Morgan M

Morgan Meunier has moved to this new, second site opposite Smithfield Market, after years on an Islington backstreet (now closed).

He runs the new kitchen with Sylvain Soulard (who has been working alongside him for 12 years), and the nature of the restaurant hasn't changed with the move - it still offers inventive haute cuisine in vanilla surroundings that won't frighten a Michelin inspector.

The furnishings - in subdued shades of taupe and green - are a little more deluxe at the new premises, which are split between a basement - this operates as a more 'casual' dining room, where the menu follows the current trend for tasting plates (smaller versions of dishes from the carte) - and a ground-floor dining room where the main menu is served. There's also a tasting menu at £50, and a fabulous 'from the garden' (vegetarian) menu at £46.

Meunier clearly has a way with vegetables - from the à la carte menu, a butternut squash soup with rosemary and olive oil, with a centrepiece of wild mushroom tempura, was a triumph of punchy tastes while an amuse bouche of deconstructed borscht (beetroot soup and sorbet plus horseradish cream) was pretty much perfection.

Red-blooded Francophiles needn't worry - seared, pressed foie gras from Les Landes with fig caviar and toasted brioche, and ravioli of snails in Chablis with garlic froth and red wine jus are also offered as starters. The short menu (five choices in each course) is seasonal - on a cold winter evening, game and fish formed the mains.

Roast red leg Suffolk partridge with a chicory tarte tatin, liver ravioli and bread sauce was a hearty riposte to the weather, with the savoury bird a nice contrast to the super-smooth liver; the only duff note was the slightly pappy tarte tatin.

Even better was fillet of Iken Valley venison (pot roasted to a state of sublime taste and tenderness) with brilliantly realised accompaniments of farci of hare, sweet potato purée and sauce grand veneur ( a classic game sauce).

All dishes were winningly presented, with the desserts the most delightful: a dark chocolate moelleux with milk sorbet and an Armagnac 'drink' looked a treat but lacked wow factor; a divinely light pineapple soufflé and coulis with piña colada sorbet and coconut tuille was more impressive, taste-wise.

The wine list is devotedly French but has a good range of prices, with bottles from lesser-known producers as well as big names.

Amazing though most of the food is, the experience won't suit everyone - the setting is too anodyne and the service too formal for that. Staff are welcoming, but required by the nature of the restaurant to be ever-present, topping up wine glasses and scraping the table for crumbs. However, for food lovers interested in modern haute cuisine, and especially vegetarians, Morgan M should be on the 'to do' list.