Our late February visit was the first for about 8-9 months. In the past, we’ve always enjoyed some very good long Saturday lunches, but unusually for us we went for a Saturday evening.

Scotts attracts a very mixed dining crowd, but is famous for its media and thespian crowd. This could be a bit off-putting, but fortunately they’re all very English and very low key – ie not keen to be noticed like a sad Z-lister. The atmosphere is very pleasantly relaxed, informal and buzzy, which we’ve always liked. The restaurant is invariably very busy.

The décor and furnishing is quite neutral and light, which works well when it is quite crowded. I sense that it wouldn’t work quite as well if it was quiet.

We love their style of very simply cooked very high quality fresh fish. Some may be looking for more sauces or complexity, but we go there because Scotts don’t do that. Just enjoy the fish and the skill with which it is prepared and cooked. At home, for several years we’ve been copying their “in the shell” method of grilling scallops, which really does add to the flavour and moistness. On this occasion, we both ate some particularly good turbot (£34 pp). I also had some very good Mersea Native oysters (£17 for 6).

Front of house and service is almost always charming, friendly and professional, even when they’re busy. No pretension despite their popularity and the difficulty of booking.

The wine list is good, although with a bias to the high end. To match the quality of the food, we normally spend £80-£90 on a bottle.

Pricing is not cheap, but I think represents good value for money given the high quality. We normally seem to pay about £100 for 2 for 2 courses, ex all drinks, ex service.

Overall, an excellent restaurant in which to enjoy wonderfully simply cooked high quality fish. Excluding sushi, I'm not sure we've ever eaten at a better fish restaurant in London. We'll be back soon.