Sir Terence Conran may be 78 but he’s still hungry for empire-building. And you have to admire the old boy’s energy.

Boundary, his new café/rooftop bar/restaurant/hotel in Shoreditch had barely opened before he was launching this quintessentially Conran City joint. Recession? What recession? is how you feel on stepping into Lutyens, an impressive Thirties space that used to house Reuters.

Detour into the buzzy bar for an aperitif and you’ll instantly part with up to £20 — in our case, on £8 crisp vodka martinis in gorgeous glasses (no doubt on sale at the Conran shop).

The dining room itself is a masterpiece of elegant neutrality. Starters, like the service, were impeccable. The “special” was exactly that — a double baked cheese soufflé (£9.50) of incredible delicacy. The sensation of biting into a sizzling hot chorizo picante (£6.95) before slurping up rock oysters was delicious. The menu is unashamedly non-trendy: lobster mousse anyone?

Roast rabbit (£13.50) looked like it had leapt straight out the Eighties with its old-fashioned garnish, but you couldn’t fault the flavour, while skate with shrimps (£16.50) was a no-frills classic. It’s the extras that get your wallet here as you are tempted to say yes to everything — aperitifs, a little glass of dessert wine. That said, don’t miss the Saint-Emillion au Chocolat (£6.50), a sinfully dense creation with a crackle of crumble.

We finally managed to rein it in and avoid ordering cheese, and digestifs, but it’s like they waft a chemical through the air con that urges: “Spend now — eat beans on toast tomorrow.”