Hooked on Mr Tonks

You have to admire Mitchell Tonks, the fishmonger turned restaurateur who set up the Fishworks Seafood Cafe chain. He has managed to open Fishworks restaurants in Bath, Bristol, Chiswick, Christchurch and Marylebone - each has a wet fish shop at the front and an all fish menu and the London restos are very busy indeed.

Which comes as a bit of a shock, because fish is a tricky, bony food much favoured by foreigners. True Brits do not care for fish unless it is lopped into fingers or served battered with chips and, spookily enough, Mr Tonks doesn't serve chips however much you plead.

The Fishworks Seafood Cafe in Marylebone is a dark blue sort of place with naive art (trawlers and harbours, natch) on the wall and neat modern tables and chairs. You'll even see a sign pointing to the cookery school - not content with going large on fresh fish, Fishworks is out to spread the gospel of fish cookery.

The menu is for fish-lovers, and there are plenty more fresh fish specials on the blackboards, plus a large array of shellfish and crustacea, which also feature on suitably flashy plateaux of fruits de mer. You can even share a whole roast fish with your dining companions.

Ask at the wet fish counter just inside the doorway, point out your fish and it'll be whisked away to get ready for its new role as your main course. The starters have that engaging simplicity that marks out good eating. River Fowey mussels come steamed with wine and parsley (not so very far from moules marinière) - sweet, plump mussels and the kind of juice perfect for crusty bread.

Spaghetti with clams, fresh tomato, chilli, garlic and parsley is triumphant. Good clams, chilli bite to the sauce, and fresh hunks of ripe tomato - a miracle at this time of year. Freshly picked Dartmouth crab with leaf salad and mayonnaise is just that, good portion, very fresh.

The blackboard specials tempt - scallops with pea and mint purée, a roast cod steak with pumpkin and rosemary risotto, char-grilled swordfish, coriander almond pesto. Although it must be said that the Marine Stewardship Council would rather we all ate something other than swordfish.

Ordering the red mullet with saffron aïoli brings two fat little rouget, perfectly cooked, mercifully unstuffy. Old-time favourites such as the fresh haddock fillet fried in breadcrumbs with tartare sauce are well-handled. Large portion, fried and whisper-crisp outside, the interior of the fish perfectly cooked, the tartare sauce sound enough.

Roast skate with black butter and capers is heavy on the capers but accurately cooked. The mash is very good and the new potatoes are competitive. A side dish of spinach in oil and garlic is very good.

The wine list is put together intelligently, you can share half a bottle of Manzanilla sherry by way of aperitif and there are some good mid-priced Spanish wines and vinho verdes from Portugal.

Puds tail off a bit - sticky toffee pudding, crème brûlée, lemon tart and baked chocolate pud are steady rather than inspired, but who cares, you are here for the fish. Service is crisp, as it has to be, as this place is packed. There is a certain comfortable buzz as the gentle stream of eager customers arrives and a balancing exodus of contented diners departs.

The secret of Mr Tonks's success may have been to start with the premise that fresh fish is a precious commodity, and then to cook those fishes simply and serve them with pride. It seems that his customers are coming round to his point of view.

Fishworks Seafood Cafe
Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 4QY