Dine? ‘Lunch’ might be a more appropriate name for this new restaurant on the edge of the City. (‘Eat’, of course, is already taken.) Presumably the person – committee? – who chose the name did so because they thought it seemed very ‘elemental’, very ‘designed’, and very ‘now’.
Dine is none of the above. It is a small and rather old-fashioned dining room (formerly called Tooks), with a rather unfortunate lay-out and poor lighting. Recent efforts have been made to brighten the setting up, but sadly these seem only to emphasise that this is one of those sites which – even the environmentally-conscious may feel – really needs stripping out and starting again.
As someone once said, however, looks aren’t everything: for very good and straightforward French(ish) cooking at extremely modest prices – my 3-course lunch, with a glass of wine and a cup of coffee cost all of £26, plus tip – this place is well worth seeking out.
There is a relatively fancy dinner menu (£25), which looks as if it would make a very good-value choice (if not an exciting one). It’s the very short and simple basic lunch menu (starting at £16 for two courses) which I’d recommend, though. ‘Simple’, incidentally, doesn’t mean cutting back on the ingredients: I had a decent-size crab starter and not one but two of the best bits of venison I’ve ever had.
If you’re thinking of a visit here, I wouldn’t hang around – chef Thomas Han (ex-Pimlico’s Rousillon) will surely be tempted to move on to grander premises before too long.
