Understated corporate decor plays a supporting role at Gary Rhodes’ City flagship halfway up the former NatWest Tower, where stunning views combine with assured modern British cooking to generate a strong wow factor. For many, the ascent to the 24th floor may be a pricey undertaking, but it’s one that’s worth the expense & sure to impress clients. Typical dishes include steamed mutton & onion suet pudding with crushed swede, & bread & butter pudding to finish, though not everything on the menu is a homage to the stodge of yesteryear; you could opt for soft guinea fowl sausage with red wine, button onions, mushrooms & bacon, followed by steamed lemon sole with lobster champ potatoes. Like the tower’s lifts, prices on the wine list start low but climb rapidly; other minor quibbles focus on variable service, a certain lack of atmosphere & a very poor deal for vegetarians.

Regarded by some as the daddy of modern British cuisine, Gary Rhodes’s reinvention of British classics in the 1990s, coupled with his enthusiastic television work, refocused the spotlight on our culinary heritage. Since winning his first Michelin star at the Castle Hotel in Taunton in 1986, Rhodes has opened a succession of popular restaurants rooted in his classical technique. Today he oversees seven internationally, including London’s Michelin-starred sites Rhodes 24 and Rhodes W1, which gained its star in January 2008. He has written more than 20 cookbooks and starred in almost 20 television series. In 2006, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. He has also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.

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