The main thing to say about London is it will be nice when it’s finished.

Work on Crossrail has added to the everyday hustle and bustle which makes the capital by turns exciting and appalling.

A cab ride from Victoria to Tottenham Court Road cost me more than the rail fare from Brighton to London such was the snail’s pace and tortuous route of the journey.

Chastened in sprit and lighter in wallet, I checked in to the Sanderson Hotel in Berners Street. The staff are drop-dead gorgeous, the decor is determinedly trendy and the ambience informs you that if you have to ask how much a room costs, you can’t afford to stay here. If Lady Gaga strikes you as the epitome of understatement, this is the place for you.

According to the hotel’s publicity blurb, the design of the rooms “reflects the whimsical aesthetic of Philippe Starck”. If such a phrase sends you screaming into the night, let me reassure you.

The bed was comfortable and everything in the bathroom worked without a hitch. I have previously stayed in hotels designed by the French enfant terrible where the simple task of turning off a bedside light was turned into a challenge which made the hunting of the snark seem like a useful occupation. So it is pleasing to report that the Sanderson strikes a balance between the monomaniacal ambition of genius and the quotidian needs of mere mortals. I had a dinner reservation at Asia de Cuba in the hotel’s sister property, the Saint Martins Lane Hotel.

The walk across town took me through the heart of the West End, through Soho and Chinatown. I first walked these streets as a callow 20-something and must have poked my nose into or hung around for prodigal hours in all of its drinking houses, upmarket clubs and low-life dens. Walking through Gerrard Street, Wardour Street and Shaftesbury Avenue has lost none of its mesmeric power. The well-appointed interior of Asia de Cuba exudes luxe, calm and volupté. The Cuban influence of the cuisine features broad and piquant Caribbean flavours. From past visits to Cuba I have learned that while the three main achievements of the revolution are education, health and sport, its three greatest failures are breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Asian element of the menu features tried and trusted, but no less memorable, staples. My companion and I went for the tasting menu. The standout dishes were the pan-seared ahi tuna and braised oxtail and kimchee. The ambience is more Havana Mob and Jackie Chan than Ho Chi Minh meets Fidel Castro. But as Chairman Mao knew, a revolution is not a dinner party.

 

 

Fact file

Rooms at the Sanderson Hotel start at £239 per night, not including VAT.

To book, call 0207 3001400 or visit www.sandersonlondon.com l Asia de Cuba restaurant at St Martins Lane Hotel is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To book a table, call 0207 3005588 or visit www.stmartinslane.com