Having read the reviews on this website, I went to Tom Aikens uncertain of what to expect, and left wondering how anyone could come to a bad conclusion about this place. We were served promptly by the staff, who were friendly without being too intrusive, and had a sense of humour to my obvious excitement that there was a dessert which is basically a chocaholics dream! We had the one hour lunch menu, which has a brilliant range of choice unlike some other restaurants of this calibre, followed by an a la carte dessert. The amuse bouche was, for want of a better word, fascinating, as it was full of interesting flavours that were balanced perfectly. For starters I had the langoustine risotto and my mum had the baked scallops, they both had more to them than was described on the menu (for instance mine had a langoustine foam around the outside and a perfectly runny egg yolk on top) and both were so delicious it stopped conversation for a good few minutes (something very rare in our case!) The main (canette of duck, for two) was just as conversation halting, and the dessert was so incredible, that even though we were both stuffed, we continued through until our plates were spotless. Throughout the whole meal the waiting staff were attentive, helpful, and provided a steady flow of some really wonderful breads, our glasses were topped up whenever they looked a little low and the courses seemed perfectly timed (none with too long a wait, and none so quick that you've barely digested the last mouthful!) The atmosphere is formal, and at first i felt a little uncomfortable, but soon relaxed and realised that the staff aren't watching you for mistakes in table manners or etiquette as I've felt in some other restaurants, and just genuinely want you to enjoy your meal. I would most definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone, and would certainly go back without hesitation.