Having arranged only on the day itself to meet my fellow diner, a long-standing stockbroker friend of mine, we scrambled a post-work, 6.30pm table. I arrived having regretted my decision to walk after being caught in a heavy downpour, which left me desperately needing to be comforted by a good meal.

We were quickly shown to our table, told to relax and take our time before ordering. So we were bemused when during the next five minutes we were thrice asked if we were ready to order. Consequently, we felt the pressure to vacate by the next sitting at 8.30pm, which, with the restaurant a third empty upon our leaving, seemed unfounded.

These minor criticisms are the only flaws that my inner pedant could identify. The interior is clean, neat, modern, warm but uncluttered. A confidence in their food seems their raison d’être, albeit not to the St John’s “hospital chic” level of actively seeking parsimony in their decor in order to highlight the food. The service was excellent; attentive, polite and thankfully knowledgeable, which is a disappointingly rare characteristic amongst the majority of waiting staff.

The menu is varied and deliciously tempting, but self-assured enough to avoid being over-sized, which would lead any diner to worry about the quality or freshness of the food. For the starters we debated and agonised between (amongst others); savoury Crumble of Creamed Shallots & Wild Mushrooms, Horseradish Cream (£7), Baked Eggs with Spinach, Cream & Cheeses (£7), Beetroot & Leeks Vinaigrette; Goat Curd Mousse (£6.50), 5 Griddled Scallops; Dandelion & Haricot Bean Salad (£12.50 ), Pan-fried Foie Gras with Black Pudding & Apples; Frisée Lettuce (£12.50) and Chicken Liver & Juniper Mousse; Fig & Prune Compote (£7).

For once I resisted the all too familiar rich temptations of pate and liver mousse as my eyes had already been transfixed by the offer of “almost boneless” Crisped Pigs Trotters with Potatoes & Eggs Mayonnaise (£7). My previous liaison with the much maligned trotter was by way of the Chinese-style, braised method which resulted in a delicious sauce but, for my taste, too gelatinous a dish. This method of cooking the boneless totter, flattened into a thin pancake of sorts and then pan-fried, yielded a wonderful contrast of crispy outer-meat with the creamy (not at all greasy) fat, both salty and unctuous. If the idea of eating “fat” sounds vulgar and dangerous, then I can only commiserate for your gastronomic loss and associated longevity. The simply boiled potato and hard-boiled egg added little to the composition of the dish in terms of textural or taste contrast. If anything the egg and mayonnaise topping tasted more like greasy fat that the fat itself. Although I defer to the undoubted brilliance of this chef, I think the richness of the trotter was enough to carry the dish and were I foolish enough to attempt a recreation, I might replace the starchy potatoes and rich eggs with a fresher taste and texture (e.g. salad leaves, green beans).

The ebullient stock-broker is usually inclined (quite rightly) to veer towards the elegant and luxurious, so he chose a starter of Beef Carpaccio (£6.50). Tender slices accompanied by an unidentified mayonnaise-style dressing (possibly containing horseradish) and slivers of parmesan. It was exquisitely tender in the mouth but thankfully not so thinly cut to reduce it rice paper texture. If Carpaccio needs to be sliced to near translucence in order to achieve the melting, tender quality it is loved for, then one ought to worry about the quality of the meat in the first place.

Curiosity then got the better of common sense when it came to ordering the main course. Again all the mains were tempting in their deliciousness and simplicity; Grills or Fishes of the Day, Linguine with Crab Meat & ‘Nduja (a soft, spicy Calabrian salami - £13.50), Vitello Tonnato with Potato & Egg Salad (£14), Crumbed Ham Hock Hash, Fried Egg & Green Salad (£11.75) or Poached Ox Tongue; Parsley, Bread & Lentil Salad (£11.75).

Having already tucked into one dish of offal, good sense told me to not order the Braised Tripe with Chorizo, Butter Beans & Paprika (£11.75). But my gastronomic curiosity unsurprisingly overcame its battle with common sense. The tripe, served in an ochre coloured earthenware dish which matched the colour of the juices, was cooked with fennel and onion. The sauce was of thin, gravy consistency, wonderfully smoky and peppery from the paprika and was ideal for mopping up with the crusty bread. Frankly, the tripe itself didn’t excite me as although not altogether unpleasant; the spongy texture seemed to be its only notable characteristic, perhaps similar to the use of tofu in oriental cookery. A sensible and cheap component for padding out a dish, but not irreplaceable and had the dish been served with just butter beans and chorizo, I’d have enjoyed it just as much.

My friend chose the grilled lemon sole with lemon, butter and caper sauce. He said it that it was cooked to moist, with the rich sauce gilding the delicate flesh, counterbalanced by sharpness of lemon and occasional spike of salty caper. It was accompanied by a green salad and overall, received and eaten with gusto.

The dessert options were all classically tempting; Tira Mi Su (£6), Eton Mess (£5.50), Crème Brulée (£6.50), Fruit of the Day, Sorbet of the Day (£4.50), Iced Nougat with Raspberries (£6), Chocolate Mousse Cake; Caramel Sauce (£6), Pear, Quince & Apple Crumble, Clove Ice-cream (£6.50),

However, we decided to share (Me? Share? Food?) the cheese of the day (£6), which was English Stilton (apologies, provenance inexcusably not noted). A large slab, easily enough for two, was presented with a fig and almond jelly. The Stilton was that expected contrast of mild creamy cheese with the “lightning streaks” of astringent mould that provide the satisfying slight pucker in one’s mouth.

Overall the meal was excellent, the dishes offered were a balance between tradition and modernity without the insecurity of pretension layering or frothing the plates. Aside from the oddity of not opening on weekends (especially odd given their proximity to Theatreland) we were very pleased indeed with our last minute arrangement. Were one ordering wine and another dessert, one would expect to pay £40 per head. Food of this quality at that price represents simply excellent value and I, for one, look forward to returning.