - yet the straightforward special, of chicken and mushroom raviolo with chicken broth, wasn't on the money either, lacking flavour.

A tiny scoop of cheesecake was overwhelmed by fresh strawberries, jelly cubes, basil, meringues and honeycomb - about three ingredients too many. Carefully cooked apricot soufflé with dark chocolate sorbet made some amends, but, overall, there are better ways to spend £120.