Dylans at the Kings Arms

A pub with deep roots in the city the Romans called Verulamium, the Kings Arms occupies a handsome Tudor building in the Cathedral Quarter. Its beamed ceiling and burnished wood surfaces evoke an atavistic note of bygone days, and the history extends even to the name, Dylans, which commemorates a gone-but-not-forgotten chocolate Labrador. There is a seam of stylish grandeur running through much of Josh Searle's repertoire, and yet it never severs its connection to pub cooking. Chargrilled onglet with chimichurri, beef – fat chips and brown butter gravy could well be the best steak and chips you'll eat this year, or there might be Cornish sea bass with ratatouille, rouille potatoes and grilled artichoke. Familiar dishes are given productive tweaks to keep the regulars interested, so buffalo burrata might come with chestnut and pumpkin-seed panzanella, while a riot of spice inflames the punningly named Scotch Bonnet egg and habanero jam. Locals lavish special praise on the meat offerings – astonishing dairy cow burgers, luscious lamb chops, the lifetime's best roast pork belly. Olive oil typically plays a resourceful role in desserts such as dark chocolate mousse with sea salt and oil, or lime sorbet with olive-oil vodka. When it comes to drinking, a surprisingly extensive list of Champagnes must wait its turn behind Nyetimber's superlative Sussex sparklers, while a baker's dozen of wines in all three colours come in three glass sizes. Cask ales and a selection of guest brews dispensed from a green-tiled 'beer wall' are a strong draw too.

2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence