"You Choose" - Tattu

Venue: Tattu, 18 Barwick Street, B3 2NT; website 
Choice: Saffron Black Cod (£30.50) Chooser: Waiter, Ross

Service can be the tricksiest of devils. Sublime examples of the stuff are often meal-making, while an uncomfortable exchange with your server can kill an evening dead. New, large restaurants probably struggle the most to get this right, which makes the seamless, knowledgeable, assured experience we had at Barwick Street's striking addition, Tattu, all the more impressive. Artfully constructed to accommodate quiet date nights, business meets, the odd family, and a sizeable, buzzy main dining room across its labyrinth-like ground floor, Tattu's five large cherry blossom trees and dreamy presentation make this squarely Instagram territory. But the absence of phone signal meant that refreshingly few were on their mobiles, instead actually talking to each other and getting stuck hard into the menu, which brings us neatly onto our picks: Start with a punchy, zingy gin, tequila and pink grapefruit Crouched Tiger (£10). Coming with its own mini-tree, the cherry blossom negroni looks better, but it's all about the tiger on taste. On starters, the seared tuna (£9.50) with ponzu, truffle aioli and caviar is a decadent bit of delicious, which works even harder with a crisp, dry glass of Akashi Tai Honjozo sake (£5). But off in some other stratosphere via multiple black holes in terms of taste is the team's saffron black cod. The silky, sumptuous piece of fish is grin-making in its own right but add the saltiness of little pieces of Chinese sausage and the bite of razor clams and you have yourself a dish. A knowledgeable, assured dish. Menu