Palmerston Bar & Dining Room, The

Not to be confused with its counterpart up in Highgate, The Palmerston has taken its place in the ranks of the gastropub, a prime example of a graduate with all the right qualifications. Well equipped with the sort of décor that is a feature of so many old London pubs, the new owners have wisely retained most of them - whatever others may say, many people like the familiar, so the likes of chandeliers and brown leather seating are all part of the welcome.

However the line is drawn when it comes to the menu and sauted foie gras with grilled fig and Chardonnay vinegar, fillet of wild sea bass with Swiss chard, red wine sauce and gremolata, and sauted rabbit with borlotti beans, tomato and salsa verde all reflect changing tastes. The definition of a gastropub, particularly when it comes to food, is a matter that will fuel discussion for a long time to come, and has no place here, but let's put it this way, many a restaurant would be glad to serve food of this quality and imagination. To ram the point home try their roast grouse with game chips, bread sauce and juniper gravy.

Nor is the wine list lacking in quality and imagination, with the two leading merchants Bibendum and Liberty well to the fore. The response so far on this workmanlike venture is well up the scale, and rumour has it that more similar projects are on the way.