Wine to dine for

The house wines on Bedford & Strand's wine list are divided into three categories: Honest, Decent and Good. How brilliant: upfront, accessible and - like the list says - honest. It's a lesson in how to make you instantly warm to a place. And when you start exploring this unassuming piece of paper (right down to the old typewriter font) there are some captivating discoveries to be made - Brazilian Chardonnays, Australian ports, English Chapel Down Bacchus.

I don't normally quote wholesale from menus but I can't resist another snippet: 'We are a group of friends who have been in the drinks and bar industry for most of our working lives. Bedford & Strand is our chance to apply everything that's delighted us whilst eating and drinking round the world and roll it into one.' Well, you can't argue with that. And I reckon they've got it pretty much right in this funny little basement just a stagger away from the tourist-infested Covent Garden Piazza.

The name might lead you to expect a gritty, Noo Yoik vibe, but B&S is actually rather cosy. The beautiful, vintage back bar references its long previous life as one of those divey wine joints you pile into after an evening on the sauce. We both walked down the stairs thinking: 'We've been here before...' This is the room's focal point, piled high with intriguing-looking bottles and an Atkins nightmare display of magnificent looking bread - otherwise, it's clean, plain and restrained.

So it's looking good, and staff continue the sense of warm fuzziness. You are genuinely welcomed on arrival, and you get the sense that the owners have sensibly invested in some proper staff training. They know the provenance of the food and are fired up about that wine list. When we ordered an unusual Australian Verdelho (Pendarves; gorgeous) our waitress positively beamed - 'I love that one!'

So who are the owners? Nick Blacknell, Stuart Ekins, Adrian Fillary, Claire West and John Willy are, as they said, all from the biz. From backgrounds as diverse as wine buyer for Oddbins to manager of the delicious Loungelover, they are pooling an intriguing collection of talents. They have created something that looks like it's been there for ever - in a good way. It's the kind of place you'd happily languish over the sort of lunch that lasts until chucking-out time. Maybe it's something to do with the lack of daylight.

The menu, like the place, is pared down and well done. OK, it's simple, but I'd defy anyone not to find something on it they'd really like to eat. From a charcuteriesnacky job - boards of cheeses and meats, or nuts and pates - to a full a la carte, with express lunch in between, they appear to have covered all the bases.

Guess what? It's actually good, too. A board of charcuterie and cheeses didn't exactly groan but what was on it - thick, spicy chorizo; Parma ham from Italy, not a shrink-wrap; subtly smoked wild salmon - was of stonking quality. Sirloin demonstrated the benefits of being hung for 21 days on the bone; good bearnaise, too - so I forgive them the catering-pack frites. A charred slab of flakey cod sat on top of a big sticky pile of crushed peas: didn't need the little dish of creme fraiche, though. And how much did I love the pistachio ice cream that came with a dense, bitter chocolate tart?

But it's the wine list that will bring me back to Bedford & Strand. Like they say themselves, it's 'all killer, no filler' - it just begs to be explored. This is not a groundbreaking restaurant, nor one that will get novelty-seekers frothing at the gills. But what it does, it does well - and with real enthusiasm. Nice one.

Bedford & Strand
1a, Bedford Street, WC2E 9HH