Restaurants

CK’s great-value lunch deals pack in the locals: £6-£6.50 for any pizza or pasta, £7 for specials such as pan-roasted cod, £11.50 for two courses and coffee. Also thrown in is a glass of house wine, beer or a soft drink. Come evening, tablecloths and tea-lights are laid out, pizzas dropped and prices raised. Seven pasta and risotto choices balance out meatier mains such as calf’s liver, veal escalope or swordfish (all pan-fried and served with vegetables). The food is fresh, nicely presented and competently cooked, and the small details that matter are not forgotten – such as a serrated knife for your pizza (with its just-right thin base). The restaurant layout is sweet and intimate, especially the basement tables reached via a fairy-lit spiral staircase. Popular as this place is at midday, the evening-menu price hikes are offputting, especially as several dishes also feature at lunch at half the cost – the reason, perhaps, that on our visit, only one other table was occupied by after-work diners. A shame; this little place has a lovely, relaxed vibe and service is friendly.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008