This stylish, modern mediterranean restaurant is one of my all-time Beijing favourites for atmosphere, excelling in everything from service to decor. Located in the achingly hip boutique hotel The Opposite House, which made its way not only into the glossy, by-invitation-only pages of the Jetsetter.com but also onto the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Magazine's Hot List 2009, style and class are a given at Sureno. Unfortunately, style and class are not the only important ingredients in a good meal - the food itself must be perfect too - and here, Sureno could do with a little bit of brushing up.

Dark, mahogany-wood tables and purist leather chairs are lit by hand-blown glass lamps overhead, while the entire restaurant is bathed in candlelight. My only complaint would be that because of the lively conversation and music and the unusually long tables inside, it is a little difficult to have a quiet conversation. In this case I recommend the beautiful "sunken garden" outdoor patio as a perfect place to enjoy a good meal and glass of wine by candlelight. The quote on the back wall of the outdoor terrace was a wonderful touch.

"from a little spark may burst a flame" - dante alighieri, italian writer and poet

Since we were still full from a lazy, late brunch at home, G and I skipped the appetisers and tapas, and went straight for the main course.

Our first main course was the ferron vialone nano risotto with porcini mushrooms and tartufo nero (RMB 118). The risotto itself was very good - the rice was neither too raw nor too overcooked and had the perfect consistency, though it was a little on the dry side. The porcini mushrooms and truffle were excellent, though the chef could have been slightly more generous - it felt a little as if we were searching for the truffles rather than just enjoying them!

Sureno has won awards for its pizza, so we decided to try out one of their wood-fired pizzas. We chose the cappricciosa pizza with porchetta ham, grilled artichoke and wild mushrooms (RMB88). All of Sureno's pizzas are made with imported buffalo mozzarella cheese, and the high quality of all the pizza toppings was evident with every bite. The ham and grilled artichokes and especially the grilled mushrooms were all delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I wished there was more of them - the toppings unfortunately were a little sparse. Apart from toppings, though, the second most important component of any pizza is the crust - and here I was a little disappointed. Especially featured in the menu was the fact that the pizza dough is made from 100% pure molino alimonti italian flour from abruzzo so I was expecting wafer-thin, slightly crispy crust, especially as the pizza was made in a wood-fired oven. Instead, the base flopped flimsily upon an attempt to pick it up "like a real Italian", and though the crust was perfectly thin, it was a little doughy for my taste. Luckily the excellence of the toppings were only just able to save this hyped-up pizza from being a total disappointment. The pizza was also accompanied by a funny little quote -

"when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's amore." jack brooks, song writer, "that's amore"

To accompany our meal we ordered the wood-grilled mediterranean vegetables (RMB28) which, unlike our other orders, were completely flawless. Grilled to the perfect heat and with just the right juicyness and consistency, this humble-sounding dish was a colourful mix of red and yellow peppers, green and yellow zucchini and onions drizzled with high-quality, fragrant olive oil. Sometimes simplicity really is the best.

Since I was in a sparkly mood that evening, I selected the Valdobbiadene Bisol Prosecco to drink. It was light, sparkling and just what I was in the mood for, though it did not exactly match our food selection for the night. Bisol prosecco has been produced by the Bisol family estate in the town Valdobbiadene in the province of Treviso in northeastern Italy since 1542.

Overall, service and atmosphere were top-notch. Our waitress was extremely accomodating when we asked to change seating three times when we first arrived. Despite the food being so-so, the beautiful decor and lively atmosphere made Sureno a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience.

Perfect for: romantic dinner for two, business dinner, or a classy evening with wine-loving friends

Order recommendations: Pizza for the delicious toppings. The grilled tuna fish , 250 gr. big mama wagyu tenderloin, and bruschetta with seared goose liver spanish organic orange blossom horley and pickled lemon, also sound enticing.

Honourable mentions: excellent service and Beijing's best atmosphere (at least on the night we were there), great quotes in menu and on wall of garden patio. Two of Beijing's best bars and clubs are located right in the Opposite House -Mesh and Punk

Not-so-honourable mentions: very few of the most important ingredients (toppings on pizza and truffle in risotto), floppy, doughy pizza base.