When you walk into Rhodes W1 the first thing that strikes you is the sumptuous decor and the plethora of crystal chandeliers; it almost seems a little intimidating, until you are greeted by the very friendly front of house staff who immediately put you at ease. Once seated you can take time to really appreciate the subdued magnificence of your surroundings from the elegant place settings to the beautifully upholstered chairs, which upon closer inspection you notice are covered with hand written recipes.

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We were given a choice of dining from the a la carte menu, or being a little more daring by opting for the Menu Prestige; an 8 course mystery menu. After a short discussion with the waiter about my companion not eating meat we were assured that the dishes could be adapted to suit any dietary requirements and allergies etc.

As we settled back with anticipation we didn’t have long to wait before a little plate of warm salmon croque monsieur arrived to whet our appetites; we were advised that these were not one of our 8 courses, simply a little something to nibble on whilst awaiting our first course.

And so it began... Number 1, the chilled vichyssoise with smoked haddock pastry was an excellent start; light, refreshing and full of flavour. This was swiftly followed by Number 2, for me, a ballantine of fois gras with golden raisins, gingerbread and sticky caramelised pineapple whilst my companion had marinated tuna loin with fennel tempura, pickled mouli and pinenuts which I have to admit to being a little envious, but rest assured I was given a little taster; delicious, the tuna simply melted in the mouth.

We both had the same Number 3, a triumph of a dish; steamed Scottish langoustines, iced melon with a cucumber and orange dressing. The taste, textures and hot and cold together worked perfectly. Number 4; here our paths diverged again with my companion having a warm spring salad of artichokes, wild mushrooms, truffle and slow cooked duck egg whilst I had a loin of rabbit with Madeira glazed girolles and truffle. By this time we were both wondering if we would stay the course(s) but fortunately each dish was large enough for one to appreciate the flavours but small enough not to fill.

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Number 5, together again, we both enjoyed our wild Scottish salmon, parsley gnocchi with roast garlic emulsion though we both balked at the confit of snails that accompanied it and after dubiously slicing off small taste we decided that snails are a very French delicacy and we are very British!! Number 6, again different dishes, Licolnshire pork fillet for me which came with caramelised apple, celeriac pomme puree and some lovely wilted greens.  My companion tucked into fillet of black bream, Scottish lobster and a sweetcorn salad with a rocket dressing which she rhapsodised about and insisted I try. I was impressed but still think my pork had the edge. We were nearly done for but luckily Number 7, a pina colada concoction of jelly, granita and coconut cream proved to be so light, delicious and refreshing that we thought we could face Number 8!

At this point we swiftly declined the optional cheese course which would have taken us up to nine courses and it was with some trepidation that we looked up to see our final course arrive. With fears of steamed suet pudding we were delighted to receive a goat’s curd cheesecake with alphonso mango and honeycomb sorbet, just light enough to slip down without causing any distress. We both declined the offer of coffee and settled on one of the nicest cups of mint tea I have ever encountered. Although I refused the homemade petit fours the smiling waiter left them on the edge of the table with a twinkle in his eye and sure enough I could not resist! My capacity for gluttony never fails to amaze.

The service at this restaurant cannot be faulted; there was never more than a few minutes wait between each course and each member of staff made us feel welcome and at ease. I think the Menu Prestige maybe a little much for the average person but it was a wonderful way of sampling a wide range of dishes instead of looking enviously at other diners and wondering what their meals tasted like. All in all it was a very fulfilling experience!

The Rhodes W1 Menu Prestige is £85 per person