It's a pretty abrupt change from the bright lights of a supermarket on the bottom floor of Canada Place, before being whisked upwards to the candlelit serenity of Plateau. The lift opens up a completely different world, where the receptinists are sweetly smiling and the leather sofas plumply inviting.
The view from Plateau is exquisite - one could easily mistake it for Hong Kong or parts of New York - skyscrapers reign up high through the entirely glass walls and reflect the commercial sights of Canary Wharf.
The room is furnished simply, but elegantly - formal enough for a special occasion, but not icily impersonal, as some of these stylish London restaurants tend to be.
I skipped the starters and went straight for the mains, as did my companion. Rare magret duck breast with crushed candied almonds made my mouth water - all elegantly presented with radishes, delicately julienned potato and other veggies. My companion had medium-rare fillet steak with foie gras - a choice that made me rather jealous through its sheer indulgence - although he assured me it was excellent quality and well-cooked, it just seemed a little rich.
For dessert it was the mixed assortment of ice cream and sorbets and the one letdown of the evening - the most bizarrely flavoured sorbet I've ever eaten in my life. Too polite to ask what flavour it was (who can trust a smoker's palate, after all?) I can only assume it was...spinach? Squid ink? Or something equally progressive.
All in all, a really excellent evening at Plateau thanks to attentive and knowledgable staff, superb views and delicious food.