Our Inspector's view

Overlooking leafy Wandsworth Common, the discreet aubergine-coloured frontage of Bruce Poole's high-flying neighbourhood restaurant sits discreetly in a parade of shops. A beacon of top-notch culinary achievement since 1995, the place doesn’t need a celebrity chef, a social media storm or a glossy West End location to bring in the punters, preferring the unshouty approach of a white-walled dining room hung with tasteful art, furnished with linen-clad tables on herringbone parquet floors, and alive with the civilized hum of people revelling in splendid gastronomy. It's a setting that suits Poole's unfussy but highly classy cooking to perfection, the roots of the modern European menu deeply imbedded in France and the Mediterranean. Start with the visceral punch of sautéed duck hearts with pearl barley, roast new season garlic, smoked sausage and parsley, then move on to the indulgent sensuality of roast pork and trotter sausage with a peerless supporting cast of girolles, lardons, coco de Paimpol beans and salsa verde. To finish, there’s a cheeseboard humming with ripeness, or a chocoholic’s delight of warm chocolate pudding with praline parfait.

Awards, accolades and Welcome Schemes

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence