Waterloo Bar & Kitchen

With its ‘good hearty grub’ & comfortable wooden furniture, Waterloo Bar & Kitchen can feel more like a gastropub than a restaurant, though the white tablecloths put it firmly in the latter camp. The menu covers a lot of territory, offering enough choice to satisfy the crowds of regulars & Old Vic culture vultures – although the kitchen sometimes ‘tries too hard to impress’. You might open with devilled whitebait & smoked paprika mayonnaise, before getting to grips with a mighty helping of rosemary-marinated lamb rump with roast garlic mash, redcurrant jus & parsnip crisps; to finish, perhaps apple & blackberry crumble or a perfectly cooked lemon tart. Weekend brunch boasts ‘the best eggs Benedict ever’, according to one aficionado, although the ‘relaxed & fun’ vibe is thoroughly enjoyable any day of the week. The chalked-up wine list is brief, but reasonably priced.