All all-round lush dining experience is what you get at Gary Rhode's West End

Cumberland Hotel restaurant. Lavish furnishings of French origin are the driving force on the design front, and nothing but quality when it comes to the food either.

Heavily influenced by French cuisine, Rhodes W1 certainly reflects that in its restaurant design. Showers of mini chandeliers dangle from the pristine ceiling above intimate tables perfectly laid with gleaming cloth, and with centralised floral decorations. Antique French mirrors spot the wall. Some a bold and large, covering huge wall-spaces. Others are smaller, rounded, more delicate. The antiquity of the mirrors matches that of the furniture. High-backed, plump-cushioned chairs allow for the more formal and certainly higher-class standard of dining. It's the sort of place whose during-dinner soundtrack is gentle conversation and the quite clinking of glasses and cutlery; truly a relaxed and sophisticated environment.

With the likes of tea-smoked salmon; fillet of mackerel; and quail's eggs on offer before you even start thinking about the main course, it's no surprise that Rhodes W1's reputation is so highly considered. Following the starter you can choose from yet more outstanding creations such as slow cooked skate wing; or confit breast of lamb. Desserts fall in with choices such as peanut butter parfait; parsnip custard; lemon curd or pressed Granny Smith apples in pecan crumble and maple syrup. The options are limited but what lacks in choice makes up for in sheer quality of taste and texture, as well as artistic presentation - something on which the chefs pride themselves at Rhodes W1.

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You can probably hear, even feel the buzz of the Oxford Street crowds from around the corner of the restaurant. You might even have crossed over the road to reach W1. Either way, Oxford Street retail Mecca in London, and well worth a visit just to glimpse the chaos. Stretching as far as the eye can see, Oxford Street attracts tourists and shoppers of all ages every day in their thousands. It's an icon in its own right and is something everyone should consider seeing during a visit to the city.

Opening times: Tuesday - Friday: 12:00 - 14:15 & Tuesday - Saturday : 19:00 - 22:15

Nearest Tube: Marble Arch (Central Line)