The Larder - St John's Street, Clerkenwell

This will be my first review as it is one of my favourite mid-level eateries in London. Situated in Trendy Clerkenwell, The Larder is a stylish large dining room, with a small bar in the foyer. While very spacious, the dining area doesn't come accross as vacumous and the atmosphere is still good. More importantly, the food quality is excellent.

Modern British cuisine can be very hit or miss, and this place really fall on the good side here. They combine heary British fare with various world influenced, including Oriantal and Cajun, to really good effect.

My starter was a sublime Salt and Cayenne Pepper Squid with a Chilli Mayo. Battered delicately and perfectly cooked, the flavours were perfect. I'm a squid lover at the best of times, but this is exactly how I like it to be served. The chilli mayo was perfect also, jsut rich and spicy enough to not be overpowering, but not i any way weak. My dining companion had Smoked Haddock Macaroni witha  poached egg, which was beautifully rich and inviting, although on a previous visit they did a smoked Haddock Risotto, which I feel was a more accomplished dish.

Mains were also wonderful, with a very good range of fish available - more than on most non-fish specialist places. We decided to go for one fish and one meat dish, and I plumped for the Whole Roast Seabass with Crab Risotto. Unfortunately just a fillet, rather than a whole one, this did not take away from the delicate and intircate flavouring of the dish. Fish perfectly cooked, and the risortto nice and sticky, overall definately a dish I would eat again. My companion went for the Confit of Duck with King Scallops, Bok Choi and Corainder. Apart from the Jus, it is exactly what it says, but don't let that fool you, it is an excellent dish, and shoudl be seen as a lesson to chef often too keen on over complicating a dish. 4 ingredients, perfection. I very much enjoyed sharing this one!

Deserts were very much what you'd expect in any standard British restaurant, sticky toffee pudding and hot chocolate fondant were satisfying, if a little rich, but it was the sorbet's that impressed me, with a range of Bramley Apple, Blood Orange, Blackcurrant, Mango and Melon. Very good choice and not a copy of every menu in the land.

Overall I would definately recommend you try the Larder, while not Haute Cuisine, it is fantastically executed homely food witha modern twist. Definately worth the trip to Clerkenwell!