We’re sitting waiting to get into the Grosvenor House – the roads in the Marina are miraculously clear, but there’s a queue of cars waiting to turn up to the now two-tower hotel.
This bodes very well for our night ahead. Sure enough, walking up to Toro Toro in Grosvenor House’s new Tower Two (once you’ve managed to valet) is a near red carpet experience – shiny cars line the area, red ropes cordon off the entrance and the well-suited’n'booted bouncer flashes you his greatest smile.
After making the grand entrance you’re greeted by the impressive two-storey space; there’s a lounge bar upstairs (we spotted a few Dubai-style celebs when we visited) and a more intimate dining space downstairs.
Our hostess – who had cheekbones to rival Angelina’s – graciously ushered us to our table and the first thing we noticed was how intimate the space felt – even though Toro Toro is the size of a few airport hangars (OK, we might be exaggerating – but just go with it), the fact that it’s a long and skinny shape with plenty of nooks means that no matter where you sit you will feel like you’re in a small, darkly lit restaurant, and the interiors, all dark wood, bull sculptures and splashes of red, are very Latin. Which brings us on to the food, which after all is the star attraction.
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