Axis always manages to conjure up some fabulously tasty and innovative dishes at this fun luxury restaurant in the depths of One Aldwych.

Following on from his wonderful Royal Wedding menu, which I loved, Executive Chef Ian Fleming has put together a year-long calendar of monthly seasonal dishes with ingredients sourced from his favoured British suppliers.  So you can look forward to dishes like Seared scallops served with wild garlic risotto and deep fried nettles in March 2012 or Potato risotto with sautéed wild mushrooms, roast artichokes and autumn truffles from this September or Colchester Oysters in October.

The service is always impeccable, offering unobtrusive advice.  The wine advice I get from the Sommelier is first rate and we have tried some beautiful wines paired with our meals.  The wine list is extensive and diverse with wines from Italy, Spain, Chile, France, California, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and Portugal.  Glasses start at around £5 and bottles from £18, which I think is very reasonable.

On a recent visit my guest started with the Crab Cocktail beautifully presented in a bed of ice and I went for the Seared Scallops with black pudding as we wanted to try both!  We were not disappointed.  I am a Venison fan, so that was an easy choice for my main course, whilst my guest went for the lighter option of the line caught Sea bass, clams and braised oxtail. The curried lamb shank did look good though as it passed by en route to another table as did the Duck Confit.

We were so well fed that we opted to share an orange Blossom Brülée with Garibaldi biscuits, which was delicious, but other choices included Treacle Sponge, Cheesecake Ice Cream, Lemon Tart or a selection of British Cheese.

A friend of mine also visited Axis on my recommendation and was suitably impressed as well.  What she also found most professional was the follow up e-mail received a day later (as she made her reservation online) asking her to complete a short survey of her dining experience. A nice little touch!  I know she plans to dine here again soon.

Axis is open for lunch from 12pm to 2:30pm Tuesday to Friday.  Dinner from 5:30pm to 10:30pm Tuesday to Friday; 5pm to 10:30pm on Saturday.  It is closed on Sunday and Monday.