Kwok Brasserie

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

From the burgundy-coloured walls to the wine bottle candleholders, Kwok certainly looks the part of a neighbourhood brasserie. More excitingly though, it maintains the fine brasserie tradition of a daily changing menu – in this instance running alongside a longer à la carte listing. You can mix and match, but it is the former you should look to for quality and interest, with the likes of a prawn and tofu parcel completely overshadowing some pretty average and rather rubbery deep-fried squid. Likewise, a main of roasted crab claws with garlic, chilli and shallots is a salty, spicy and garlicky – if somewhat messy – pleasure, with the generous portion of claws served in the shell. Sensible service varies in speed according to your requirements: faster if you arrive starving and have wolfed down all the prawn crackers, or more slowly as you ponder whether you have left room for dessert. Inevitably with a daily changing menu, some dishes, especially desserts, will run out. That said, the standard menu options include a glorious kitsch banana boat which combines banana, tinned fruit, aerosol cream and ice-cream – the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts.

• High point: Good quality, interesting dishes on the daily menu
• Low point: Dishes from the main menu are rather average