There are three things diners should know about Silk: it's set in Soho's lively streets, it's recommended by Michelin, and it's housed in a grand former courthouse that now calls itself the Courthouse Hotel.
If all of the above evidence doesn't convince you to book a table at Silk, reading the menu will surely condemn you to an imminent visit. Imaginative fusion cuisine is inspired by the spices used for barter on the ancient Asian trade routes, and it's reimagined several times a year. Head Chef Rajesh Parmar encourages his team of top chefs to take Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisine in particular to create beautifully presented plates. Silk's signature dishes include scallops with lime leaf, a chilli-strawberry salsa and a coriander-coconut froth, Kentish roe deer with a smoked vegetable salad, and spicy sea bream - Roe deer are the smaller deer species, native to the British isles.
An equally creative and ever changing selection of starters and desserts bookend Silk's menu of mains. Stir-fried crispy tofu with a sweet mango dip could kick-start the meal, or perhaps Madras-style chicken, or marinated tilapia seared in banana leaf. At the other, sweeter, end of the menu lies banana and raisin spring rolls with ginger ice cream and fruity mango pudding. Meanwhile, kulfi, a favourite Indian dessert, comes in a choice of fruity flavours.
The quality of presentation and service jostles for attention with Silk's magnificent vaulted glass ceiling, and English oak-panelled walls that have witnessed the famous trials of Oscar Wilde, John Lennon and Mick Jagger, to name but a few.