Restaurants

Give the High Holborn mayhem the slip and escape into leafy Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where you’ll find this relaxed, light-filled restaurant. Everything about the Terrace, from its garden-shed-cum-greenhouse design to the outdoor tables overlooking the tennis courts, exudes summertime easy living. Indeed, the venue is best suited to long, balmy evenings and lazy afternoons in the sunshine (our visit saw it packed with local workers making valiant attempts to redefine the concept of ‘lunch hour’). The inventive menu combines crisp, fresh flavours (caesar salad) with a touch of the Caribbean (jerk chicken, curried goat) to interesting effect. Haddock with pea purée came topped with a perfect poached egg and zesty hollandaise, while beetroot-cured salmon and crayfish cocktail – a modern take on the 1970s classic – packed a boldly flavoured punch. Pan-fried pollock with cucumber salad was less successful, let down by watery veg and an odd-tasting watermelon-coloured sauce. Service was friendly and faultless. Book ahead at the first sign of sun (note: it’s first-come, first-served for the terrace tables) and give the great-value set lunch a try.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008