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THE PROVIDORES AND TAPA ROOM

By The inviting entrance to The Providores and Tapa Room<br>Review by Laura Smith on Monday 25 June 2007

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The Providores

Sublime food and cosy surroundings make The Providores and Tapa Room a real must-visit when in London

Where? 109 Marylebone High Street, London W1U (020-7935 6175, www.theprovidores.co.uk)

Mood? Relaxed. The lively Tapa Room downstairs from the slightly more formal restaurant is the kind of place where you feel at home but know you are being spoiled rotten. Dark wood tables and moody lighting give an impression of classy cool.

Why go? Chef Peter Gordon, a native New Zealander, has been at the forefront of fusion food since the late 1980s and his innovation shows no signs of waning. The restaurant's eclectic Asian, Pacific and Mediterranean menu has had critics raving since it opened its doors in 2001. The notoriously hard-to-please Faye Maschler said Gordon's kitchen had an 'assured touch'.

To eat? Don't be put off by the overly complicated menu: the food is sublime. Tapas plates range from £3 to £14 and come in a range of sizes which is great for sharing. The bizarre-sounding deep-fried organic egg with chilli, coriander, mint and crispy shallots was a veritable feast of flavours, while the hot smoked salmon salad and red-bean and plantain fritters were sublime. But the highlight was the hokey pokey ice cream with a ginger nut, which prompted a Meg Ryan moment for us girls.

Need to know? Gordon and his two partners Michael McGrath and Jeremy Leeming are currently looking for a new London site to launch their much-anticipated follow-up to The Providores, which means Marylebone High Street won't be the only neighbourhood with their foodie pleasures on the doorstep.

Drawbacks? Be prepared to get acquainted with your neighbours. Diners in the Tapa Room sit on long, shared benches, which means your conversation is far from private. Ours on the night were a rather perfect-looking French couple who only had soup and a salad before ordering the bill. I can't help thinking that the volume level from my girly group brought on by the ever-flowing New Zealand wine might have been to blame.

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