Tom Ilic

Tom Ilic’s restaurant may resemble the executive canteen of a bank, but it’s worth overlooking the industrial carpet & blood-red colour scheme for some of the best food in the area. Ilic’s speciality is meat, & his unique style of cooking relies on the qualities of the main ingredient to shine through. That said, the chef enhances the dishes with all sorts of strap-on extras, some conventional, some he’s invented. Hence, braised pig’s cheek & chorizo comes fairly traditionally accompanied by garlic mash & crackling, but bone marrow & sweetbreads are paired, surprisingly successfully, with a sauce of goats’ cheese, anchovy & almonds. Vegetarians are well-served, although several fish dishes are boosted by meaty delicacies – a little pork belly with the scallops, perhaps, or baked sea bass with chorizo. Still, there’s a pleasing wine choice by the glass, & prices are low (especially for set meals) given such quality.