Fish Works, London W.1.

You come into this restaurant through a fish shop, selling only fresh fish caught almost exclusively off British shores- stunningly arranged on the slab – and complemented by home-made fishcakes, soups and British oysters.

The restaurant itself is quite small – long and narrow- but as long as you avoid peak times, which can be rather noisy, it’s a very pleasant room.

The menu is totally fish-oriented – all from the shop out front – and cooked quite simply without a lot of sauces.

I had fried calamari, followed by sauteed red mullet and my  two companions had sea bass and sardines – which they pronounced to be delicious. The fresh baked bread was also excellent . As everyone knows the price of fish has soared in the past few years and the prices on the menu reflect this – but there is a 2 course £15.00 menu at lunch which manages to get round this.

The wine list is expensive too so we stuck to beer – which is a pity, as there are so many affordable white wines available today and some wine would have really completed our enjoyment of the meal..

Fish Works has two other  restaurants in London, but you don’t get the feeling you’re eating in a chain.  If you like fish it’s well worth a visit.