Just what the customer ordered

As a restaurant reviewer, I hate places like 11 Abingdon Road. It's almost magnificently unremarkable. Decor is heroically bland; staff are not bad, not great; other customers are Kensington well-to-do with little in the way of distinguishing features. Sigh. Where's my hook?

But, as a customer, it's just the thing. Rebecca Mascarenhas has built a mini-empire on giving her affluent, suburban (Putney, Barnes) customers what they want: unchallenging surroundings and good, er, unchallenging food. Here, in a more uptown setting, her plan reaches its apogee.

Our food was first-rate, the kind of stuff you'd be served by an assured domestic hostess prone to a bit of showing-off. The white Devon crabmeat with Poilane bread and lemon mayo was blamelessly fresh; a foie gras terrine studded with duck meat cleverly featured a sweet dollop of spiced quince.

And ingredients are dealt with seasonally and intelligently: melting saddle of rabbit came with braised radicchio and a caper and raisin dressing; roast breast of pheasant was fabulously accessorised by creamy Savoy cabbage laced with chorizo. Would I go out of my way to eat here again? Not necessarily. Would I like it as a local? For sure.

11 Abingdon Road
11-13 Abingdon Road, W8 6AH