The Standard

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

Stylish décor, with a nod to the old school Manhattan diner, lends the Standard an air of polished elegance. Adorning most of the walls are framed black and white photos, while the rest of the space is taken up by large TV screens that normally screen live sports. Leather banquette seating lines one side of the room, while a careful use of mirrors and soft lighting effects a soft glow and causes the bar area to gleam. Among the starters, a special of Cullen skink is a particular success: firm chunks of smoked haddock and plump new potatoes come enrobed in a luxuriant cream so tasty it almost warrants licking the bowl clean. Braised lamb shank arrives in a formidable portion, cooked until meltingly tender and accompanied by a pool of redcurrant jus. The veggie option is a Thai green vegetable curry: a colourful, crunchy mélange of baby corn, peppers, mushrooms and onions that's disappointingly let down by an insipid sauce (and unnecessarily accompanied by naan bread). Redemption comes in the form of dessert: warm wedges of fudge-textured chocolate brownie, needing only the simple adornment of vanilla ice-cream to top it off. An additional downstairs bar is also open and available for private parties.

• High point: Hearty home-cooked dishes
• Low point: Live sports might not be your thing