Boarding now for Malaysian heaven

The Long Bar at the Sanderson hotel famously resembles an airport lounge - so what better place to go to sample the trendiest of foreign flavours? According to our menu, Suka means "enjoy" in Malaysian - and we did, absolutely.

Except for two things: the sound-amplifying wooden floor, and an infuriating check-in procedure whereby air hostessy staff tried to make us travel back through the bar to the hotel reception before they would let us in.

Initially, the minimal, chic dècor (mainly canteen-style bench seating) felt scarily monochrome and neat, as if the designer had gone a bit mad with the set square.

If you're paying big, fat, hotel prices, why would you want to eat perched on a bar stool? Still, our waiter put us at ease, if slightly bombarding us with inflight information. This was "authentic Malaysian cuisine combined with Western influences and French cooking techniques" and served "Asian sharing-style", he told us.

At least he wisely advised that two starters, a salad and a single main would do us fine.

With the likes of Loch Fyne poached salmon (£23) and Oxtail soup (£11!) on the menu, my knowledgeable foodie companion might well be right when she scoffed that "I've eaten in Italian restaurants that felt more authentically Malaysian". But that was before we slurped up our first exotic starter: rich, moreish Singapore black pepper mussels steamed in Chinese rice wine (£15).

Our second, black iron-grilled langoustines (£18), were a soft fluffy dream at a nightmare price. Our main, Nasi Ayam (£19), seemed cheap by comparison: a sumptuous, filling marinated chicken served in a pot with jasmine rice, poached egg and shiitake mushrooms.

Okay, so this diner's destination may not be Malaysia, but we certainly had a delicious, top-class and beautifully prepared meal.

A coklat torte (£6) of caramelised bananas with chocolate and peanut mousse made for a curious twist on banoffee pie.

Topped off by a relaxing Takara Negori sakè (£4 each), we didn't hasten toward the departure gates.

Suka
Berners Street, London, W1T 3NG