The Butterfly and the Pig

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

Going for a meal at The Butterfly and the Pig is something of an Alice in Wonderland experience. Beyond its unprepossessing basement entrance, the bar is decorated like the Mad Hatter's front room, with chintz sofas, doilies and Welsh dressers bursting with teapots and jam jars, conveying an atmosphere of warm, welcoming eccentricity. The menu, which changes daily, also channels the Hatter spirit, rambling along in riddler fashion, but demonstrating a clear passion for simple, seasonal food. Although the décor and menu format are fanciful, the home-style cooking and infectiously cheerful service are more reminiscent of a Sunday dinner at your gran's. Starters and mains could easily be mistaken for each other, as portions are huge – a bowl of the day's soup with a doorstop of home-made, doughy bread would certainly make a decent lunch. A main course of 'been everywhere' casserole is a hearty combination of root vegetables and beans of multiple varieties in a rich tomato gravy that surpasses the vegetarian offerings of most pubs in terms of flavour and consideration. Presentation is well-conceived and humorous: crisply battered sole and chunky jacket-chips come wrapped in the day's papers, while other dishes are served on mismatched, floral crockery that further adds to the bar's irregular charm.

• High point: Commendable pub food and friendly service
• Low point: Waiting for a table most nights