Bar MC

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

This basement venue in the swish ABode Hotel was formerly known as Michael Caines Café Bar. It was rebranded in October 2007, but not too much has changed: Bar MC incorporates both a family-friendly restaurant (where under fives eat free) and a late-night cocktail bar. As the accoladed celebrity chef is still ostensibly in charge, diners are greeted by a glossy magazine outlining the expanse of Michael Caine's empire, stretching from southwest England to Glasgow. Burgers and steaks are this menu's mainstays, with the odd surprise on an otherwise concise list. Smoked haddock soup, topped with a crunchy piece of pancetta, can seem rather heavy on salty pork, while home-made fish-cakes are a bit bland, with only the accompanying Thai sauce offering something in the way of piquancy. Where the menu gets a little adventurous, a ragout of pigeon offers some rich and dense meat, set atop a small mound of linguini. But the market fish of the day, advertised as 'cooked whole on the grill', arrives (at least on our visit) topped, tailed and skinned in a way that leaves rather less remaining meat than one might desire. It's paired with simple boiled veg. It seems it's a long way from two Michelin stars in Devon to a style bar and grill on Bath Street.

• High point: Free Michael Caines brochure
• Low point: His persistent branding