DESPITE what certain TV shows might tell you, location isn't everything.

Langley's Bistro may be in the middle of student land, but it's about as far a cry from the myriad kebab shops that it shares Bedford Place with as is possible.

The stylish restaurant is intimate without the tea-shop feeling that some smaller eateries have, combining attentive service with high quality food.

Although this is a popular restaurant, unsurprising giving its location near The Mayflower - not to mention the food - the owners have resisted the urge to pack the tables in, and even though we visited on a busy Saturday night, both the restaurant and the staff seemed relaxed and laid back.

Langleys has a fairly varied menu, but don't despair if you don't see anything you fancy.

The chef is happy to cook something that isn't on the menu and the restaurant caters well for those with special diets.

In fact, they were so accommodating to my vegan requirements that I was invited to suggest the kind of meal that I wanted, rather than just being offered an adapted version of something on the menu - bearing this in mind it's a good idea to go armed with ideas of what you want.

I began my meal with a starter from the menu - porcini (mushrooms), artichoke and sun-blushed tomato risotto.

This was also available as a main course and it would have been well worth opting for the larger dish as it was both filling and absolutely delicious - the kind of thing that seems simple but you could never reproduce at home.

My partner opted for garlic wild mushrooms on toasted brioche with fine herb crme fraiche.

He was impressed by the combination of flavours in the dish which might not have sounded as if they would go together but actually complemented each other perfectly.

For my main meal I went off menu, ordering a warm mushroom salad and new potatoes.

The result was an absolutely huge dish featuring what seemed like every kind of mushroom under the sun as well as a large bed of salad.

My partner had breast of chicken in a tarragon and shallot farce, which was a kind of mash, in 'jus of pied de mouton', plus new potatoes cooked in duck fat.

He was particularly impressed with the size of the portion and the 'farce' which sounded odd, but tasted great.

Our meal, with drinks, came to £46.

Reservations: 023 8022 4551.