14 Hills - The City, London

14 Hills is the flagship restaurant of D&D London. Let that sink in for a second. This is the group which has 42 eateries in its stable, spanning three continents and including sites that have earned Michelin stars running from Angler to Launceston Place and Orrery. So we've been quite excited about their newest launch, for which they've chosen the City as neighbourhood du jour and staged a coup from 120 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie Talkie, for fine dining supremacy. We popped in to see how many flags this ship was sporting. 

After clearing security, we were whisked up to the 14th floor, which boasts a deli where you can snag croque monsieurs or sausage rolls and bring them to the roof gardens above. We headed straight into 14 Hills and were immediately ensconced in a verdant jungle ambience designed by Robert Angell International, with over 100 plants wending their way up the walls and into the rafters. Otherwise, the space is separated into a bar area and a dining area, with wraparound vistas of the West End, City, Canary Wharf and further afield. The private dining room warrants special mention - it's ideal for a working lunch or dinner. 

Thomas Piat of Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental does the honours on the cooking and does it well. Everything was incredibly finessed, from starters of white crab immersed in cauliflower velouté and drizzled with crab essence and Oscietra caviar to day-glo orange oak-smoked salmon with keta roe on buckwheat blini. Save room for heavy-hitting mains, including giant tranches of turbot roasted on the bone with beurre blanc and ramekins of cuttlefish risotto or wildly rich beef fillet Rossini with mushroom duxelle, seared duck liver, shaved truffles and brioche toasts. Similarly, desserts are gorgeous, such as the chocolate tart with whisky fruits, nuts and spice and the custard tart with salted caramel. 

14 Hills is really something else.