The Mandarin Oriental is one London’s most exclusive hotels – even by Knightsbridge standards. Aptly named The Park delivers a surprisingly relaxed dining experience with stunning views across Hyde Park.

The Venue
The Mandarin Oriental is easy to spot, located as it is a two minute walk from Knightsbridge tube, a mere stone’s throw from Harrods. A large, ornate building beckons you inside – be sure to dress to impress and you’ll be welcomed in by the large marble pillars and attractive stairway.

The Park is light, clean and airy with lots of tables and a clever use of partitioning and mirrors to create a nice feeling of space without making the surroundings cold. If you can, sit by the large windows to the back of the venue, which provide views of Hyde Park and, in Summer 2008, will open out onto an outdoor terrace. The tables are nicely dressed with an interesting mix of East meets West thanks to the crisp white napkins and gleaming silverwear mixed with a bamboo mat running down the centre of each table and well tended Bonzai trees. The philosophy of this restaurant is one of healthy eating and Oriental food meets British and French classics, and the decor represents that with aplomb.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere in The Park is one of laid back elegance. Rather than fine dining, this is quality food with a distinctly chilled out vibe. That’s not to say it’s not a quality restaurant – the excellent service from the staff is testament to the fact that this is a good restaurant in a world class hotel. However, there’s no stuffiness, chatter descends through the air, everyone is happy, and (well-behaved) children are welcome. This is a nice choice if you want to experience the hotel without having to worry yourself with too many airs and graces. That said, this is still the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and, as such, you should look the part. Do so, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms.

The Food
The menu at The Park is an unusual mix of Thai, Chinese, Indian, French and British dishes, allowing you to mix it up depending on your mood. For starters (£9-£16), the smoked salmon naan topped with red onion confit, cream cheese, balsamic vinegar and an organic cress salad is an interesting twist on the usual smoked salmon starter. The salmon is fresh and light and the fluffy, thick naan works surprisingly well, serving the place of a brioche to create an unusual mix of flavours. The bed of confit and cream cheese combine to produce an exciting mix of creamy, sharp flavours in the mouth and the cress salad is crunchy, fresh and delicious. However, if you really want to try a great starter then the pan fried crab cake, roasted lobster, grain mustard dressing and organic herb salad is divine. Rather than a heavily breadcrumbed, stodgy crab cake they hit the nail on the head with a lightly crispy, rich dish that is flavoursome and exciting. The crab is fresh and goes well with the lobster, with the organic salad adding a nice, fresh bit of greenery.

Mains (£14-£29) don’t quite live up to the quality of the starters, but still manage to mix unusual flavours. The roast loin of English lamb with buttered spinach, minted new potatoes and baby spring vegetables is a surprisingly light dish considering the red meat. The lamb is sliced and delicately cooked – pink and juicy in the middle. There could do with being a few more vegetables, which are a little bland, but the minted new potatoes and buttered spinach excels enough to bring the dish together and make it a success. Particularly good, however, is the wood grilled Dover sole with spinach, carrots, new potatoes, asparagus and Hollindaise sauce. A huge piece of fish, nicely presented, appears before you with a distinct chargrilled flavour that’s unusual for a fish dish and adds an exciting dimension. Again, more could be made of the vegetables, but with such a dominating piece of fish and a delightfully creamy, rich Hollindaise, it’s still worth every penny of the hefty £29 price tag.

Particularly good is their larger than usual selection of desserts for just £8 a dish. The chocolate and green tea cylinder with kumquat ice cream and yuzu dressing is a highlight, an unusual chocolate dessert with a trendy play on green tea. Crunching through the outer dark chocolate covering to the soft, moose-like green tea inside makes for a delightful play of texture and flavour. The kumquat ice cream also works well thanks to its subtlety. Also good, if you fancy a traditional English pudding, is the apple crumble with clotted cream ice cream. Attractively presented, it’s not sickly sweet and the crumble is made up of larger chunks rather than finely sifted crumbs, giving it a nice bite. The clotted cream ice cream is a rich accompaniment that finishes of your meal perfectly.

The Drink
As you’d expect, there’s a great wine menu at The Park, catering for all budgets and tastes. The menu is well laid out by grape and region, but if you can’t decide the knowledgeable staff are on hand to help. Highly recommended is the Les Domaines Schlumberger Les Princes Abbe 2004 – a crisp, light Riesling with an exciting citrus undertone, and not so expensive it’ll break the bank. A nice touch here is the complimentary tea served prior to your meal - changing weekly - to cleanse the palette.

The Last Word
The Park is a light, airy restaurant that avoids the stuffiness of many 5 star hotels in Knightsbridge without losing out on the whole dining experience. For an eclectic menu in pleasant surrounds and with fine views of Hyde Park, it’s worth a visit.

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