Dining on a diet is easier than expected if you make the right choices

Unable to ignore the inevitable, I started back to Weight Watchers two weeks ago. "Inevitable" because my DNA (generations of robust but rather beefy Italians, Germans and Irish) and my great love of food have seen me grappling with excess pounds since birth. "Back" because when things get bad, I know that this is the only programme that works.

It's a shock and a challenge, of course, for the mildly hedonistic lifestyle that fuels this blog. Setting limits on what you eat and drink isn't a natural fit with going out to a lot of fine restaurants and having friends who like, and consume, generous quantities of fine wine. But it hasn't been so bad. In fact, I've lost 9.5 pounds in two weeks, and that's with the temptation of four fine restaurant outings within the fortnight. So this time, let's review those restaurants within the novel parameters of healthy eating.

First to No. 5 Cavendish Square, not a restaurant but a private members' club in a Georgian mansion tucked just behind Oxford Street. I was there for a gathering of communications directors, and it gets my full endorsement as a fine venue for a small- to medium-sized business dinners. We were in a two-room suite that ran the front of the mansion. A lovely sitting room with a grand Georgian fireplace and period furniture flows into a large dining room enclosed by exquisite Adam-style bookcases in dark mahogany. The walls are a deep, rich red, and the gracious, large windows overlook the square and its towering trees. The service and the food were both as good as the setting.

Given the choice of two options for each course, I found myself opting in each case for the dish I normally would have skipped. The crab wrapped in a spinach leaf parcel rather than the papardelle with black truffles. The monkfish and lentils rather than the roast duck. The carpaccio of pineapple with a bit of mango sorbet rather than the apple and chocolate pudding. And though I admit to looking enviously at the other plates -- especially the pasta -- I was pleasantly surprised by just how good the entire meal was. Healthy, but completely delicious.

I had a similar experience at Racine on Brompton Road, just across from Brompton Oratory. This is a restaurant that feels as if it's been whisked intact to its current location from some chic bit of Paris. The menu was filled with all sorts of tempting options. But I resisted the fois gras and opted for the assiette de legumes d'hiver. I was expecting to be disappointed and gazing covetously at my colleagues' plates. Instead, I found myself deeply satisfied by the comforting richness of the roasted vegetables that came my way. Venison was my pick for the main course, amongst the leanest and healthiest of red meats. Beautifully cooked, with just a bit of light chocolate sauce (more like mole than a sweet experience), well accompanied by shredded courgettes and spinach. My only pain point was limiting myself to just a single glass of the Gamay we were drinking. The venison really deserved more. Because it was a special event (the farewell and thank you lunch of a prized team member) we opted for all three courses. The coffee creme brulee was calling me, but I went for the sorbet. Delicate yet sharp, a perfect finish for the richness of the venison. I will definitely direct visiting friends to this place, with its fine tourist location just between Harrods and the V&A. The set menu, priced at £15.50 for two courses or £17 for three, makes Racine unusually affordable for both its level of quality, and its neighbourhood.

There was less to tempt me off my path of virtue at Fish!. As you'd expect from the name, it's a simple and straightforward menu; any fish you want, steamed or grilled, served with a variety of sauces. Here I may have taken being good too far. The steamed sea bream was bland and tasteless, as were the poached vegetables beneath it. There wasn't enough of the accompanying salsa to create anything meaningful for my tastebuds. The side dish of spinach was the best part of the meal. It accomplished my mission, which was to be able to go out with a friend while staying on track the night before weigh in, but it was distinctly uninspiring. A convivial place, however, with a beautiful location in a big glass shed in Borough market, beneath the looming bulk of Southwark Cathedral. Convenient enough to try again.

The best combination of naturally healthy menu and delicious taste, however, must be Noura. This family owned mini-chain (there are five) of Lebanese restaurants produces delicately spiced and beautifully presented dishes in a sophisticated atmosphere. I was at the branch in Victoria, just a stone's throw from the back corner of Buckingham Palace, and found myself thinking what a shame it was that so many tourists ate at horrible pubs in the area when they could get a treat like this. We went for a selection of mezze, most generally weight watchers friendly (if a bit heavy on the olive oil). Home made hommous, rice and meat wrapped in marinated grape leaves, roasted eggplant, spiced meat rolls. The toughest temptation here was not eating too many of the fresh, hot pitta breads that the attentive waiters kept piling on the plate. And limiting myself to just one of the deep fried options. Of all the restaurants mentioned here, I suspect I'll be back at Noura soonest ... diet or no.