A two astro gastro

Good news - after reviewing a succession of gastropubs worth just a single star and one that got none at all, it's a pleasure to stumble across a decent dinner. The Freemasons gets a confident two-star rating. This is a pub that has gone full circle - first it became a bar called the Roundhouse, then a Cafe Med, then one of the Livebait chain of fish restaurants and now it is the Freemasons once again.

The decor is 'standard gastropub': sofas (tick); mismatched dining chairs (tick); big pictures (tick); scruffycomfortable look (tick). You can eat anywhere in the pub, but the dining area overlooks the open kitchen.

The food is good, dishes avoid most of the horrors of elaborate presentation, flavours are strong and there are interesting combinations of taste and texture. Start with the plate of decent homemade hummus while you study the menu. Starters range from tempura soft-shell crab on crisp polenta with avocado and pickled radicchio to a whole buffalo mozzarella with plum tomatoes, rocket and pesto (very good milky mozzarella), a salt cod and cassava fishcake (a competitive fish cake, but it's hard to spot any cassava) or wok-fried chorizo with green beans, potatoes and a poached egg. They also offer a 'traditional' Caesar salad, which isn't traditional as it includes boquerones, and those pickled anchovies add an unwelcome vinegary note.

Mains are well thought out: a grilled lamb steak comes with a fluffy herb couscous and chickpeas in a ratatouille sauce, panfried wasabi salmon comes with egg noodles and a tamarind sauce and a large piece of roast pork belly arrives crisp and gnarled, pleasantly chewy, with a dollop of mash and some chilli sauce. The house burger is large, maybe a little over-cooked, but accompanied by very large, very satisfying chips. The lemon-and-vanilla cheesecake does its job.

The Timothy Taylor's Landlord bitter is well kept, and there is a wine list with something to suit everyone except dedicated wine anoraks. Service is friendly. The Freemasons has a good feel to it, the pricing is ungrabby, dishes are interesting and well put together. Two well-deserved stars!

The Freemasons
2 Wandsworth Common Northside, SW18 2SS