Morel knows its place

In the week I visited Morel, I also went to three other restaurants, one boasting one Michelin star, one with two and one from the same family as a French threestarred number.I know, it's a hard life...

So poor old Morel could have come off badly. Instead, it was responsible for one of the meals I enjoyed most. Unlike predecessor Thyme - now not quite wowing the West End - the comfortable, French-flavoured menu here feels no need to venture toward the wilder shores of gastronomy.

You get the reassuring impression chef/patron Jean Chaib (formerly head chef of Fulham's The Pen) is operating happily within his (advanced) competency levels.

Seasonal ingredients are used judiciously - pheasant was perfectly cooked and richly sauced, chestnuts and teeny, caramelly root vegetables added depth. A rough-hewn terrine was packed with goose, more pheasant, foie gras and wrapped in Parma ham. Suckling pig was rolled like Italian porchetta; moist, but with terrific crackling, it was laced with aromatic caraway and really good.

Only white crabmeat, studded with potato and surrounded by a pool of gazpacho, struck a wrong note, too chilly, too summery, too potato-salady.

The red-accented room is warmer than during Thyme's time, as are staff. And, at £27 for three courses, it's great value. Like the best French bistros, Morel knows its place.

A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £85. 14 Clapham Park Road SW4. Tel: 020 7627 2468. Tube: Clapham Common