Trinity

good quality, good value cooking

There is a palpable sense of burnished tradition to Trinity, which already has nearly 20 years of mileage on the clock in service to Clapham's Old Town, a half-secluded precinct at the eastern end of the Common. And yet, the place has transmogrified into all the possible permutations of the restaurant format: the expansive ground floor, as buzzing as a West End brasserie most sessions; the informal first-floor room among the treetops; Tableside, a chef's ringside experience with bespoke artworks; and, most recently, Outside – an alfresco space with a mobile kitchen out back. Presiding over it all is Adam Byatt, whose food has developed at an oblique angle to the overtly assertive performances elsewhere. There is great subtlety here, the kind of technique that is often happy enough to render itself all but invisible, witness an appetiser of raw, lightly salted prawns with blood-orange segments supported by an immaculate bouillabaisse jelly of potent concentration. A moment's searing is enough to give point to slender slices of yellowfin tuna on avocado purée and cold XO consommé, garnished with kohlrabi. Occasionally, the sense of balance isn't quite right, as in a piece of Limousin veal sweetbread served with a possessively strong reduction sauce loaded with black olives; just a tad more of the promised asparagus would have streamlined it to perfection. Again, the counterposing of elements in a principal dish of superb, well-marbled chateaubriand with a tart of primavera veg, watercress purée and a beef jus (each impeccable in itself) needed another ting on the tuning-fork. Desserts are about bringing gastronomic refinement to simple classics, so that they shine lustrously: Clapham honey soufflé with a quenelle of beeswax ice cream dropped in, or a luscious gariguette strawberry and mascarpone savarin. It is all served forth with rapturous professionalism. Wines have grown to a stable of around 450 bins, with mature clarets and Burgundies for the cognoscenti, but an excellent slate by the glass from £11. A Domaine Aléofane white Crozes-Hermitage, a sturdy Greek Xinomavro, and a bunch of siren-like Coravins are among the allurements.

Chef Adam Byatt’s flagship opened in 2006 but has remained a relevant player on London’s eating out scene thanks to his impressive attention to detail and desire to keep evolving. Located in the heart of Clapham Old Town, the restaurant’s ambience is one of low-key, grown-up luxury, with parquet flooring, comfortable chairs and a bar to the rear backing onto a semi-open kitchen. Byatt and his brigade cook dishes that strike an equitable balance between the classic and the contemporary. Byatt has an enviable grounding in classic French cookery thanks to spells at Claridge’s under John Williams and The Square under Phil Howard, but now combines this with a British spin in most dishes on Trinity's lunch and dinner menus. Service is on point and the 450-bin wine list is beautifully put together with a focus on Bordeaux and Burgundy, which complement Byatt’s richly flavoured cooking. While Trinity is far from a fancy pants affair, those after something a little more everyday should head either to Upstairs at Trinity – a more casual dining restaurant located where the name suggests – or to Byatt’s other brillaint neighbourhood venue Bistro Union, just down the road in Clapham’s Abbeville area.

3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence