The Grill at The Dorchester - Mayfair, London

There aren't many hotels in the world as evocative of tradition and glamour as The Dorchester. With an array of restaurants and bars including the titanic, triple Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester as well as the equally iconic China Tang, you have to wonder whether there's enough room for another restaurant to spread its wings at 53 Park Lane. However on a recent trip to The Grill at The Dorchester, we learned that there is plenty of space. Having been founded in 1931, with this extensive refit they have proven that an old dog can still learn plenty of tricks. 

The dining room has been overseen by feted interior architect Bruno Moinard, who has bragging rights to some of the most illustrious designs in the world, including Christie's New York, the Hermès Paris headquarters and the Château Latour wine estate. Moinard has treated the room with classic Art Devo panache, packing the room to the rafters with Murano crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors, butterscotch leather, marble, patina zinc, copper and brushed oak flooring. There's a dining counter running the length of the room, behind which a rotisserie performs slow revolutions spit-roasting birds.

Alain Ducasse protégée Christophe Marleix has adopted the mantle and helms the kitchens. A graduate of The Dorchester's lauded Parisian sister hotel The Plaza Athénée, Marleix brings an adept hand to the modern grill menu, utilising his classical French training to enhance a relatively straightforward offering. We kicked our meal off with coddled eggs served in a Kilner Jar with golden chanterelle mushrooms and crispy bacon. Whilst it could easily qualify as a breakfast dish, it also worked very well as an introduction to the meal. 

The main event arrived with much fanfare. Organic Aberdeen Angus beef tournedos were cooked a perfect pink medium rare, served with shallots, Bordelaise sauce and Maxim's potatoes - where the sliced tubers are arranged to resemble sunflowers and then deep fried to a dusky golden colour. Following this we received a masterclass in the perfect soufflé, which was honestly one of the best exemplars of the form we've ever had, it's up there with Pierre Koffman's at The Berkeley. There are five options on the menu, but we immediately opted for the Sicilian pistachio and salted caramel soufflé. It's sugary and friable exterior crumbled inwards with a little pressure from the spoon, revealing a cavern of golden magma.