A cosy no-nonsense gastropub, right next to Holborn station; that's how I would describe this place. Which when we visited was decorated for Halloween with pumpkins lining the stairs up to the busy dining room.

The menu has your standard pub fare (Fish & Chips, Steak, Beef and Ale Pie), but also more sophisticated dishes, such as a Venison Loin and a Beef Wellington to share. We chose two of their specials.

My wife had a Salmon Wellington, served on mashed potatoes with some leek. A good wavy crust enveloped the well-cooked salmon. The mash was smooth and buttery, with the leek adding some texture.

I enjoyed the Duck Breast, which turned out to be a duck breast and a confit duck leg. The breast was pink and juicy, and the leg just as it is supposed to be with a crispy skin. This was served with Tenderstem broccoli, some mash, and a few roast potatoes. These roast potatoes were probably the best I've had in a London pub, after never really been happy with any served with a Sunday roast. If I have any criticism of the roasties, it's that they were on the salty side.

When ordering, we asked our waiter what our mains came with. He didn't seem to know this, and advised ordering vegetables with the Salmon Wellington, so we went for a portion of maple-glazed carrots. But whilst the carrots were nice, they were unnecessary as the salmon came with mash and leeks. This meant there was too much food overall, as the portions of everything were very generous.

The food was excellent, and as it is close to the British Museum, it would make for a great place to go after a day out at the museum. Booking ahead is likely required for a Friday or Saturday evening.

On our holiday, we had a few beers across the street at Le Brassitorium, which we would recommend going to if you happen to be in Nice. Whilst sitting outside in the warm weather, we noticed Edith across the street, and decided that it looked like a good place for dinner. We had not booked, but they had a table available when we showed up — probably because it was on the earlier side for dinner in the South of France.

For her main, my wife chose the "Aioli", which wasn't just garlic mayonnaise. Instead, a well-cooked white fish — just slightly flaky — appeared with char-grilled carrots, fennel, and courgette sections. And of course the garlic mayonnaise. I picked the steak tartare, served with the standard egg yolk. This was served with pan-fried potato cubes and some lettuce. It was well-seasoned, and had little bits of cournichon embedded in the chopped meat.

Still a little peckish, we shared a delicious silky Crème Brûlée to finish. We had a lovely meal, in this no-nonsense restaurant, serving original home cooked meals without fuss and a lovely atmosphere.

A wine bar tucked around the corner of Carnaby Street. The restaurant is narrow, and although they have a few tables for small groups, many of the tables are larger and are seating multiple parties. It was a bit of a surprise when we got seated downstairs at a large round table, with space for 8 people. When we arrived, 6 other diners (all couples) were enjoying their meals.

Because it is a wine bar, the wines are on the expensive side. We picked a lovely claret for just under £50 to go with our meal.

To start we ordered some bread, and brown butter, and a saucisson with some cournichons, and a slice of the squash tart. The tart looked almost like a slice of pizza, but had nice sweet squash flavoured layers interspersed with cream and cheese, on a slightly crunchy base.

For my main, I picked the Mackerel, with pumpkin, pickles, and herbs. The combination was a little on the sour side for me, but the fish was well cooked and prepared. My wife chose the Bavette steak which was served with an egg york emulsion — a similar idea to the egg yolk that often sits atop a steak tartare. It was well seasoned, but slightly under for the medium that she'd ordered.

Curiously, we did have to ask for the bread and saucisson a few times, and these only arrived after our mains were served. This was disappointing, but overall the meal, and the ambience were both lovely. There was definitely more legroom than at the Barbary.