The dining room at Grand Imperial is apparently aligned according to the principles feng shui. Call it feng shui, call it good restaurant design, call it great food, call it excellent service and drinks - call it all of the above. Whatever moniker you choose there’s no doubt that Grand Imperial injects tranquillity into the disharmony of hotel and station life, and puts exquisite food into the bellies of its patrons.

The Venue
Set in the Regency splendour of the Grosvenor Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, this is Cantonese food in a setting that will be unfamiliar to the majority for whom Chinese food means foil containers rather than fine dining. Creating a suitable backdrop for the stunning food amongst the pillars and polished marble of the Grosvenor was always going to be a challenge and it is to the designers’ credit that they have pulled it off so expertly. The result is more pre-handover Hong Kong embassy than Guangzhou canteen but the bespoke - and beautiful - calligraphic artwork, minimalist table decoration and carefully chosen screens and statues provide authenticity and harmony to this grand old dining room. Remarkably, given its scale, this results in a relaxed and intimate room which coherently combines contemporary Chinese and Western design in an historic setting to great effect.

The Atmosphere
Restaurants in hotels are tricky places to pull off, and those in stations even more so. So to have created a vibrant, relaxed and intimate restaurant with a clear identity in a station hotel (though the Grosvenor would surely baulk at the description) is nothing short of miraculous. For even the most hardened of feng shui cynics there’s no getting away from it: Grand Imperial is a calming place.

Gentle Chinese harp music sets the aural scene and the restful tones of the restaurant’s décor and detail immediately provide visual relaxation. To complete this sensory massage hot towels provide a welcome physical purge to aid and hasten the mental transition from bustling streets to serene dining.

Tables are set well apart so conversation can be relaxed and convivial without imposing on those around, and the sharing nature of much on the menu encourages much discussion – this is joyful calm, not reverent silence. The quiet grace and infectious enthusiasm which the staff convey completes the mood, and the experience feels almost pastoral which, considering the capital’s busiest train station is just outside the door, is pretty remarkable.

The Food
Good design and a fine atmosphere count for nought if the food doesn't match up - the standards are set high here and the kitchen more than meets the challenge; every dish a masterclass in sophisticated Cantonese cooking. Set menus offer a range of dishes at various price points for those not prepared to choose, and the uninitiated - or simply curious - would be well advised to plump for these well balanced offers.

The a la carte menu will vary but chef Rand Cheung has expertly combined exotic Cantonese specialities with a wealth of seafood and some more familiar offerings - a starter and main would likely be ample for most appetites but it would take ascetic restraint to limit yourself, given the available temptation. Dim sum platters should be compulsory for all who eat here - there can be few restaurants outside of China that can boast such flavour and technical brilliance in this difficult art. If small mouthfuls are preferred, crispy fried king prawns with wasabi are precisely cooked and utterly divine.

A soup course to follow dim sum feels like a luxury but is well advised - the hot and sour with lobster is a wonderful combination of flagrant flavours, chillis and subtle seafood. Noodles are light and the scallops, prawn and squid that accompany the seafood option are all tender, sweet and hugged by generous bunches of coriander. For many the mark of any Chinese restaurant is the quality and ceremony of their Peking duck, with most ending up with a plate of nondescript fork-shredded meat. At Grand Imperial the expertly carved slices of perfectly cooked, tender and highly seasoned duck don't look out of place in such a splendid setting. Only half the duck is carved at your table and served with the expected pancakes and trimmings - the second half is taken away, hand minced, spiced and returned to be wrapped in crisp lettuce for an innovative, surprising and delicious second sitting.

For those seeking something a little more unusual, the mains options of eel, crab, prawn or lobster (meat options abound too) can be cooked in a number of ways, with the steamed eel with Chinese white wine particularly gratifying. A dinner of so many courses, so many flavours and such precision and refinement in the cooking could only be finished with deep fried ice cream - a dish so counter intuitive and delicious it is, as so much before it, sheer delight.

The Drink
With so much happening on the food side, Grand Imperial could have been forgiven for paying less attention to the wine. Fortunately they have taken just as much care in choosing a selection of bottles that can compete and complement the powerful and delicate flavours throughout the food. The prices err toward the higher end but a mid-range pinot noir is a fine example of intelligent selection and an expert understanding of flavours in both glass and plate; an excellent supporting act with its gentle tannins and thin complexity allowing the punchy flavours on the plate to take centre stage. Many wines are available by the glass and with so many courses it would be worth moving through a variety of grapes and seeking advice from expert staff on matches.

The Last Word
Can you balance the energy in a room to make incredible food taste better? Who cares. The food is incredible and the setting serene - if this is feng shui then bring on the tiny mirrors.

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