Have you got the Brixton Bug?

Sacrilege in the crypt! Brixton's Bah Humbug in the sepulchral lower regions of St Matthew's Church, long a destination restaurant for the capital's vegetarians, has changed its name to the more perfunctory Bug and is now selling - whisper it - meat.

OK, so it's organic, British free-range meat, but still...

New head chef Chris Manning, formerly of 192 and the Brackenbury, is the man responsible for this iconoclasm. And if your brand of vegetarianism is of the not-so-rabid, exclusionary kind, there are still plenty of veggie choices on his modern British menu.

The crypt's an interesting spot, all pillars, vaulted ceilings and dim, secretive corners. But - Lord, forgive me - it could do with a touch of the Laurence Llewelyn-Bowens. This kind of environment really lends itself to the Gothic: dripping candlesticks, swathes of dramatic crimson drapes, faded gold religious imagery. It's a bit of a missed opportunity.

The food is good: not mindblowing, but pleasant and very reasonably priced (with cocktails and wine, we paid £70-ish for two).

Perversely, we didn't choose any meat dishes - we could have had Cumberland sausage with horseradish mash and onion gravy or lime marinated breast of chicken with broad beans and morels.

Instead, our starters were blackened hake with crispy leeks and black bean dressing - a brilliant, almost caramelly treatment of the fish - and an overwrought queen scallop dish. Its accompaniments of rosemary skewers, herb polenta and dolcelatte sauce were at least one flourish too far. Mock crispy Cantonese duck, a bizarre confection made from wheat gluten, was memorable for its truly spooky physical resemblance to the real thing (sadly, not in taste).

Butterfish green curry with saffron sauce was nice enough, if a touch underpowered. Perhaps not a religious experience, but fun, funky and friendly.

Bug
The Crypt, St Matthew's Church, Brixton, SW2