Swithins Upstairs

Bright & convivial at the front, where light floods through the windows & informal lunches are served at counters decked with crisp white napery, Swithins is altogether more formal & cosseting in the smart modern dining room at the rear. Both parts offer up polished service & excellent seafood: the long menu has masses of choice, so you might start with smoked eel with horseradish sauce, rocket & lemon or perhaps lobster bisque with fresh cream & calvados before a main course lobster salad with mayonnaise, or roast monkfish with fresh ginger, lime & honey. Wines are Italian, New World & French, with a bias towards whites & ranging from sub-£20 house offerings to the rather grander likes of Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux ’01 at £65.