All square at the circle

Asked if his menu could be described as modern British, Michael Moore, executive chef of the recently opened Circle bar restaurant in Queen Elizabeth Street, London, looks doubtful.

With culinary experience acquired from corners of theglobe as far apart as the Far East, Paris, Canada and the Caribbean, he feels "modern global" is a more appropriate label.

"My food is an amalgamation of the experiences and tastes I have acquired from my work abroad. I've always used the local ingredients of the country I was working in - it's your survival kit."

So it's no surprise to find a starter of salmon and monkfish carpaccio with Japanese dressing and keta caviar (£5.25), or the use of lemongrass with a main course of scallops on a bed of Bardy saffron risotto (£12.50).

Now in its fifth month, the Circle bar restaurant is positioned at the heart of the increasingly fashionable Butler's Wharf and serves a burgeoning resident and business population with brassiere lunches, weekend brunches and evening dinners (up to 80 covers a night).

The eaterie was founded by Guardian cartoonist Nicola Jennings - responsible for the clean lines of the 65-seat establishment - and restaurateur Ian Halliday. They enlisted Moore (newly returned from the Inter-Continental, Berlin) to bring his personal touch to the proceedings.

"I wanted to be more direct and in contact with my customers," he explains. "My style is open to experimentation and my customers are my guinea pigs. The important thing is, if I see Joe Public again, I know I am doing something right."

The à la carte menu, changed every eight weeks, bears witness to his experimental nature, combining an essentially European style with the more exotic ingredients available to him.

Starters, around seven of them, range from deep-fried ravioli with a soya and orange dressing (£4.95) to a modern presentation of sweetbread - sautéd and served with a spiced rocket salad (£3.95).

There are 12 main courses, including steamed black sea bass with garlic red lentils (£11.95), chargrilled squid on a bed of langoustine risotto (£15.95) and sautéd fillet of beef millefeuille with three-coloured pepper sauce (£15.75).

Moore's favourite dish is conger eel, served with guacamole and baked crab meat, although customers are more taken with the crispy duck salad with Oriental mango dressing starter (£6.75). Popular among the five-strong choice of desserts is a burnt orange cream with a tuile shell (£5).

The restaurant also offers a £15.50 menu du jour - a typical example might be langoustine soup, skate wing with black butter and baked pear in pastry with vanilla and strawberry sauce, and includes a bottle of wine.

The bar menu serves a selection of light meals such as tomato and goats' cheese tart (£7.50) or spicy black bean soup (£4.40).

Average spend per head for a three-course meal is currently running at £30 before wine.

The Circle bar restaurant, the Circle, Queen Elizabeth Street, London SE1 2JE. Tel: 0171-407 1122

NINE months into his job as head chef at Wood Norton Hall - the BBC-owned country house hotel and conference centre in Evesham, Hereford & Worcester - head chef Stephen Waites is beginning to feel he is making progress.

Upon arriving at the 45-bedroom property last June, Waites was faced with a brigade of one and a 74-seat restaurant that was frequently closed on weekend evenings because of a lack of customers - the previous head chef had taken the rest of the brigade with him when he left the hotel several months before.

Now Waites has a stable brigade of eight under him and is cooking for between 30 and 50 each evening and often a full house at lunchtime.

Except for Saturday lunchtimes, the restaurant is open every day at both lunch and dinner. A three-course à la carte menu is on offer at lunch for £19.50, although Waites is usually serving a buffet at this time of day because most of the customers are conference delegates.

In the evening a three-course à la carte menu costing £32.50 is offered and at this time of day the clientele is currently split 60:40 hotel guests to local people. Wood Norton Hall is working to increase the number of those coming to eat from outside.

During his first few months, Waites kept the cooking simple while he recruited his brigade. But with the latest menus, introduced last month, he feels he is finally getting close to the standards he wants to achieve.

Michelin target

"My target is to get three AA rosettes this year. But I want to stay here for at least four to five years and ultimately my goal is to win a [Michelin] star," he says. "I want to build our reputation for quality and consistency and do more intricate things with the food. The latest menu change is a step in the right direction."

Eight dishes are offered at each course of the evening à la carte menu. Currently the most popular starters are proving to be garlic brochette of wild mushrooms and cappuccino of cäpes, charred baby leeks; and smooth kipper parfait topped with poached egg and mustard oil.

Waites's favourite starter - home-smoked salmon with scallops and warm soup of gazpacho - is also selling well.

All the main courses, meanwhile, are selling evenly, says Waites. "As a country house hotel we offer all the old favourites such as venison, rabbit and beef - people expect them from this sort of place and they are always popular."

His favourite main courses are two of the fish dishes: fillet of brill steamed with cucumber and oysters, emulsion of herbs and tomato; and red mullet broiled with shellfish stew and garlic potatoes.

"I'm particularly happy with the red mullet," says Waites. "There's loads of flavour in the fish stew - poached shellfish, saffron, garlic and veg - and I put parmentier potatoes on top of the fish so there's a crispy texture in contrast to the soft fish," he says.

From the dessert menu, Waites gets particular satisfaction from the popularity of baked figs, red wine caramel and marshmallow ice-cream. "People told me I was mad to put figs on the menu as they wouldn't sell, but in fact I sell loads. It's a hot and cold dessert - the red wine caramel is hot - and I put lumps of marshmallow in the ice-cream to make it more interesting," he says.

Wood Norton Hall & Conference Centre, Wood Norton, Evesham, Hereford & Worcester WR11 4YB. Tel: 01386 420007