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You can tell The Rivington Grill Bar Deli is pitched at the Young British Artist crowd as soon as you step through the door. Facing you as you enter the main dining room is a neon sculpture that appears to be spelling something out in some unrecognizable script. After staring at it for a few seconds, you realize that if you examine the sculpture's reflection in the mirror behind it the letters spell out the words, "Fucking Beautiful."

It's unlikely to find its way in to the National Gallery, but in Shoreditch, where this restaurant is located, such sophomoric attempts to shock are considered "art". However, don't be fooled by the offerings of various YBAs on the walls. Beneath its trendy veneer, The Rivington Grill is a smart, well-run restaurant owned by Mark Hix and Des McDonald. After opening it 2002, they sold out three years later to Caprice Holdings, the upmarket restaurant group that includes The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey. Still, that isn't as dazzling a success story as it seems since Mark Hix is the chef director of Caprice Holdings and Des McDonald is the managing director. I'm not an expert on contemporary business practices, but it looks as though they sold their own restaurant to themselves. I just hope they didn't rip themselves off.

My dining companion was the film critic Cosmo Landesman, one of my oldest friends and, when it comes to restaurants, one of the hardest people in the world to please. To give you an example of just how exacting he can be, he called me up the following day to remind me that the waiter had allowed him to place a side order for Summer Bubble and Squeak without informing him that the main course he'd already ordered was accompanied by that very same dish.

"He should have pointed that out, don't you think?" said Cosmo. "That's shoddy service in my book. Make sure you mention that in your review."

Cosmo's right, I suppose, but it would have taken more than a slip by an understandably nervous waiter to put me off The Rivington Grill--and for the remainder of our meal the service was faultless. It's not exactly cheap, particularly for this part of the world, but the food was scrumptious. Indeed, when I first set eyes on Cosmo's first course--Salt Beef and Green Bean Salad--I did something I've never done before in a restaurant: I decided to order some for myself in spite of having just consumed a large bowl of Chilled Beetroot Soup. I wasn't disappointed, but the upshot was that I had to struggle through my main course of Roast Lancashire Suckling Pig With Peas, Bacon and Orange. Even Cosmo was momentarily silenced by his New Season Barnsley Lamb Chop With Summer Bubble and Squeak. At least, he was until his second helping of Summer Bubble and Squeak arrived.

We went on a Wednesday lunchtime and it was comparatively quiet for a restaurant that's become a popular stamping ground for the Shoreditch Twats. Only about half a dozen of the tables were occupied and nearly all of them by men in suits enjoying a business lunch. Judging from how many bottles of wine they drank, the two men on our left were in advertising, while the table on our right was occupied by a couple of City Boys. According to the manager, Clive Gregory, The Rivington Grill doesn't metamorphose into a scene from Blow Up until the evening. To catch it in its full glory, it's probably best to come on a night the restaurant has hosted a gallery opening.

Overall, I was very impressed by The Rivington Grill. It demonstrates that the Caprice Holdings formula--well-cooked, British food and impeccable service--can be applied in even the most unlikely of settings. If the blueprint is successful in Shoreditch, the sky's the limit. What's next, I wonder? Might it be too much too hope that Caprice Holdings will one day open a restaurant in Shepherd's Bush?