Enough already with the instructions: go here, go
there; eat this, eat that. Suffice to say that as the
evening air becomes heavy with the fragrance of
those glorious flower baskets, there is no better way
of finishing a demanding week. Gazpacho and smoked
eel (£7) and confit celeriac and coriander (£14) could
refresh the palate; albeit by this stage you may just
want to go back to basics with the old reliable, a 28-
day aged rib-eye (£28).
The wine list is evidently no less dependable, but by
now perhaps even novices will have developed a taste
for the ales that work better than anyone might once
have imagined even with the most sophisticated
cuisine. If that's a surprise to you, it is still pretty
remarkable for the British. And something well
worth celebrating.
