Burdock

In one sense, Ed and Tom Martin’s new City eatery absolutely nails it. The trendily plush interior, relaxed-but-sophisticated vibe and small plates approach all conjure the right kind of non-threatening cool – there’s nothing here to make big spenders feel out of place. But what about the food?

The menu is cosmopolitan; even the bar snacks juggle India, Japan, Mexico, the US and the Mediterranean. But as with their other venues, there’s a strong British influence, which came out nicely in a plate of venison meatballs with blue cheese and whole pickled garlic cloves. A shimeji mushroom and barley risotto packed in lots of flavour; so did a sort of spiced crab patty, with apple and cucumber lightening things up. But then there was the Tokyo-Yo: a salad of chicken, noodles, avocado and what tasted like coleslaw, served in a Kilner jar – the stuff of office lunch nightmares.

So Burdock isn’t consistently great, and the service was amiable but clueless. But it’s got enough class and solid dishes to make it worth popping in, if you can resist the call of the burger van parked outside.