Numbnut (1 July 2009)

As a frequent traveller, I have a reason to eat in many fine dining establishments throughout the year and really very few ever prompt me to write reviews. Alimentum is an exception to that. It is an exception because it was such a truly memorable experience. Memorable from the moment I walked through the door and took in the delightfully tasteful, modern, yet welcoming ambiance and décor of the place. A pretty modern shell of a building has been internally transformed into a chic, impressive and still somehow understated surround. The welcome from the staff was extremely professional, polite and attentive whilst not being overly forced. This set the scene for the service throughout the remainder of my stay.

Onto the fare - well, I can honestly say that I have to trawl my memory banks to recall a better prepared and thought through culinary experience. I had a salmon and crab starter which was sublime in both taste and texture and my partner had breast and tongue of lamb with anchovy which looked amazing and apparently tasted even better. For mains I enjoyed a most exquisitely prepared sirloin and my partner the fillet and belly of pork. Both looked sensational on the plate, the taste explosion was bordering on the surreal. The many oohs and aahs that accompanied our meal made me somewhat self conscious in the end but such was the level of enjoyment they were truly difficulty to suppress. My wife thought that the chocolate bavarois she enjoyed for her dessert was the crowning glory and my cheese board was diverse, interesting and full of fantastic flavours. I don't pretend to be anything of a wine expert personally but the wine list was certainly broad and the sommelier recommended a wonderfully cheeky little number that complemented perfectly. All in all, we left feeling incredibly lucky to have found such a rare combination of elegance, modernity, style and truly exceptional food in this restaurant. 10/10.