Food review:The Drawing Room Mount Hotel

One or two people actually appeared to be dining alfresco, and given the rare outbreak of sunshine, who could blame them?

The hotel has recently been refurbished, and the new restaurant only opened in February, and it has to be said they have done a superb job with the decor. The silver, grey and black Regency striped seating is comfortable, cool and classy, while the large photographs of the Mount in years gone by give a nod to the hotel's heritage.

The restaurant looked to be doing a decent trade on the night of our visit, although it was by no means full. Sat in the middle of the room there appeared to be a hen party. At least I assume it was a hen party. Either that or it was a group of young ladies who just fancied inviting a blow-up doll called Johnny along as their special guest, and livened up the ambience with a rather impressive indoor firework in the middle of the table. Whatever the occasion, they seemed to be having a swell time, so good luck to them.

There is a very decent wine list, broken down into different categories, and including everything from a £4 glass of Argentinian Chardonnay to a £250 bottle of vintage Louis Roederer Cristal Brut champagne.

Unfortunately, I only know this because I have just looked at the website – never, at any stage of the evening, were we offered a copy to look at. When I asked what beers were on offer, I was told there was a choice of Guinness and, er, Guinness. "We're out of Banks's," the waitress said.

She also told me that sparkling wine was not available by the glass (according to the menu there is a choice of two), and said if I wanted a glass of white wine, there was just a choice of two – Chardonnay or pinot grigio (no description of nationality or characteristics), and no mention of the Chilean sauvignon which is also on the menu.

I opted for the Chardonnay, while my dining partner chose a pinot grigio rose, so it was a little surprising when the waitress brought two glasses of white wine.

But even more surprising was the response when the error was pointed out. Instead of an apology and a hasty retreat to the kitchen, my companion was asked: "Will it be all right?"

What, will a glass of white wine be all right when you order a rose? Is that really an acceptable question to ask in what is supposed to an upmarket restaurant?

It was also disappointing, when we had both asked for large glasses, to have both been served standard 175ml measures.

Okay, rant over, the food was actually very good. We both had fillet steaks, which were attractively presented on a wooden board, and the aluminium wire basket for the chips really gives it a quirky, individual style.

The meat was moist, soft and tender, and then double-cooked chips were crisp, golden, and packed with flavour. I was not so sure about the pepper sauce, which was very thin and runny, but the roast garlic mayonnaise was good, and again attractively presented in a small glass pot.

The effect was spoiled slightly when the waitress came to clear the table, revealing that my board had leaked a pool of sauce onto the surface below.

"The steak boards sometimes crack," said the waitress.

For afters I had a caramel panacotta, with hazelnuts, raspberries and crisp chocolate coated biscuits. Attractively presented in a stylish glass pot, it was an interesting and enjoyable choice, and reasonably priced at £4.95. My companion enjoyed the chocolate brownie, but found it a little heavy after a full meal, and struggled to finish it.

The total bill came to £73.65, for two courses each, two glasses of wine, tea, coffee and an orange juice. This places it firmly at the upper end of dining in the city. But was it worth it? In many ways, yes. The food was very good, the surroundings elegant, and the staff were smart and friendly, but I do think the experience with the drinks let it down.

Which is all the more regrettable given that there are surely few experiences more idyllic than sitting on the beautiful terrace with a bottle or two of good wine.

It really is pretty as a picture.