céleste - the lanesborough london

i went here with my boyfriend and a friend for some post-prom food in july. i was not really looking for full on fine dining that evening or to spend a small fortune on one meal, but i was outnumbered. ultimately i was glad i was!

i have eaten in all sorts of restaurants on five continents, and i have never, ever, ever had such memorable food. it may seem an odd thing to say, but the food at celeste has flavour. i can't think of any other way to describe it. where do they get this magic food? whatever an item of food is supposed to taste like, it does, but amplified a thousand times! simply incredible.

theservicewas excellent, not intrusive or stuffy, just an endless stream of sweet little women in flat shoes. post-prom and post-wine, my boyfriend was in the mood for a bit of low volume singing. one of the little women came to inquire whether we wanted any digestifs but couldn't quite figure out how to get a word in, it was simply adorable.

yes, it is expensive. but get yourself a sugar-daddy/-mommy and go!

the air con was very cold when we arrived but charming staff quickly put that right. the waiters who looked after us (including frederico from maiori) seemed to be enjoying themselves by being attentive and considerate. goodserviceis wonderful butservicewith a big, genuine smile is rather more special. thank you for that.

the little amuse bouches were intriguing, rather than particularly enjoyable. the mackerelwas the stand out here, with a subtle lemony flavour cutting through the natural oiliness of the fish.

two of us ate the foie gras, presented in a subtle, herby terrine; slightly over-chilled but with excellent flavours. one ate a caesar's salad that did not appear on the menu - it was cleverly presented on a base made from a cross section cut of iceberg lettuce. absolutely delicious.

onto the main course - two duck, one lamb and a halibut. i ate the lamb, which was excellent, cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth. i then tasted the duck and could easily have eaten the lot - it was outstanding.

we had various ice cream based puddings, of which mine (a lemon meringue served with fresh strawberries) was beautifully presented and excellent - tiny flecks of lemony jelly and fresh thyme added an extra dimension.

the room (when the air con came under control) is so attractive that it makes the evening special. and into this haven of sophistication came the most sublime cucumber-based palate cleanser imaginable.

the prices are eye-wateringly high but every plate exceeded expectations - so it would be churlish not to say that the price was pretty well worth it. am i going back soon? not until i can afford to. would i like to go back soon? if i could have that food, those flavours, the setting and that level of friendlyservicewithout quite such a tough price tag i would go back often.

pretty good mostly fairly uninteresting and not really packed with flavour. i'm a little surprised at the michelin star for this one.servicewas pretty bad, having to ask for water over four times gets a little tedious for this standard of restaurant. overpriced as far as i'm concerned, so a wholly disappointing lunch!

its only been open about six weeks but they don't seem to be having any teething problems here.  the dining room is incredible ( even though i'd seen it before when it was apsleys) the food is perfection and theserviceis exceptional.  i had the 7 course tasting menu with wine, the wines was so perfectly matched.  each course was mindblowing! cannot recommend enough!