This week's Restaurant of the Week is the Dorchester Grill in London.
After a two-year accord with Aiden Byrne's complex modern cuisine, the Dorchester Grill has returned to its roots with a more wholesome, comforting menu under the guidance of new head chef Brian Hughson.
Moving across from a similar role at the Michelin-starred Rhodes W1 in London's Cumberland Hotel after Byrne left to set up a gastropub in Cheshire last December, Hughson's assumption of the reins at the Grill has, for personal reasons, been fairly low key these past six months. However, it has meant that he has been able to reshape the restaurant to a more traditional grill room offering away from the eyes of the media.
Although the high prices of some dishes might deter prospective diners - on the grill menu, Dover sole is £42 and aged Welsh black rib-eye steak is £29 - there are certainly bargains to be had, such as the honey glazed ham with buttered cabbage, smoked sausage and parsley sauce at £36 for two people.
In fact, one of the triumphs of the restaurant is a lunch menu that continues through to a reasonable hour of the evening. Diners happy to eat before 7.30pm - late for a pre-theatre menu - can enjoy two courses for £19.50 or three courses for a respectable £25.
Dishes include starters of skate cheeks with garlic risotto and lemon grass cream, and chicken liver and foie gras parfait with liver toast, green bean salad with sesame and raddish; main courses of roasted rabbit leg with pickled cabbage and fondant potato, or braised pollock with spelt and Parmesan and gravadlax sauce; and desserts such as dark chocolate mousse with caramelised white chocolate ice-cream or warm apple sponge cake with vanilla crumble ice-cream.
The principle draw of the restaurant, however, is Hughson's à la carte, which runs in tandem with head of wine Jason McAuliffe's pairings. A starter of seared scallops with a miniature sardine pie and cauliflower purée comes with a glass of Austrian Grüner Veltliner "Tradition" 2005 from Schloss Gobelsburg.
Fillet of Angus beef with fried quails' egg, duck liver, braised short rib and artichokes comes with John Duval's Entity Shiraz 2006 from the Barossa Valley, while the decadent mint and chocolate parfait with fresh mint sorbet pairs with a Gaillac Doux Renaissance 2002 from Domaine Rotier in South-west France.
If all of this seems a bit too pricey, diners can enjoy five tasting dishes for £45 or seven for £65 (£70/£90 with paired wines).
The name is the same. The room is the same. The beef trolley is still there and McAuliffe is still there doing his expert thing on the floor. But that classic British fare, given a remake under Byrne, is back to its hearty roots.
The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, London W1A 2HJ, Tel: 020 7629 8888
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