Refuel

The name suggests a utilitarian pit stop (indeed, the hotel used to be a car park) but Refuel is a lot classier than that. On one side you can peer though the potted plant divider to the vibrant adjoining bar, with its eye-catching mural & elegant pewter bar, while the glass walls on the other side of the dining room face the hotel’s entrance in a quiet Soho mews. The menu is attractive & imaginatively combines seasonal ingredients: think a huge slab of tuna with chunky heritage tomatoes & baby artichokes or mackerel with delicious cubes of pancetta & sagey sauteed potatoes. There’s a stonking pannacotta among the puds, & an eclectic wine list to wash it all down with. But however good the food & service, the open-plan design leaves the restaurant feeling a little overshadowed by the bar (see separate review) – if only they could transfer some of the buzzy atmosphere.