As a regular criminal hack in the courts of central London over the past 20 years or so, I have made a point of not eating there. In fact, the smell of the all-day breakfast has assisted many diets.

However, all that changed when I ventured to the converted Marlborough Street Magistrates' Court recently. Now reborn as a trendy bar with a choice of two restaurants, it is called Silks and doubtlessly sees rather more of them now than it did when it was court one.


It is faithful to the original room - wood-lined, with the opportunity to take a table at counsels' benches or any of the other favourite spots; we made for the clerks' table. The service and the food were fabulous, particularly the bit where we got free champagne as it was our anniversary. Happily boring each other with stories of our previous stunning mitigations, we came away determined to tell all other criminal hacks about this place.


Mary Connolly, Mackesys, London