Restaurants

A lovely spot to linger on a sunny afternoon or balmy evening, this revamped 1960s park café offers monthly-changing menus based on seasonal ingredients. Orange and yellow curvy-backed chairs play up the retro feel, which you’ll either love or hate – if the latter, the large garden with its landscaped flower beds is universally appealing, though you can be neglected by the well-meaning staff if you sit at the further-flung tables. The dishes are as unfussy as the surroundings, many with a retro bent: prawn cocktail, ribeye with ‘respectable chips’, sherry trifle. Ratatouille with chunky mixed peppers, aubergine and courgette was a flavour-packed, filling vegetarian option, but the slim tomato and gruyère tart left us wanting more. Ice-cream comes courtesy of Chalk Farm institution Marine Ices. Prices are pleasingly democratic: there are inflation-busting fixed-price menus and carafes of wine for under a tenner. It’s handy for the Open Air Theatre, and to the left of the restaurant is a self-serve bar area for drinks, sandwiches and cakes at tables inside or out.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008