In the Ambassador's Bloomsbury hotel near Euston is a gastronomic delight just waiting to be discovered.

The Venue
Very close to Euston station, Number Twelve’s location isn't smack bang in the middle of things and would be more likely to be a destination rather than an accidental find. The restaurant itself is light and airy, with lots of light wood and glass. It's cleverly divided up so that tables for two feel intimate despite there being plenty of large tables for groups dotted around the floor.

The Atmosphere
Very relaxed. Despite the high level of the cooking, you wouldn't feel out of place if you wandered in wearing jeans. The music and light chatter is pleasant and not intrusive, and the clientele are mainly hotel guests and business dealers, though this is likely to change as word spreads it gets ever more popular. The service is extremely attentive but not smothering, and someone is never far away if you need their help.

The Food
Dining gets off to a fantastic start with the selection of bread. Baked on the premises, the platter of delights includes focaccia, olive, walnut, pumpkin and smoked cheese. A good quality olive oil is provided in place of butter. Starters are so beautifully presented it seems almost a shame to tuck into them, but nigh on impossible not to! Seared yellow fin tuna in a salt crust is served in perfectly cooked, rare slices on top of a pile of warm sweet and sour fennel salad and is absolutely delicious. Hot smoked duck breast is equally well-received, served lovely and pink and with a citrus salad that includes tangy slices of lemon, orange and lime.

A main of Welsh salt marsh lamb comes cooked to order and is served with samphire grass - uncommon with meat, but a surprisingly welcome addition. Along with artichoke and a shoulder potato cake (layered potato with stewed shoulder of lamb), it’s an excellent dish. Steamed hake is flaky and moist, served atop extremely creamy mash with capers, clams and olives. The only let down is the side orders; both spinach and a side salad are quite plain and a bit uninspiring, but the spectacular desserts that follow definitely made up for it.

Desserts are definitely a cut above an average in presentation and taste. Seventy percent chocolate mousse is silky and rich, sandwiched between sticky biscuit and served with a shot glass of vanilla syrup and rosemary-scented ice cream - sounds odd, but works surprisingly well. Scottish heather honeycomb is sugary and tasty, and comes with creamy ice cream, raspberry sauce and crunchy honeycomb biscuit. For those without a sweet tooth, there's a separate cheese menu divided up by the type of milk they're made with and detailed description of taste.

The Drink
The wine list is extensive, with plenty of selection in both red and white, mostly old world with a few new world thrown in for good measure. For the more discerning, there's a section of high end wines, and for the less discerning, wine can be served in a carafe. There's a full bar for any other requests, and beer by bottle or tap though the selection is fairly average for most bars in London.

The Last Word
The fact that Number Twelve is hidden in a hotel shouldn't put you off, if anything, it's worth making that extra bit of effort for the fantastic cuisine that awaits you.

venue information venue map view london review add a review image gallery (3)