Inside is another local, modern European restaurant which does a good deal for lunch on a Sunday; £15.95 for two courses and £19.95 for three. I found the food excellent, although the service left plenty of room for improvement.

On arrival, my two dining partners were champing at the bit for their lunch. A 20 mile bike ride had built large appetites and the complimentary bread plate had done little to appease them. I therefore decided quickly on what to have for my forthcoming lunch and although the waitress came over, she said she’d be back in a second to take our order. Five minutes later she had not reported back, which was intensely annoying and didn’t go down well with any one of us. This was the start of a slow and rather tortuous wait for our lunch.   

Once the orders had been taken, we then waited about 20-25 minutes for the first course, although I have to admit, it was just about worth the wait. The Skewered Prawns were large and succulent, although the chili jam could have done with a bit more of a kick. My Lamb Sweetbreads on a pea & mint purée with madeira jus was an excellent dish. Not having had sweetbreads before, I didn’t quite know what to expect. The flesh was quite doughy and sweet and went very well with the purée and excellent jus. The star of the starters went to the haddock fish cakes with mustard mayonnaise which were just sublime.

Another long wait preceded the mains, which consisted of Moroccan Spiced Mackerel with a Pepper Coulis, Roast Guinea Fowl breast & Sausage on Puy Lentils with Spinach and the Lamb Kofte kebab. My Guinea Fowl was superb, being very juicy, with the lentils rich but overly so. The Grouse sausage slices were meaty and well spiced. I also thought the mackerel was very tasty and that the pepper coulis worked very well with it, although it didn’t go down that well with the person that chose it. The Lamb Kofte was tasty with not too heavy a consistency albeit not spectacular.

The ladies had selected, if not ordered, desserts at the beginning of the afternoon, but due to the interminable wait between courses, we decided to call it a day. The table had booked for 1.15pm and although I was a little late, we did not get out until almost three.

I really enjoyed a lot of the food that was served and they have made the most of the space whilst not making the tables too cosy. However, the service was poor for a restaurant that has ranked highly in Time Out guides and Harden’s latest guide. Ideal for a romantic meal for two or a (very) lazy Sunday afternoon lunch, but make sure you’re not desperate to eat when you get there.