This is the Viajante restaurant, bar and private dining room, where celebrated Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes goes to work.

The swish eaterie is his own venture in East London, located on the ground floor of the notable Grade II-listed Bethnal Green Town Hall.

London and Paris-based architects Rare Architecture were commissioned to restore the Edwardian and Neo-Classical building, whilst also making the modernisations required to transform part of  it into a luxury hotel - a project from entrepreneur and hotelier Peng Loh.

Walking through an elegant Edwardian entrance hall, separate to the hotel apartments, you find the restaurant’s intimate space with lofty, arched original sash windows. It has two areas, the smaller of which is able to be separated to accommodate a private dining space.

Nuno's finishing kitchen stands at one end of the restaurant and is an integral part of the restaurant experience, allowing diners to watch Nuno and his chefs put the final touches to each dish.

The hand-crafted tables and chairs have been designed exclusively by Rare, while features such as silicone tapestries and the lighting have been created in collaboration with Parisian designer Tzuri Gueta who is pehaps best known for his haute couture design work with Dior, Givenchy and Armani no less.

Black lampshades with internal multi-coloured silicon, designed by Rare, create a contemporary interpretation of traditional wall and ceiling ornaments.

But being the barflies that we are, it's the Viajante bar; across the entrance hall from the restaurant, which we think is a bit of a showstopper.

It features a chandelier art-installation, (again using Gueta’s silicone technique of creating light with texture) which hangs directly over the bar itself and classic lounge furniture with a chic contemporary twist arranged in clusters creating intimate experiences.

And with Nuno's fresh and innovative cocktails accompanied by beautifully presented treats to nibble on, once you've settled into the luxurious surroundings there are plenty of reasons to linger.