For the organic Bod

The fat chips served at the Cafe Royal's revamped Grill Room are, frankly, overpriced rubbish. A crime against many things - potatoes, distinguished old dining rooms and, most of all, my excited expectations. The historic rococo (tart's boudoir) dining-room was disappointing all round - 19thcentury posh spelt 21st-century rip-off. The famous Grill Room might be a tad dull and stuffy but generally you can rely on their plodding consistency at getting plain and traditional food absolutely right. Why are chips so hard to nail?

These had been cut into hefty rectangles, nicely browned and stacked, all eight of them. In a neat criss-cross pattern, they promised much from a distance. At close quarters they were too oily, not a hint of crunch on the outside, and in some cases, not even cooked properly on the inside. A bad chip is the mark of a bad joint; I don't give a toss how good the wine list is.

The new organic fast-food joint, Bod, on Old Street roundabout, has some sexy fat chips. Certainly double fried in good hot fat, because the outsides are a thin, crunchy shell which has enabled the insides to cook in the steam sealed within. I said to the people sitting next to me, those look good, and they said in unison, 'They are.' Bod chips get a B. The Grill Room's, at more than double the price, get an E.

The owner of Bod claims that he is taking fast-food to new levels. So it is --natch, organic and a cut above the high street. However, it doesn't seem too fast to me. This is more like canteen-style eating.

The service is unhurried but not annoyingly so, though if your Big Mac took this long to arrive you'd sue.

You walk into a grey and yellow industrial space, with high ceilings and lots of hard surfaces which create one hell of a racket. The music was loud enough to compete with the amplified banter, which is a sure recipe for bolted food and indigestion. When the place emptied out a bit - there was a party of 40 from the Ministry Of Defence when we arrived - the Peter Tosh was turned down.

You sit at communal tables, long science benches from a comprehensive in Camden. They've sanded off the real filth, but the benches still bear the marks of teenage boredom, epithets in Tippex, compass point and marker pen, what Miss Jones and Mr Smith get up to during the lunch hour, Kelly's sex life, and the odd bus stop willy.

Most of the food comes between some kind of bread. A steak burger was more like rare roast beef, wrapped in flat bread with lots of greenery and horseradish. A hit. The salmon burger was a breaded fishcake in a rye bun with far too much tartar sauce (I'd ask for it on the side) and the bottom bun was transparent with too much oil. A salad came with lots of bitter leaves, sprouting alfalfa, radishes and a light pesto dressing.

Overall, it's a good idea but it needs a bit of finessing. One thing that perplexed me was a cauliflower and chive soup with far too much truffle oil. Truffle oil and burgers in the same mealtime are not something I expect, or particularly want - like wearing Damaris knickers and a cheap white Marks & Spencer's bra. Separately good. Together, a clash of kinds.

Bod
104-122 City Road, EC1Y 2BP