Just round the corner from both Marble Arch and his impressive Brasserie next door, Gary Rhodes’ W1 restaurant serves up deliciously delicate dishes in the kind of environment you would expect from a restaurant of this standard.

The Venue
Tucked nicely away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, the Rhodes W1 entrance is an elegant little door just down from the Cumberland Hotel, home to the less formal but equally impressive Rhodes Brasserie. The entrance leads into a small dining room that balances opulence and understatement perfectly, with hanging chandeliers of tiny sparkling baubles kept from feeling too much like something out of Footballer’s Wives by the simplicity and refinement of pretty much everything else in the restaurant.

Immaculate whites on the tables contrast nicely with the swathes of softened golds and silvers adorning the walls, whilst the detailing on the chairs and mirrors hint very slightly at a gothic aesthetic. It’s not a large restaurant by any stretch of the imagination, but it feels warm, inviting and relaxing, which isn’t something that can always be said about the other high end restaurants.

The Atmosphere
This welcoming feel is immediately apparent in the vibrant atmosphere of the venue; there are no hushed tones of reverence here. Everyone seems to be having fun and enjoying the experience, helped in no small part by staff that are friendly, helpful, informative and very smiley indeed.

Your fellow diners will be anyone from those finalising business deals and couples treating themselves, to well-to-do families catching up and formative relationships becoming less so with every glass of expensive wine. Perfectly inoffensive music is piped in softly, adding some background to the general hubbub and making everything feel even calmer and informal.

The Food
As anyone who is aware of Gary Rhodes cooking will no doubt know, he’s a big fan of British food but under head chef Paul Welburn, Rhodes W1 errs slightly more to the side of classical French cooking, so if you’re of a particularly patriotic culinary bent, you might want to stick to Rhodes 24.

Perhaps the best way to explore the excellent offerings here, is to go for the seven course taster menu (£75) – a surprisingly manageable stream of exquisitely presented, impeccably balanced and altogether very impressive dishes. It begins superbly with textures of duck served with quince, sherry vinegar jelly and crisp sour dough; followed by an outrageously smooth warm cep (porcini mushroom) panna cota served on a cauliflower cous cous and garnished with hazelnut biscuit, Berkwell cheese and a light and airy hazelnut foam.

Roast Scottish scallops are fresh, plump and handled delicately, and served with parmesan, basil, trompet mushrooms and a beautifully complementary scallop ‘bolognaise’. A slow cooked cider cured sea trout is perhaps the menu’s finest hour, with impossibly soft, tender and flavoursome fish served with apple, hazelnuts and a smoked eel and hazelnut emulsion that brings a nutty depth to the sweetness of the fish.

The roast Cornish beef is cooked to a pleasing pink (though perhaps isn’t as succulent as it first appears) and served with braised ox cheek, baby onions, garlic pomme puree and a classic, rich and buttery borderlaise sauce. The dessert is – as you’d expect from somewhere bearing Mr Rhodes’ name – exquisite. A very fancy-looking, creamy glazed lemon chiboust is served with raspberries, pistachio and little strips of candied lemons. And tastes very, very good indeed.

The Drinks
With a wine list topping 250 different bins, there’s certainly plenty to choose from, and with Master Sommelier Yves Desmaris putting his personal touch on things, you can expect expert selection. There’s a good pino grigio at £35 that’s one of only a few down at the cheaper end of the list, but if you’re keen to splash out there’s plenty of scope to do so. The coffee is surprisingly good too, with certainly enough caffeine to get you home.

The Last Word
Every bit as impressive as you would expect. The food, the wine selection, the staff and the venue itself make Rhodes W1 an excellent choice if you’re looking for a culinary treat in the capital.

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