Gaston Bar Bistro

Gaston's wine is list pleasingly embellished with non-wine options: cocktails, beers, ciders, shakes, spiders, cognacs and digestives - the place is a bar after all, open-air, laid-back and definitely not the place to get uptight over having to raise the occasional hand for service. 'Gaston favourites' are documented on chalkboards and run the gamut from duck spring rolls, loaded with duck meat, to Vietnamese bang bang chicken salad with nuoc cham dressing, with shreds of white chicken meat, tangles of noodles, cabbage, carrot, mint, coriander and the odd peanut; it's fresh and plentiful on the plate. Gaston do the casual stuff well; the likes of beer-battered fish and chips, and killer corn fritters glazed with red chilli caramel, so good they're best eaten by the dozen. Tart lemon curd is a grand way to finish, served in a glass and layered with firm meringue, strawberries and vanilla creme fraiche.