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Velvet Hotel opened its doors in April 2009 on Canal Street and is considered a premier venue to eat, drink and stay. A glass fronted fish tank built into the floor greets diners at the restaurant, then get cosy in an interior filled with original design features like ornamental mirrors and beams.

Peer into the menu and you'll soon discover some interesting soups and sandwiches on offer in addition to pizza and small plates of piri piri chicken livers on crostini, potato skins with sour cream and curried mussels. Consider a starter plate of feta and sunblush tomato parcels and beer battered prawns with a sesame and chilli dressing before moving on to try a Moroccan fish tagine or slow cooked pork belly served with a sage and onion mash and calvados gravy. To finish just let your teeth sink into a chocolate selva, a dark chocolate purse filled with chocolate mousse, sponge and whipped cream served with berry coulis.

This new restaurant is now established having created a good name for itself from the outset. They open from 5.30 pm daily to cater for the pre-events and you can pre-book when ordering your tickets. The cuisine is 'safe British' which is not to say that the odd spot of adventurous living does not crop up here and there. But in the main it is very recognisable, immaculately prepared dishes such as pan-fried calves liver with fresh mango, Madeira sauce and dauphinoise potato and a vanilla and rhubarb bavarois with honey-roasted fig. The wine list is exemplary and illustrates only too well the close relationship between good music and fine wines. Several by the glass or half bottle and all good value.