And then, apparently it's all over. Wander through Covent Garden Market when the opera crew is in full force, and you begin to appreciate the reality of the proverb. And if it's not her, it's the plump, bearded Fakerotti. Or the thin scowling lady with the big lungs.

Think 'real opera', and you think elegance, opulence, and an inconvenient amount of time spent in your theatre seat. So why on Earth would you make a concept restaurant out of either experience? A Hard Rock Café with a dash of Wagner in place of the Hard Rock?

Well, if you were to marry the traditional opera experience - the draped red velvet curtains, the heaving bodices, the gilt swirls and furiously immense emotions - with a lavish French menu that's a welcome improvement on its occasionally under-delivering Parisian sister resto, then you'd end up with Bel Canto.