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 "The dining room's muted colours and mellow, rippling background jazz, create a relaxed atmosphere.

An advent calendar of tumbling stars and wreaths of holly-berry red chillies reminded me that Christmas is just around the corner and maybe I should indulge in some seasonal dishes.

Seared sea scallops with slow-roast tomatoes, garlic and thyme kicked off the show for her, while I went for Shanghai shellfish risotto with crispy ginger.

The scallops were generously plump, with their corals curling round the edge. The chef had intensified the sweet fruitiness of the tomatoes by gently roasting and concentrating all the flavours into each glazed hemisphere. Perfect.

The risotto was the epitome of what this dish should be. Pearly rice, glossed with a rich cheese and herb sauce, with seared, spiced prawns and scallops gently spiked with ginger. Superb!

Main courses gave me my Christmas options and I chose partridge and foie gras pie with truffle sauce. The Tatin of pears, for dessert, would keep it company. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Sticking with the pie, the pinwheel glazed mini-millennium pastry dome held a layered mix of savoy cabbage, juicy pale meat and foie gras. The crinkly crunch of the cabbage and accompanying sculpted root vegetables in a light jus offset the rich meatiness and buttery pastry.

My companion hitched herself to the Christmas theme in ironic mode and chose Roast saddle of venison with autumn fruits and vegetables. Slices of feathery grained meat came with dark prunes, apricots, roasted pear, pickled walnuts and grapes, each one making their contribution to the richly fragrant gravy. A quenelle of creamed parsnip added a dash of gold to the dish design.

Desserts kept this joyous experience rolling seamlessly along to the happiest of espresso endings. My Tatin of pears with liquorice ice cream was a triumph. The super sweet fruits had been tenderly caramelised and served on a crisp wave of pastry with a globe of the best ice cream, densley creamy and with a rumble of warm aniseed. It was a match made in heaven.

My companion had a deliciously fruit-and-nut-full Christmas pudding, topped with a sprig of holly and fondant berries and served with a warm brandy sauce.

If eating-out life does get any better than this, please tell me how."

"tableFor2" with Geoff Laws

The Journal

Friday, December 16, 2005