RSJ

When it opened more than three decades ago, RSJ was a pioneer of the Modern French-British restaurant movement. The current ethos would seem to be, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. The smart, Scandi-esque design of the upstairs dining room, offset by butter-yellow walls and plain wooden floors, is a little sober but none the worse for it.

RSJ has long been a haunt for wine lovers, with quite possibly the best selection of wines from France's Loire Valley in the UK. By-the-glass options make a good starting point if you're unfamiliar with these well-priced, underrated (and food-friendly) wines.

The short, frequently changing menu roams around France and the Med, frequently giving an unexpected twist here and there, as in linguine served with crab meat and chilli, spiked with ginger. The fixed-price menu is a bargain; star dishes were a pea and mint soup and a thick tranche of cod cooked just-so and served on crushed potatoes with avocado and mango salsa. In all, a reliable, unassuming spot that should figure prominently on the radar for South Bank diners.