"A night out at Sarastro leaves one felling like the central character of a classic opera, say La Boheme, Tosca or La Traviata. It's all in the decor: Arabian Nights meets La Scala meets Roman orgy. And, as Helen Oon discovered when she visited, the restaurant has fantastic feng shui.

Be prepared for a visual onslaught reminiscent of a Turkish bazaar: generous swathes of silk and reems of velvet, tantalising lacy drapes and exquisitely rich Persian rugs hung or draped in every conceivable fashion. Look closer and you'll find influences from Renaissance, and hints from the heart of Africa.

Balcony seats, a royal box, a dress circle and stall seats are lavishly painted in hues of gold, red, silver and green and cleverly designed to confortably accommodate up to 250 people in what is, after all, quite a confined space. The golden royal box is suspended due north-east at the far end of the room in the corner of Inspiration, ascting as a magnet for benevolent ch'i, its rich purple, red and gold silk drapes adding to the drama. This royal box acts as a beacon for yang energy, balancing the presence of so many old yin objects.

Reds and gold dominate; auspicious colours which attract vibrant energy and enhance luck. Even the ventilation pipes are painted gold.

The lighting adds the perfect finishing touch to the atmosphere. Yang-coloured lights of red and gold, orange, warm terracotta, purple, silver and green produce an amazing atmosphere. Sha ch'i and other harmful energies won't get a foothold in this vibrant yang environment. And just to be sure, the powerful atmosphere provided by recordings of the three tenors and other opera greats are potent remedies for any redundant yin energy emanating from second hand items.

Theatrical props and bric-a-brac filll every corner; the ceiling is covered with murals that owe a lot to Michelangelo, the walls are hung with portraits, and you'll see the odd angels overseeing proceedings. Angels offer protection to the premises while the Turkish 'evil eye' mobile at the entrance wards off evil spirits and malevolent ch'i. In front of a painting of a semi-clad woman languishing on a chaise longue, a seat blocks the rush of energy from the frenetic Drury Lane traffic.

Curvaceous S-shaped ceramics slither across the floor at the entrance, gently guilding ch'i from the street into the restaurant, while a small indentation in the floor is filled with coins acting as a wonderful wealth-enhancing symbol by attacting Prosperity luck into the premises.

Happily the restaurant's financial health is assured thanks to the cash till being placed in the South-east Wealth sector and the nearby wooden sailing boat (one fo the most powerful wealth-enhancing symbols in feng shui) ensures a continuous delivery of plenty.

In terms of food, which is, after all, why we're here, the menu features a well-balanced slection of yin and yan cuisine. Apart from the set menu, you can choose from red meat dishes such as Lam Bourguignonne or you can go for the white meat selection which includes Roast Duck with Orance Sauce. There's also a good seafood menu with all the standards from Scampi to Haddock.

For the hungry vegetarian, Sarastro boasts a choice of specialities such as Dolma, a combination of stuffed courgettes and vine leaves, or the garlic mushrooms served in a sizzling bowl as starters.

As a main course, the grilled Dover Sole served with a green salad is extremely filling and there's hardly enough room for the wide selection of French and German cheeses. The dessert menu speaks for itself, with a choice of freshly made cakes, pastries and puddings.

The wine list is impressive, including European reds and whites, and, as you'd expect from Sarastro, a clutch of vintage Champagnes ranging from the house selectin Louis d'Or (about £22) up to Louis Roederer Cristal (vintage 1990, about £120).

After the nineties' obsession with minimalism there's a welcome ebullience about Sarastro: Aladdin's cave, with a hint of Turkish
harem, and the overall ambience of abundance is bound to encourage
further good fortune and success.

Since Sarastro's opening in 1996, business has flourished, with its regular patrons hailing from the showbiz and theatre worlds, as well as from the traditionally more conservative world fo the Houses of Parliament. What they all find compelling is this atmosphere of bohemian decadence. And it's hard not to agree. The restaurant is packed every night, but particularly on Sundays when belly dancers strut their undulating stuff. On Mondays a different set of divas take the
centre stage: the ladies from the Royal Opera House.

The entrance, which is due South-west, lies in the Relationship direction of Richard Niyazi, one fo the restaurant's owners. Born in the
year of the Metal Dragon, Richard's kue number is six, enjoying auspicious directions of wealth luck form the west, Health from the North-east, Relationships from the South-west and Personal Development from the North-West. In the flying Star Feng Shui calculation for this period, the entrance enjoys a Double Seven Star Rating denoting prosperity and success.

Richards partners in the creative enterprise are his nephew, Salih, and Richard Salim. As manager, Salih is a hard task-master by all accounts. He orchestrates his restaurant team like a stage manager at the National Theatre. On nights when there's a full house, the organised chaos of Sarastro brings to mind an exotic Fawlty Towers.

Salih was born in the year of the Water Ox, indicative of a strong and hardworking nature, and his kua number is 9. He is an East house person who enjoys the South-east Prosperity direction, Relationship luck in the North and Personal Development in the South.

Richard Salim is the man responsible for the restaurant's transformation from a semi-derelict shop space into a restaurant-cum-theatre. He is convinced that Sarastro's positive feng shui properties have contributed to the business' success , and the results, as we see them leave little room for doubt.

This is the beauty of feng shui: not having to believe or consciously practise it as you would a religion, but instead benefitting from it when you place everything in the right place at the right time to harness the energy of the earth.

On explaining this to Salim, he nods in agreement, looking at his achievement with pride.

As we leave, a dark Rolls Royce pulls up outside Sarastro, and David, the smart red-tailcoated maitre d'hotel, opens the door to a very important guest. As they say in the business, the show is not over until the fat lady sings.