Mango Tree

The vast dining hall at Mango Tree has high ceilings, a long banquette and evenly distributed tables. The effect, when combined with the simple dark-wood decor and Asian-inspired tableware, is reminiscent of a resort restaurant in South-east Asia (albeit a slightly tired looking example). Popular with workers from nearby offices, the restaurant and cocktail bar are often noisy and bustling at night. However, the menu is enormous and over-ambitious - and the cooking suffers because of it. On our visit 'lobster special' and 'special new' menus were available alongside the already extensive carte. The result was an incoherent mix of successes and failures. Green papaya salad was easily the best dish, refreshingly spicy with clean flavours, if a bit too sweet. Pork and coriander-stuffed squid and braised beef in penang curry from the 'special new' menu were very disappointing, featuring syrupy sweet, poorly balanced sauces and dry meat. Stick to what the restaurant does best: simple dishes with fresh ingredients, such as seared tuna with dried chilli and lemongrass, or stir-fried beef fillet with ginger, garlic and spicy soy sauce. Staff are sweet, but service can get haphazard when things are busy.