Great food, shame about the décor

With his Ma Cuisine and La Brasserie, John McClements's colonisation of West London's leafy 'burbs continues apace. Latest to join them is this little tapas outfit, a departure from his Francophile norm.

And if it didn't have McClements' name attached to it, it's fair to say you'd be unlikely to give it a second look: with its rough walls, dark furniture and perfunctory artwork, it looks like the oldest school of Spanglish microwave merchants. But make no mistake, the food here is good enough to make you oblivious to your surroundings.

Of the flurry of little dishes we ordered - none costing more than £4.50 (for cubes of silky, houseprepared foie gras with dried mango) - there wasn't a single duffer.

Pigeon pastilla featured the lightest, crispest pastry and rich, sweet-savoury filling; we loved a saffron-scented tagine of chicken and vegetables with couscous, and toffee-crackling topped suckling piglet.

Ingredients are impeccable: Jabugo ham had the melting, almost fudge-like quality of the finest cured, acorn-fed pig. We asked our waitress for its provenance: 'It's from E-Spain,' she explained endearingly. Only an odd little mackerel and squid 'burger' with pineapple relish failed to thrill.

A salutary reminder that restaurants are about far more than wallpaper: McClements demonstrates yet again that he struggles to puts a foot wrong.

A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £60. 111 London Road TW1. Tel: 020 8892 5417. www.elvinotapas.co.uk Rail: Twickenham

Tapas Y Vino
London Road, Twickenham, TW1 1EE