ALTHOUGH it’s next door to the Echo office and I walk past the place almost every day, I’ve never ventured through the doors of the Genting Casino – until now.

It doesn’t look particularly inviting from the street, but when I was invited to check out the casino's Fahrenheit Bar & Grill, I was curious to see inside and you don't need to be a member to eat there.

According to the new general manager, Shirley Vetere, many people dine in the restaurant and don’t even go near the gaming tables.

Once we got past the lobby, it was like a tardis (it used to be an old theatre). Well-lit, spacious and relaxed, with just the occasional chink of a roulette wheel in the background.

After enjoying a gin & tonic at the bar, we were shown upstairs to the restaurant in the balcony overlooking the casino, where we were introduced to Roberta, the company’s head of hospitality.

She is perfect for the role and couldn’t have done more to make us welcome - she seemed determined that we ate as much as humanly possible!

The menu is certainly impressive with plenty of variety and according to Roberta is the best the company has had in at least three years.

You can get some excellent meal deals in the week – two courses for £9.95 or three courses for £11.95 or you can go a la carte which is more substantial.

Roberta recommended a bottle of Louis Jadot Chablis, which was fruitier and fuller-bodied than I normally like, but seemed appropriate for the evening!

For starters I had deep fried Camembert, two rounds of creamy cheese oozing out of a crisp crumb coating served with a little salad, and adorned with artistically arranged droplets of red currant jelly.

My partner enjoyed his portion of hot chicken wings, which weren’t particularly spicy and were served with a lime flavoured sour cream dip, a wedge of lemon and a finger bowl.

For mains he plumped for an 8oz lamb rump which was cooked to his taste and served with green beans, a mint sauce and he swapped Dauphinoise potato for sweet potato fries which were delicious.

Meanwhile I opted for sea bass which is often a good test of a chef’s skill as it is easy to overcook – but it had been perfectly filleted and literally slid off the skin - served with a large portion of Mediterranean vegetable risotto with asparagus and drizzled with a garlic, chilli and coriander oil.

Although I was struggling to find room for dessert, Roberta persuaded us to try the Bailey’s crème brulee which was served with a shortbread biscuit.

Everything was good quality and well presented - we could have been dining in a bistro rather than a casino.

The difference is that here they serve food until 4am, so if you ever get the late-night munchies you probably won’t find anywhere else that serves better food.

MY BILL:

Deep fried Camembert £4.95

BBQ Hot Chicken Wings £5.25

Lamb rump £14.95

Sea bass £15.95

Brulee £4.45

Bottle of Chablis £28

TOTAL: £73.55