THE finest place to dine outside London? It will be if l'Ortolan's chef director, Alan Murchison, achieves his dream. I'd heard so much about this restaurant scene of John Burton Race's early rise to fame, with tucked-away setting, ambitious food, amazing new dining rooms that when we were over Reading way recently we called in for lunch.

We were fascinated. Everything Alan's done since taking over l'Ortolan last September (for the second time it's a long story) is exquisite. No detail is overlooked, from the seriously classy ladies' room to the glassware on the tables, from the contemporary good looks of the restaurant to the top-notch service from the waiters and sommelier. And they've retained their Michelin star again this year.

Everything reeks of class. And then you meet Alan. It's all his creative dream, but it emanates from a man who is as refreshingly earthy and straightforward as they come.

He's keen to show us his new creations: two private dining rooms upstairs in this former Georgian vicarage. He's incredibly excited about them, and they certainly are impressive. One is the Pommard room, reflecting his link with the champagne house which supplies his house champagnes. "The table alone cost us as much as a bloody good sports car," he says proudly. It's a unique glass table weighing two tons, with gold and silver leaf bubbles inset. Crystal lights continue the elegant bubbly theme.

Next door is the moodily wine-coloured Wine Cellar room. "It's dark, heavy and rich as a glass of red," he purrs. "There's no room like these."

True. By now we were more interested in the restaurant downstairs. First Alan took us through the corridor towards the loos. We passed a glass window in the wall which doubles as a tank stocked with exotic fish and gives a view through to the kitchens. Neat idea. "You get a sense of theatre," he explains. "Diners can watch me conduct the orchestra from here."

Time to get seated and let him pick up the baton. You get quite a choice of dining experiences: a fairly simple lunch menu for £18 two course, £21 three courses, right through to an extraordinarily decadent Truffle Tasting Menu for £99.

We chose from the a la carte menu. But first Alan sent through a prestarter that nearly blew my mind: a ravishingly rich chicken liver and foie gras parfait with spiced fig. It comes as a starter, too, which I'll look for next time.

My starter was a crab dish (£14): white crab meat in lemon mayo, a beignet of crab and coriander, and a brown crab meat pat with oscietre caviar. Perfectly fresh, beautifully presented.

The rabbit which followed was a clever treatment of this none too easy meat (£29). It came cooked three ways: confit shoulder, roasted saddle, and pan-fried best end. A complex symphony in the kitchen, lots of fun on the plate.

Chef's pre-dessert was simply gorgeous: a lemon posset topped with mandarin granit and an almond tuille. Then we experienced the chocolate tasting plate (£21 for two persons). This was the piece de resistance, five amazing little creations on a chocolate theme, from a white mousse hidden in a caramel dome to a memorable hot chocolate fondant. Perfect.

It's a fair distance to l'Ortolan (off M4 junction 11), but if you fancy a foodie fest for a special occasion, it's well worth considering. And it's certainly a place to watch on the foodie map.