The Palmerston

This former bank makes a formidable dining room, complete with original marble, soaring ceilings, ornate wooden doorways and huge, slender windows. Run with personal charm and good humour, it’s an upbeat place that knows how to win friends. People love the way it strikes the right note between traditional and contemporary, and they also applaud the food.

Lloyd Morse’s kitchen takes a resolutely nose-to-tail approach, showcasing his deep love of Italian and French cuisine, with the emphasis firmly on provenance, seasonality and a style of cooking that is unfussy, hearty and deeply satisfying. In practice, that might mean Guinness-battered Gigha oysters with chilli mayo or roast chicken terrine with asparagus and aïoli, followed by braised leg of wild rabbit (cooked Spanish-style with pancetta, manzanilla, artichokes and almonds) or turbot with raw courgettes, broad beans, peas, tarragon and crab butter sauce. Elsewhere, a fondness for offal could see a weekend special of skewered chicken combs, gizzards and hearts grilled over charcoal (with a parfait crostini on the side).

The much-loved in-house bakery produces exceptional bread, as well as pastries (the Palmerston opens at 9am for coffee and viennoiserie), while desserts such as apricot and almond tart, elderflower panna cotta or chocolate and amaretto ice cream are highly praised. The bar is set out for dining, and is usually the only place you’ll get a seat without a booking. Here you'll find local beers from Newbarns Brewery, a well-thought-out whisky shelf, and a few cocktail options (including a signature coffee Negroni) to throw back while picking through an adventurous wine list that’s tilted towards the Old World, with about a dozen options by the glass.