Restaurants

Only in David Cameron’s Notting Hill fantasy world could a restaurant pretend to be a country ‘brasserie’, while closing between mealtimes and not serving drinks unless you’re eating. But despite contrived concept and aesthetic – pretty, if you like mock-rustic decor and waiters with beards – there’s some serious intent behind the menus. British-leaning but with occasional excursions into Italian or French produce and cooking, we could find no fault with the ‘charter pie’, a mix of leek, shredded chicken and fragments of ham, topped with a flaky pastry lid: scrumptious. You can tell you’re not up-country, though, when you have to pay extra for vegetables: £3 for peas and bacon, £4 for a firm gratin dauphinois. We also liked a starter salad of Fine Fettle cheese (a British-made feta) with mint, radishes and proper lettuce leaves from Secretts Farm. Meats are also top-quality, from Ginger Pig or Frank Godfrey. The best thing about Bumpkin is the charming staff and generally friendly atmosphere; the worst thing is that no bookings are taken for the ground-floor brasserie, so you either have to queue, or book for the first-floor dining room (which offers a very similar menu, but is more formal).

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008