Ah, but it's so good!

When I heard Miles was coming to London I immediately started thinking of a suitable restaurant. It needed to be somewhere in the West End. Somewhere with British food, a lively atmosphere and a good atmosphere. Having loved Wild Honey it seemed a natural choice to opt for Arbutus.

Cowie checked the menu and predicted that I would chose scallops, pork belly and then the custard tart! This was disastrous because it was exactly what I wanted, but I couldn't possibly just fall into line! So I chose differently. And I'm glad I did!

My porchetta with apple sauce and cress wasn't what I was expecting; very thin slices of roast pork with a warm apple sauce and peppery leaves. Miles had some poached salmon that had been caressed onto his plate and very delicately cooked. It was as soft and moist as it was rich and pink. A stunning work of art on the plate.

My rabbit was moist, gamey, soft and very interesting. It came with a confit of rabbit shoulder casoulet with a truffle mashed potato topping. Quite a mouthful to type let alone eat. It was stunning. A rich, warming friend for my rabbit. The fact that I forgot about it until I finished my rabbit just made it taste even better!

Miles has a sensational looking shin of veal. The sauce shimmered and blinked like a celebrity at the Oscars. It was deep, comforting and beautifully presented.

Miles finished with a rhibarb jelly and I rather greedily couldn't resist the chocolate soup which was, as you might expect, pretty rich! The rhibarb on the other hand was light and sparkling with flavour.

We loved the atmosphere, which had a very lively vibe. Loads of 20 and 30 somethings having fun after work. Prices aren't too horific and the wine list is both fun and accessible given their caraffe policy. I'm looking forward to finding another excuse to come here!