Inside the Millennium Baileys Hotel resides Olives Restaurant, a beautiful adornment to one of London's finer hotels. Impeccably appointed, thoughtfully staffed, and priced to match the finery, Olives delivers all the flash one could hope to find. But does the food match up?

The Venue
Upon entering Olives, there's no question that a tremendous amount of thought went into projecting an image of elegance and refinement. Olives has it all, chandeliers, crown moulding, high ceilings adorned with intricate plaster accents and medallions, parquet flooring, gold framed artwork, large mirrors and even a working fireplace. Tables are a suitable distance from each other, allowing for a romantic dinner with a loved one, and the walls are bathed in a deep olive green, which contributes to the sophisticated, yet cosy feel of the room. A stylish bar lies beyond the far wall, and even though it's visible from the dining room it acts as an entity of its own and offers a great - and beautiful - haven for a pre-dinner cocktail.

The Atmosphere
If you're the type that's easily intimidated by grandeur, then you'll probably get a familiar feeling when you enter this restaurant. It won't be long before you start to relax though, as the staff are courteous and geared toward making sure you enjoy your visit. They're a varied group, assembled from various parts of the world, unified in their sense of service and pride in the work they do. Diners are predominately a youngish, business crowd, with a healthy dose of international travellers thrown in to even things out. This is the type of restaurant that makes a great choice for an intimate anniversary dinner, but lends itself equally well to ladies lunching by day.

The Food
With a name like Olives, one would expect that the olives that grace the table as a pre-meal offering would be something remarkable. They're not, they're good, but nothing about them sets them apart from the average. Likewise, the bread is nothing special, if anything, it is stale, tough and lacking anything that suggests it is freshly baked.

However, any initial disappointment dissipates as the real food begins to arrive. The Olives salad makes a pleasing starter and showcases some very fresh ingredients like artichoke hearts, marinated peppers and crunchy mixed greens. Sadly the dressing is applied a bit sparingly, so you might want to ask for some extra on the side. The gamberi starter (£7.95) presents nicely sized prawns, oven baked to absolute perfection. The garlic and white wine flavours are rather subtle though and may leave you wishing they had been taken up a notch. By the time you move on to your mains, you may start to notice this tendency toward muted flavours.

The taglioni crab arrives on a bed of home made pasta that leaves no doubt the kitchen has talent, yet the garlic chilli sauce is tame and sparse and a bit of a disappointment for diners who expect a bit of heat and bite. The roasted lamb at £19.50, however, is wonderfully tender, and the accompanying jus is hearty enough to remind your taste buds that bold flavours really do exist. The spinaci saltati side - a delightful combination of sautéed spinach and smoked scamorza cheese - is inspired, delicious and hard to stop eating. Likewise, the side green beans are crisp and flavoured nicely.

If the tame flavours leave you feeling underwhelmed at the end of the meal, dessert is probably not going to do anything to change that. The dolci a sorpresa (£12.95) offers two people a chance to sample the dessert menu, but the only thing more disappointing than the size of the samples is their taste. The lemon tart certainly isn't anything to write home about and the tiramisu, served on a wanton spoon, is covered in so much cocoa powder that you’re unlikely to taste anything else. The sorbetto alla Champagne, described as a champagne sorbet, is simply Champagne with sorbet floating in it. This doesn't seem like a terrible idea until you taste it.

The Drink
When it comes to their wine list, Olives can hardly be faulted. Admittedly, the by-the-bottle choices are far superior to what's available by the glass, but you should have no problem finding something you like. Of particular note is the Villa Lanata Barbera d'Alba Sucule, which at £10.25 per 250 ml is pretty much the most expensive of those available by the glass. This full-bodied, acidic wine with its black cherry nose and spicy notes pairs well with many of the classic Italian dishes on the menu. The Fantinel Collio Pinot Grigio is well structured, dry and drinkable. At £9.95 per 250 ml, it's priced fairly and promises to play nicely with any of the lighter meats and seafood. There's a good selection of champagnes and sparkling wines as well.

The beer list offers a fairly decent array of beers to choose from with names like Boddingtons, Stella Artois and Guinness making the cut. Because of the accompanying bar, there's also a full selection of spirits, liqueurs, aperitifs and cognacs. Finally there's a selection of ports, sherries and dessert wines including Ruffino Serelle Vin Santo del Chianti. This pleasant little dessert wine strays from the more traditional Sauternes and Muscats and isn't too bad at £8.25. Perhaps the most noteworthy beverage on the list, however, is the espresso. The restaurant takes great pride in its coffee and has the beans blended and roasted to order by a private purveyor. With a cup this satisfying, you may be happy to skip dessert altogether and opt for seconds on the espresso instead.

The Last Word
Although the expertise of the kitchen is unquestionable, the food does fall short of being remarkable, and one wonders whether taking a few risks might help. There's definitely room for improvement, yet the restaurant's atmosphere, the sincerity of the staff, and the desire to get it right buys it a fair amount of goodwill.

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