Apicius

A simple modern makeover has freshened up this unassuming, timber-clad, shop-fronted restaurant, which now mixes charming old beams & floorboards with fashionable high-backed dining chairs & white-clothed tables. Booking is essential, but one of the joys of this small-scale operation is its telling mix of unstuffy, friendliness & highly accomplished food. Tim Johnson has worked with the likes of Nico Ladenis & Andrew McLeish (Chapter One, Locksbottom) & his cooking adheres to a classic French blueprint. Simplicity is the key to his refined, unfussy style, with tip-top local & seasonal produce defining his credit crunch-friendly, fixed-price menus – witness dishes such as roast John Dory fillet partnered by Nicola potatoes, oven-roast tomatoes & baby spinach, or classic tarte tatin accompanied by a green apple sorbet & cider cream.