Avalon

Setting a standard for gentrified good looks, the Avalon is a grown-up pub and dining room that has become a firm local favourite. The restaurant's walls are lined with milky-white tiles and vintage sepia prints for a classic period look, while the more informal main boozer boasts a huge Greco-Roman-style mural, comfy vintage sofas and a sweeping wooden bar. Best of all for summer, there's a peaceful decked rear garden - complete with mature trees and a four-tiered fountain.

The cooking, sadly, doesn't quite live up to the rarefied setting. Gastropub favourites are generously portioned, yet ours lacked finesse, with risotto primavera on the starchy side and a well-cooked steak let down by its watery béarnaise sauce. Better to play safe with a simple burger or the pie of the day, and a drink from the bar (there's Landlord on tap, plus a great range of spirits).

Service, likewise, is a little amateurish, with condiments forgotten and empty glasses unnoticed. Not that such shortcomings make one jot of difference - the Avalon has been playing to packed houses since opening, with Balham and Clapham's middle classes flocking here, particularly on Sundays when a traditional roast is the draw.