The Fish Cafe

This stark, redbrick warehouse might look gloomy from the outside but it conceals a bright minimalist cafe on the ground floor & a smarter, more formal evening-only restaurant upstairs. The menu in both deals in the bounty of the sea & the quality is sound. To start, a feisty ragout of very fresh seafood with a rich basil & tomato sauce & meaty butter beans produced a good blend of contrasting textures & flavours. Careful cooking was also at work in a steamed panache of fish & shellfish, served with a textbook saffron sauce. Meat eaters are not ignored, with a couple of dishes such as medallions of beef, or chargrilled chicken & avocado Caesar salad to chose from. The only downside is portion size – a starter of monkfish carpaccio served with a lovely, intense salsa verde, parmesan & pine nuts was distinctly dainty – though this does at least mean there is no excuse to skip star desserts such as a whole baked apple filled with dried fruit & pistachio & teamed with Calvados ice cream & toffee sauce. There’s a good, fish friendly wine list, & excellent espresso.