Restaurants

On a harsh winter night, with Arctic winds blasting Sydenham Road, the Dolphin is an especially welcoming venue: real fires and all. The refurbished 1930s pub interior evokes a classic European brasserie, with its long polished-wood bar, sage-green walls and jellyfish wall lamps. An atmosphere of effortless accommodation pervades the place, from the charming and competent service to the thoughtful menu, which mixes à la carte with dishes designed for sharing. The likes of braised oxtail with aubergine sauce and mash, lamb kofta, smoked salmon tagliatelle, or goat’s cheese and pea risotto, may be ordered in small or large portions (the large easily feeding four people as a substantial snack). The kitchen carries off ambitious diversity (Turkish, Asian, Italian, English and Hungarian in one menu) with panache. We sampled exquisite crab cakes with chilli jam. Lamb kofte was spot on too, and the aforementioned oxtail dish was rich, gooey and deeply satisfying. For dessert, a superb rhubarb crumble with vanilla custard. A massive, sun-filled back garden, styled like a mini-Versailles in a pattern of walkways and clipped hedges, comes into its own in summer.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009