Less than a 30 minute drive from central London, Incanto restaurant is located in the affluent leafy green suburbs of Harrow-on-the-Hill, a stone’s throw away from the prestigious Harrow school. Set in a former 19^th century post office, the front of the restaurant is a delicatessen-cum-café with a few scattered tables and some window seating, attracting locals with its Italian produce and quick-fixes like Italian coffee, sandwiches and assorted cheeses and salumi.

The prospect of dinner as a resident at a five star hotel restaurant is an occasion to anticipate. Unquestionably there is a danger of letting the plush surroundings cloud your judgement. However, if you are able to resist being influenced by the grandeur and keep your eye on the ball, then every so often you deduce that perhaps the hotel is not fully committed to fine dining.

When I first heard of Aqua I thought it was an odd combination, bringing together two quite different cuisines, Japanese and Spanish, in one restaurant and of course anyone else would be forgiven for thinking the same. Aqua Kyoto is an excellent restaurant, the surroundings are plush, bordering on opulent and service there is second to none. We had a brilliant evening there.

How the City has changed… it doesn’t seem so long ago that the area around the Bank of England had just a smattering of shops and watering holes: these days, the penny has dropped that everyone needs to eat, drink and buy things. In these days of cookie-cutter shops and wine bars, The Anthologist are doing something different, something which has clearly taken a lot of thought and effort.