Numidie

Serge Ismail is a popular figure among the customers who use his 10-year-old restaurant & bar, a fact that reflects both his French-North African heritage & his genuinely hospitable nature. Stretching back from a mosaic-patterned entrance, the long dining room gets its homespun elegance from a pale blue & burgundy colour scheme & cabinets full of antique glassware; downstairs, the bar serves up tapas, live music & reasonably priced wine. To eat, try Algerian-style fishcakes or a courgette & Roquefort fritter, followed by cinnamon-scented tagine, boned spiced sea bass with wild rice & piperade, or a lamb leg steak with accompaniments straight from the south of France. It all sits wonderfully well together. Accessible prices, along with the charm of the place, foster a strong local following: note the unbeatable midweek set menus (£12/14 for two/three courses).