Chocolate mousse that’s mounded on the plate like mortar. Tissue-thin tuna cut with geometric edges to fit its barge of toast. Hand-scrawled menus that only experienced waitstaff can decipher. When you discover that chef-owner Audrey Shaw is a former architect, Carnation Canteen makes even more sense.

No item is superfluous, in the room or on the plate. Anchovies and black olives pony up to the smokiness of grilled greens. Somewhere between tartare and a rare burger, svizzerina is a patty of crisp-edged yet pink curls of chopped eye fillet, scooped onto bronzed toasts with a dab of confit garlic.

Bread-and-butter pudding rests, unadorned, in a lake of custard. Vases of poppies and pink roses bring a femme edge to the stark space, all steel-legged furniture, neat lines and walls that proudly show every scar they’ve endured. Minimalist? More like cool-eyed confidence.

Good to know: Several seats are backless stools, but outside you’re assured a chair.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.