The Lime Tree

It's neither cutting-edge cool nor nostalgically retro, but the Lime Tree sure is popular: every year, readers tell us that they 'keep coming back'. Two dining rooms – a light-filled conservatory and cosier parlour, which has a wood-stacked fireplace and opens onto the enclosed terrace – give regulars options, as does a bistro menu that reads simply and well, hitting the right comfort-spots. Straight-down-the-line classics such as mussels marinière or 21-day dry-aged sirloin steak au poivre, appear alongside the likes of roast beetroot salad with goat’s cheese mousse, bonbons, candied walnuts and balsamic, or a ragoût of monkfish, king prawns and sweet potato with Thai spices and coconut rice. There’s a good-value set menu too, perhaps offering the likes of chicken liver parfait, slow-cooked duck ragoût with rigatoni pasta, and a simple chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Service is warm and willing, while wines are pitched accessibly in a list that's skewed towards Europe.