The Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen

Tucked discreetly away in a Townhouse basement, The Lansdowne is easy to walk straight past but nonetheless remains a busy haunt for twenty-something West Enders. Offering an eclectic mix of surrounds- bright conservatory out back,sociable sofas up front and cosy booths perfect for spreading out the Sunday papers- their recently revamped menu follows the same vein of offering something for everyone.

Smoked chicken caesar was generous with the romaine lettuce and shavings (rather than decimated sprinkles) of parmesan, but the smoked chicken seemed to be have been whacked on the plate straight from the fridge and it was impossible to detect any smokiness through the chill. My companion's chicken liver pate was smooth, offally and the right side of pink.

My main course saw a fat breast of chicken stuffed with spicy Stornaway black pudding and sitting atop some top-notch sauteed potatoes- crunchy, moreishly savoury and just the thing for mopping up the creamy whisky sauce.

Him over the table had plumped for the tapas menu and was tucking in to decent sized platters of perfectly cooked garlic king prawns, seasonal asparagus grilled in parma ham and chilli-infused wings plucked from what must have been some seriously buff chickens.

For pud, the chef’s special white chocolate and raspberry panacotta was a decadently wibbly pile of rich cream nicely set off by a tart fruity lid. The cheese platter was a little underwhelming, with bog-standard supermarket grade blue and brie. One would think they could have made better use of their proximity to Mellis Cheesemonger.

All in all, The Lansdowne’s kitchen is a safe bet for solid, confident pub classics. Nothing is earth-shattering, but ultimately this suits the laidback vibe and makes for an affable mid-week treat.