Cul de Sac

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Rumours of Cul de Sac's demise were greatly exaggerated. Hysterical media reports had Ashton Lane in flames when a fire broke out in the kitchen here in February 2008. But after six days, a tidy-up and a lick of paint, the venue was back to normal, its long red booths, marble tables and checker-board floor not even hinting at any interim drama. Its fairly casual bistro/diner-type atmosphere also remains (helped along by the sunny staff), which is certainly a factor in making this an established favourite on the lane for many years. The quarterly-changing menu seems to have been reined in slightly from more extravagant past offerings, although snails and oysters are still available as starters alongside more prosaic dishes such as French onion soup and slightly lacklustre chicken, chorizo and pistachio terrine. The main courses do more to highlight the kitchen's skill, be it a judiciously cooked roasted duck breast with Dauphinoise in a lush port wine jus, or two well-seasoned fillets of firm sea bass atop a vivid salad of leaves, sunblush tomatoes and crunchy pepper strips. Dessert choices appear perhaps less inspired – crème brûlée, sticky toffee pudding, tiramisu – but are in fact well executed and presented. As well as daily specials, an appealingly priced set menu (£11.95 for three courses) runs daily except weekend evenings.

• High point: Cheerful and relaxed atmosphere
• Low point: Some dishes seem over-priced

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