Restaurant: Le Cassoulet, Croydon

A dingy side street in South Croydon is the unlikely location for one of the best restaurants in the London suburbs.

Le Cassoulet is one of those neighbourhood restaurants that we all wish was on our doorstep.

You walk in off the street into an elegant bistro serving classic French bistro food.

Chef Malcom John made his name at Le Vacherin in Chiswick before deciding to open up Le Cassoulet much closer to home. And what a cracking place it is.

Like all good restaurants we were quickly served with a basket of delicious bread. At Le Cassoulet the bread comes with a jar of anchovy butter as well as normal butter.

The wife started with the Chicken Liver Parfait served with onion chutney and brioche. This is a superb dish made sublime by the addition of the toasted, airy brioche which works perfectly with the richness of the parfait.

I had the Beignets of Lamb Sweetbreads with Sauce Gribiche. Another winner that I would be very happy to order again. Even my wife deigned to try some even though she hates all offally dishes. She was impressed so that's big praise.

My main was the Deep Fried Plaice with Duck Fat Chops & Tartare Sauce. This was fish & chips to perfection. I don't think I've ever had such a moist piece of fish in batter. The chips were divine with a real taste of duck fat.

The wife's main was the Cote de Boeuf with Pepper Sauce & Frites. A superb piece of meat cooked to perfection.

Normally I don't even look at their dessert menu as I know what I want. Their Iles Flottantes are truly historic and are a must-have on your first visit.

As I've had them a few times I thought I'd try something different and plumped for the Venezuelan Chocolate Fondant with Amaretto Ice-cream.

Whilst the fondant was delicious I think I will revert back to the Iles Flottantes next time. They are unbeatable.

The wife finished with Profitteroles & Vanilla Ice-cream. "Absolutely delicious" she said "but I still prefer the Iles Flottantes".

At £27.50 for 3 courses this is pound-for-pound some of the best cooking in London.

Service overall was efficient but, given that we were first in for a 6pm sitting, they weren't under any great pressure. However, a restaurant of this quality could really do with a maitre d' who oozes friendliness and charm to customers. Unfortunately this was lacking on our visit.

Aside from that small quibble this was another great meal. If you live in the vicinity of Le Cassoulet you should beat a path to it. You will be glad you did.