From the cheesy gougere puffs roofed with pork belly to the aged pork chop with choucroute, chef Nik Hill flies the flag for classic French technique. That could sound fancy, but this is food for the people, taken in a rollicking bistro above a bottle shop focused on natural wines.

There are always oysters – perhaps with smoked-eel mignonette – and masterful charcuterie, such as a gutsy galantine de canard Rossini with a heart of foie gras. The food is rich, rococo and rewarding, whether it’s garlicky mussels on toast, an artful composition of the season’s finest vegetables, or a dreamy “floating island” of meringue and Sauternes custard.

It’s a brave chef who wants to bring back the flat, silver fish knife, but steamed turbot cloaked in a sheet of scallop mousse is delicate enough to warrant it. If Escoffier ran a pub, it would be Porcine.

Good to know: One of French gastronomy’s most famous dishes, canard a la presse (pressed, roasted duck), is available on pre-order.

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