I tried to change my booking at Upstairs for two to three people, only to be told - quite snippily, I thought - no chance.

Mentally, I started sharpening knives: yeah right, Tuesday night, new restaurant above a caff in Brixton, no window or signage on the road - they're at it.

But, sure enough, it was packed to the gunwales, the gentrifying area's young professionals falling on this bright little oasis like parched camels. What I took to be snippiness was merely a desire to put down the phone and keep on serving the ravenous hordes.

And they're not daft, the hordes: this is something of a find. Chef Daniel Budden used to work in Chiswick's La Trompette and his menu shares a similar ethos: good ingredients, mildly Frenchified and cleverly sauced, but not too mucked about with.

Rich, sweet crab was served simply on top of avocado with homemade mayonnaise; steamed plaice with scallop mousse was a creamy, soothingly retro plateful. Red pepper risotto, too, was like posh invalid food.

If anything, we found seasoning a little retiring - thank goodness for a sparky hint of spice in a smoked salmon special. Prices are well-judged: £18 for two courses, £23 for three. The place buzzed with the sounds of appreciative custom.

Every neighbourhood should have an Upstairs.
A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £80. 89b Acre Lane SW2 (above the Opus Cafè). Tel: 020 7733 8855. Tube: Brixton