Lark

‘Always delicious. Always seasonal,’ proclaims one reporter, while another notes that James Carn’s classy venue is ‘totally focused on delivering a culinary experience with personality’. There are a few tables on the pavement and the interior is plainly furnished in café style, complete with a variety of soothing pictures, while service comes from a knowledgeable and passionate team who know how to take care of their customers. A thoroughly modern menu kicks off with an ample choice of nibbles and small plates ranging from cep arancini to cured Suffolk sea bass paired with horseradish, kohlrabi and tartare sauce. As the plates get larger, the combinations of flavours and textures become more artful and stimulating – as in spatchcock quail with black-bean purée and Padrón peppers. At the finishing line, desserts mobilise vivid fruit flavours and there’s often a seasonal trifle too (perhaps cherry and white chocolate). Wines are an imaginative spread offered at prices it's hard to argue with – even at the top end, where some glittering vinous treasures await. In short, ‘the perfect local spot.’