British food - carefully chosen, carefully cooked

In its present guise Paternoster Square may be a relatively new creation, but admirably the food and hospitality on display in this corner of the Conran empire is top stuff.

The restaurant makes no bones about targeting City folk: there's real ale on offer, simple fish dishes, roast meats, plenty of shellfish and seafood, while the prices are pretty much what you would expect.

So saying, everything is done well.

Ingredients are carefully sourced from the length and breadth of Britain, the menu changes seasonally and the cooking style is sympathetic.

Start with bradan orach smoked salmon; Dublin bay prawns; or watercress soup.

Comfort food fans may be tempted by the corned beef hash with a fried egg.

They are proud of the meat cookery here and pure-bred Angus beef is hung for five weeks before ending up as twelve-hour roasted brisket, or a flank steak.

In season, there's plenty of game.

You could opt for a cottage pie (made from the same well-matured beef), or a pork and veal faggot with mustard mash.

As befits anywhere showcasing British food, fine cheese plays a leading role - the Cheddar comes from Keen's; the Stilton from Cropwell Bishop; while the Welsh rarebit is made with Lancashire cheese and comes topped with a poached egg.

The wine list runs from reasonable to rarefied and the service is slick; but best of all this place flies the flag for British cuisine.

Paternoster Chop House
Warwick Court, Paternoster Square, EC4N 7DX