Café Hula

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

Café Hula has a bohemian air about it – wooden wall sconces hold flickering votive candles, and trailing pot plants hang at angles around huge, uneven-edged wooden tables, all watched over by an imposing statue of a skeletal, bible-clutching preacher. Beneath his gaze the kitchen turns out divine food with a distinctly Mediterranean feel, from pasta and risotto to braised Moroccan lamb. A chicken and chorizo stew served with black olives and roast new potatoes is rich with smoked paprika and ground cumin, all flecked with coriander. An accompanying basket of springy white bread is somewhat oddly pre-buttered but perfect for mopping up the russet juices. The Hula burger is a hefty beef patty, cooked to perfection and sandwiched in a soft breakfast bap beside a green salad and a dollop of tangy, chilli-spiked red onion relish. Desserts include a lemon tart bursting with zesty citrus curd flavour and crêpes with a raspberry and ginger filling, drizzled with dark chocolate sauce. With the Theatre Royal just across the road, the pre-theatre menu is understandably popular, but diners are advised to leave plenty of time to enjoy their meal. The service, by turns charming and curt, can sometimes run a little slow.

• High point: Moreish Moorish dishes
• Low point: May be too relaxed and bohemian for some