Two cheers for Marquess

In fairness, this one has been managed very well and has a dining room with white paint and high ceilings, giving a clear distinction from the "pubby" atmosphere-in the bar. It looks spare but not unwelcoming.

We were celebrating a friend's elevation to a major philosophy post and asked for three glasses of champagne (not each, obviously). The waitress, a charming if hesitant Slovakian, looked shocked. Champagne? She obviously hasn't met the locals yet. So we settled for a Cornish sparkling wine. My friend looked at it dubiously. It was like drinking alcoholic Lucozade, but it's surprising how nice that can be after a long day.

The Marquess, its press release says, is "definitely not one of the new wave of gastropubs". So there. It has a staunchly British menu, chefs trained at St John and The Ivy and classic dishes including devilled kidneys on toast, pork pie and pickles, and duck neck with gizzard salad. Smoked fish - all sourced from local fishmonger Steve Hatt - seemed more like the thing, and it was very, very good - a platter for two for £14 disappeared in no time.

The slow-cooked shoulder of lamb for three or four diners looks very good, but at £46 is extravagant if there are only two takers. The philosopher - a St John devotee - opted for ham mash and parsley sauce (£11). It looked like a school dinner. But the ham and mash were deemed satisfactory-"Not sure about the sauce," he said "It's a bit, er, soupy."

Two of us settled on duck and carrots (£14) for the main course - which I thought was really good - crispy-skinned duck and sweet baby carrots fancifully trailing their foliage. "Too unadorned," said the husband, eating it all up. Puds are solidly English - treacle tart and Sussex pond pudding were £5, and a reasonable English cheese board was £3 a head.

The verdict: honest food prepared by people who have put a lot of thought into the menu, but could do with revisiting the execution of some dishes.

FAY MASCHLER IS AWAY

The Marquess Tavern
32 Canonbury Street, N1 2TB