Tom Ilic

Tom Ilic had been on the To-Do list for a while, but after reading Browners review, it was accelerated to the top of the list, and a table was promptly booked. Dining at 7pm, we were first in on a Friday night, but by 8.30pm the restaurant was full.

Wasn't too impressed with the décor - the carpet in the section we sat in looked like it needed a good clean. And what was with those unattractive blow heaters. After about 10 minutes we asked to change tables - a dimmer switch on the wall next to Alex's head was making an annoyingly loud buzzing noise. Apparently we weren't the first people to complain about this. The table we moved to had a flickering light above it, but after an adjustment via the aforementioned dimmer switch the problem was solved. Our waitress was very friendly, but a tad ditzy.

We dined on a special deal - 3 courses plus a glass of bubbly for £23. This turned out to be excellent value based on the quality of the food we devoured. The bubbly went down well, as did a very tasty bottle of 2002 Benito Urbina Crianza Rioja.

To start, we had the Braised pig's cheeks & chorizo with garlic & parsley mash, and the Tomato & pesto terrine with goats cheese croquettes. The pig's cheeks were juicy and perfectly accompanied by the not-too-spicy chorizo. The terrine was a disappointment - basically a slab of raw tomato with pesto at one end. Thankfully the goats cheese croquettes added some flavour.

Main course was the Roast saddle & braised neck of lamb with potato & turnip gratin, and spiced aubergine, and also the Seared scallops, honey roast pork belly, Jerusalem artichokes & hazelnuts. These were both winners. I wasn't so sure about the scallops and pork belly at first, but when you tried a mouthful of all the components together you were wowed by the flavours and the nutty finish.

Desserts we indulged in were the Pear tart tatin with cinnamon ice cream, and the Dark chocolate fondant with white chocolate & truffle ice cream. The pear tart looked and tasted superb, and the fondant was one of the better ones I have had of late, though it was so rich I couldn't finish it.