Take a trip to Britney's kitchen

There are no dancers writhing with snakes. Pepsi and Pop Tarts are not listed on the menu. And the staff is not garbed in red latex or dancing in rhythmic formation. But make no mistake: Nyla is Britney Spears's just-opened restaurant in New York, and the brazen princess of pop is making the leap from MTV to Michelin.

Taking shape in a one-time ballroom at the swanky Dylan Hotel, Nyla (a conflation of New York and her native Louisiana) replaces Virot, a French bistro shuttered soon after 11 September. For Morris Moinian, owner of the Dylan Hotel and a partner in the restaurant, the new liaison appears to be a smash hit.

"It's a dream come true. Because of her celebrity status, the hotel is an international destination whether you're from Milan, Chicago or France," says Moinian, who met the singer through a mutual friend. She came, she saw, she said, "I'm A Slave 4U", and they inked a deal. "It's the perfect marriage, and it should be a huge success," he says. So they hope.

The other partner in the venture is Bobby Ochs, who has worked on celebrity eateries with Patrick Swayze (Mulholland Cafe) and Marla Maples (Peaches), both of which have closed. Still, neither luminary had the pulling power of the Brister in her prime.

On a recent evening, the place was yet to be discovered by the bubble-gum-chewing masses, or by anyone, really. Half the patrons were suits, the other half barely legal girls dressed in the vampy manner of their idol. The waiting staff, confused and erratic, seemed to be operating under the mantra Oops - I Did it Again.

Nyla is a cavernous, slightly garish space with a massive fireplace, enormous gilt mirrors, crimson banquettes and iridescent fabric draped in curious ways. An industrial-looking staircase leads up to a dining room painted gold, while the lighting is an unsettling blend of mellow yellows and moody reds.

The food is Southern-inflected American: Louisiana crab cakes, braised short ribs and Southern fried chicken. Not bad, not brilliant. From the dour look on my fellow diners' faces, we could have been eating at KFC.

As with a long list of stars turned restaurateurs for whom eateries represent an alluring investment, you get the impression Spears has been calling some of the shots. "Britney was really involved in the design," confirms Moinian. "She commented on the colours, the fabrics, the menu and completely designed the logo herself."

At a time when competition is fierce in New York's ritzy hotel market, with new arrivals W Times Square, The Bryant Park, 60 Thompson and City Club Hotel all vying for the same discerning clients, the venture is a brazen attempt to put the Dylan on the map. At 10pm Nyla switches to club mode, but we didn't stick around to see what confections the DJ played, or how frisky the crowd became. We went to Lotus instead.

The irony is that, at 20, Spears is not even of the legal age to order a drink. Make hers a Shirley Temple.

Nyla opens officially next Friday, when Moinian promises a star-studded shindig. "It's bigger than the Academy Awards, everyone from Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani to Cher and David Copperfield." Might Britney re-enact her famous snake dance from the MTV Video Music Awards? Moinian laughs. "That would be very nice."

Nyla, in the Dylan Hotel, 52 West 41st Street, between Park and Madison Avenues. Restaurant (001 212 682 2860); hotel (001 212 338 0500).

Late Stateside deals
Stars and their restaurants
This Is London Music